Imagine you’re listening to a choir or a musical group and everyone is singing from a different song sheet. It will sound terrible. There wouldn’t be any synchronization amongst the group. You would be likely to run for the exits. Listening to a group that uses the same song sheet would obviously be a different listening experience (so long as choir has some singing ability!). “Song sheets” in …
Activism from Leaders: Slow Down and Reflect Before Speaking Out
Many pundits applaud the idea of CEOs / organizations taking a side on societal issues. My opinion: many of these pundits are expressing this point of view based on whether the CEO / organization’s position aligns to their beliefs. Let’s say that an organization’s CEO takes a stand against the NRA. Many of the pro activism pundits who view the NRA as a problem (which would be me), will applaud …
Academics: Create Content by Leveraging Different Assets
Terrific - as an academic you understand the importance of creating content for public audiences. (Watch this video if you need to be convinced why creating content from your research is good investment of your time). But maybe it is a challenge for you to identify ways to create content in a time efficient manner. Before you begin creating content, it is important to first think through your …
Experts Beware: Practice What You Preach
Let’s say that there is a particular leadership expert whose work you have admired for many years. You have consumed this person's content across various mediums and refer to it often for inspiration. Then one day, you find that the person that you so highly revered has actually been accused of abusing his power to sexually exploit women. Despite your initial shock, the women’s claims turn out to …
Academics: Please Stop Rambling during Media Interviews
It was painful to sit through. A while back, I was listening in on an academic's interview with a journalist. Each answer was probably about eight minutes long as he segued from one topic to the next without giving the journalist an opportunity to interject. He was going on and on, flippantly using big words that the average person would need to look up. His points were communicated in a dry and …
Tips for Higher Ed Marcom Professionals from Popular Marketing Books
By Kevin Anselmo What percentage of CEOs trust their CMOs? Think about it …… Answer: not very many. In fact, it is just 20% according to a recent study by the Fournaise Marketing Group. I learned this tidbit at a Triangle Marketing Club event from guest speaker Douglas Burdett, host of The Marketing Book podcast (one of my favorite podcasts out there). Burdett interviews marketing book …
Podcast Episode #64: Communicating Research via Video
How do you communicate complex ideas via video? If you are a researcher or communicator, perhaps this is a question on your mind. On episode 64 of the FIR on Higher Education podcast, guest Jonathan Ezer offers advice on how to communicate your research via video. Jonathan founded a company that helps researchers, scientists, innovators and educators communicate their work via video. He …
Podcast #54: Book Marketing Tactics from Professor David Burkus
It is not enough to rely on your publisher or school communications department to market your book. You have to put in the leg work. So says David Burkus, a professor at Oral Roberts University and the author of two different books: The Myths of Creativity which came out in 2013 and Under New Management which was published earlier this year. On episode 54 of FIR on Higher Education, Burkus …
Communications Commandment #1: Know Your Audience
There is a common thread that led to success when writing a cover letter, marketing message and media pitch: know your audience! I recently interviewed Heidi Scott Giusto on the FIR on Higher Education podcast to discuss a topic that I am not an expert in: communications during the career search. It was interesting for me to hear Heidi discuss how many make the mistake of not communicating …
Podcast Episode #49: Leveraging Social Media as a University Senior Leader
Different studies highlight how CEOs can reap positive benefits by using social media (see Weber Shandwick study). At the university level, there are some presidents, provosts and school deans who are also using social media in a strategic way. Take for example University of North Carolina Provost Jim Dean, who has been tweeting actively since 2009. On episode 49 of FIR on Higher Education, …
Institutional Social Media Goals – New Year Perspectives from Duke University and Indiana University
The beginning of the year is a time to re-evaluate our goals. On that note, we asked two different directors of social media strategy at two institutions the following question: In what ways are looking to experiment and innovate in 2016 to advance your institution's social media goals? Here are responses to this question from Cara Rousseau, Manager of Social and Digital Media Strategy at Duke …
Think Like a Media Company in Creating Content as an Academic
It seems the best content initiatives go by the wayside. We get too busy, other priorities creep up and we lose the inspiration. Does this resonate with you? At the same, there are academics / higher education communicators who are strategically creating content on a regular basis and consequently achieving some of their personal / institutional goals. The difference between those that succeed vs. …
Episode #34 – Best Practice Tips on Presenting and Public Speaking from Gini Dietrich
Not confident about your next public speaking opportunity or want more speaking opportunities? Then get tips from special guest Gini Dietrich on episode 34 of FIR on Higher Education. Along with being the mastermind of the popular PR blog called Spin Sucks and an author of two books, Gini is also a regular speaker. Among what you will learn: how to best handle negative comments / …
Resources for Higher Education Communicators
It is vital that we are always learning best practice. So much can be gleaned from the experiences of others. With that in mind, I wanted to create a helpful little list of resources I use to stay up to date about higher education communications. In no specific order, here are 9 links I would suggest you take a look at regularly (and I would love to hear your resources too!). LSE Impact Blog This …
How Professors Can Take Their Media Presence to the Next Level
Perhaps you are a media star. Or maybe communicating to public audiences is foreign territory. Regardless of where you are at on the spectrum, consider following these tips if you want to take your external communications to the next level. Study others. There are many academics that are acing various aspects of external communications. Surely there are individuals either at your institution or …