Updated: April 18, 2008 04:50 PM
Updated: April 18, 2008 04:50 PM
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AdRantsPosted by leah.jones
The first time I took a Myers Briggs personality test, the results were very surprising. I found out that I wasn't an extrovert. Despite my willingness to take leadership roles, do presentations, and work in large groups, the test said I was a big ol' introvert.
Then I found out that introverts recharged by being alone, while extroverts recharged by being with people. That certainly made sense and wasn't the only revelation the typing caused.
I've been bouncing along, happily knowing that I'm an introvert for the last eight years or so. Then last week I took an online Myers Briggs and saw that I've drifted into extroversion, but I know that I still recharge with alone time. While I'm finding a balance, I'm certainly not a Big E extrovert, just a little e extrovert with a silent introvert in front of it.
It was timely, then, that I finally picked up a copy of Marti Olden Laney's book The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World. I think that PR is definitely an extrovert world and as an (intro)extrovert, I had many "ah ha" moments reading this book.
One is that it's okay not to mingle at a big networking thing. Marti gives seven tactics for surviving parties and one is the Sea Anemone. Exactly how it sounds, you plant yourself in a comfortable corner and people will come to you. Some will float by and some (likely other introverts) will sit down and join you.
She has included chapters about work, relationships, parenting, and friendships. She also included plenty of scientific, rational explanations that introverts love so much. If you aren't an introvert, you probably work or live with one, so the book would be great for you too.
Either pick up a copy of The Introvert Advantage or visit Marti's site by the same name. The introvert in your life will be thrilled.
posted by leah.jones
Posted by leah.jones
Sunday afternoon, I went to a friend's house for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner. The hostess cooked up 27 pounds of turkey and every guest brought a side-dish or dessert. It was a lovely meal and the company was just as good.
I love trying to describe my work at Edelman to friends. "You see, there are these things called blogs, you've heard of them, right? And there are things called RSS feeds. And this other thing called Second Life."
After we sat down to eat, a high school French teacher leaned over to me. "I have a confession," he said dramatically, "I've never read a blog. I guess I've never been interested in other people's opinions."
Wow, I barely knew how to react. This Friday, November 24, will be my third anniversary of blogging. I can't imagine a day without blogs, well I can't imagine a month without blogs, but a day here and there is actually quite nice.
Then another friend asked me more about work and I described the weekly, company-wide emails I write about web 2.0 type things. "What's web 2.0? I've never heard that term." His wife chimed in and agreed that she didn't know what it meant either.
It was an eye-opener. I wasn't at Thanksgiving dinner with my grandparents, these were my 20/30-something peers. Smart people with advanced degrees, passports and DSL connections at home.
EARTH TO LEAH: Everyone doesn't live their lives online, no matter what you think. It isn't all blogs and Life 2.0, some of it is still slow cooked turkey and parlor games. Remember that if you travel this weekend and enjoy the conversation, not the conversation monitoring.
posted by leah.jones
Posted by leah.jones
As I shifted my exercise routine from the evening to the morning, I've been shocked at how many other good habits have started forming around it. Instead of feeling guilty most evenings because I didn't go to the gym, I am able to write, eat dinner at home, clean, and read even more than normal. In the mornings, I've added breakfast and coffee at home (saving me $5/day) and a pre-commute email check.
"Leah," you might be saying, "this has nothing to do with social media or WOM. Why are you wasting my time?"
It does relate to my work in the me2revolution, I promise. And even better, it relates to your work on behalf of your clients. I think you should try adding one new social media habit to your routine. After you add one, it will open the gates to another habit and another. Soon your daily routine will include social media the way it now includes traditional media.
Week One
1. Find five blogs that relate to your client. Try using the Technorati Blog Directory or Google Blogsearch
2. Subscribe to the RSS feeds using Newsgator, Bloglines, or another aggregator
3. Read the feeds daily
Week Two
1. Make a list of five search terms you use to find information related to your client
2. Subscribe to those searches on Technorati or Omgili (for forums)
3. Read the feeds daily along with the blogs you subscribed to last week
Week Three
1. Find a few podcasts that relate to work (cough, cough, Earshot, cough, cough)
2. Subscribe to the feeds using iTunes or Juice
3. Listen to them while you commute instead of your normal tunes
As you build your daily social media habits, many that I haven't mentioned will enter your routine. What does your social media routine look like today? What would you suggest readers add to their day?
posted by leah.jones
Posted by leah.jones
I spent last weekend teaching storytelling to a group of boys between the ages of 11 and 14. Like any teacher will tell you, I learned more from them than they learned from me. The biggest lesson was "Listening isn't the same as being still. If they need to move, let them move."
Chances are that when you go into a new business pitch, teaching an Edel U, or giving a presentation, you will not be faced with a room of fidgeting 12 year-olds. However, you might have a doodler, a gazer, or a pen twirler. What the boys taught me this weekend was I had to let them listen the way they listen.
It meant not being offended when they didn't sit up straight or even when they plopped onto their stomachs on the floor. It meant letting them close their eyes and it meant letting (okay, encouraging them) to get up to do some jumping jacks.
I'm not totally sure how I will bring this lesson into the boardroom, other than to say this: Quickly adapt to how your listeners listen best. The boys in my class did the absolute best when I took them on a walk. They were moving and that seemed to connect to their ears. You probably can't take your account team on a walk around the building, but maybe you can say, "I won't be offended if you need to stand up."
How have you changed a presentation to fit your listeners?
posted by leah.jones
Posted by leah.jones
On the phone with a colleague today, I apologized for my writing style. “The problem is that I have a comedy background, so even official documents start sounding…” He cut me off, “What do you mean, a comedy background?” Yes, once upon a time, I was a stand-up comic.
Nothing about my career path before I came to Edelman suggested I would ever end up at a PR firm, but I’m here. I have my degree in Chemistry, a minor in Spanish. My resume includes study abroad administration, college housing, sexual assault awareness and prevention, a waitress, a cashier at a major retail chain, manager of an ice cream parlor. In my time off I’ve taken lessons to learn improv comedy, writing, tango, and African drumming.
Somehow, this combination was magic and I am now a part of the me2revolution. What has your path to PR looked like? What was unexpected that led to something wonderful? Tell me about your path to PR.
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posted by leah.jones
TalkShop is a blog about word-of-mouth and the Me2 Revolution, published by Edelman and hosted by Phil Gomes, the company's Senior Counsel, Online Communications. This blog pulls in thoughts and opinions from members of the worldwide Edelman network.
Posts that contain WOM OR WOMM OR "Word of Mouth" per day for the last 30 days.
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