KiKi L'Italien's Acronym Soup

Weekly Inspiration - My 10 Picks

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:03:00 +0000

We've made it to Friday and if you're anything like me, you like to recap what you've learned or been inspired by over the week.

What has captured your imagination? What is fascinating to you?

Here's what's inspiring me this week:

1. The Art of Selfishness by David Seabury - This is an older book that I found on Amazon.com after listening to an interview between John Morgan and Chris Brogan. Their interview was compelling enough that I wanted to read this little gem of a book.

2. Awesomely Simple by John Spence - Amazing book I was sent as a gift when I started Amplified Growth. I'm rereading it after being reminded of it recently in a PowerPoint presentation I reviewed. Good stuff on business management in there.

3. The Tim Ferriss article in the April 2013 edition of Inc. magazine (page 72) - I cut out the "Stop Doing That" portion to keep as a reminder. One thing he says to stop doing is instant messaging. I went "invisible"on G-chat this week and haven't looked back. I might be brave enough to try some of his other suggestions...like only checking my email twice a day...eventually.

4. Tumblr. - I'm only subscribed to inspirational stuff on there and it is probably the most fun online site for me to visit each day. I'm following tumblr blogs about fitness inspiration, cute animals (I hear that looking at them is good for memory - no joke), and futurist ideas. Just fun.

5. My neighbors' flowers - The beautiful blooms are so alluring...check out MemberClicks blog for their great response to my ethical dilemma.

6. Pukka Refresh organic peppermint, fennel, and rose tea

7. Liz King's Power Branding Online Class Series. This thing is free, but she could be making thousands off of it, easily. I recommend it highly!

8. Writer's Almanac and poetry - April is National Poetry Month and it always makes me appreciate poetry's place in my life and usually leads to me writing my fair share of poems, too. I won the Langston Hughes Award for Creative Writing in college and used to compete in poetry slams, so I'm a little bit of a nut when it comes to poetry. Every day Garrison Keillor shares information on the date in literature's history and a poem to share on his show, The Writer's Almanac. It's a positive show that always makes me think and puts a smile on my face.

9. Blog post by Corey Eridon at HubSpot on How To Deliver Presentations That Are Awe-Inspiring, Not Yawn Inducing. I love blog posts about presenting, but this one was especially well put-together and linked to another great blog post with a slidedeck I checked out. A good one for presenters. (We also had a dynamic chat about speaking on the week's Association Chat (#assnchat), held every week at 2 pm ET.)

10. Spring - Springtime always makes me feel like it's another chance to improve, do better, clean up, and start fresh. I'm doing some spring cleaning around the house and I've started spending more time outside as the natural world around me begins to bloom and unfold itself in the sun.

What inspired you this week? Any suggestions I should check out for next week? I'm always on the lookout for new teas, so there's that...

Ethical Springtime Dilemma: Stolen Blooms

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:41:00 +0000

Ethical dilemma: Your neighbor has a blooming bush that is encroaching on your yard. The blooms would look perfect in vases throughout your house.

Do you snip off the blooms that fall on *your* side of the fence so that you are delighted as you walk throughout your house? Or do you adhere to a "hands off" policy and wait for your own bushes to bloom?

I may have a snipped a few...what would *you* do?

The Orange Bowl and Creativity: An Interview With Laila Brock

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:18:00 +0000

Laila Brock is currently the Director of Events and Team Operations with the Orange Bowl Committee, where she implements nearly 100 annual events in support of the Orange Bowl and the larger objective of enhancing the image, economy, and culture of South Florida. Laila will be facilitating a session on "Taking Creative Brainstorming to the Next Level" in the Workshop Series at BizBash IdeaFest South Florida on April 10 at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center. (For more information, and to register for this conference, please visit www.bizbash.com/ideafestfl)

My interview with Laila Brock:

Q. Describe for me how you got involved in planning for the Orange Bowl.

A. I kind of fell into events, kind of like most event professionals in my generation you talk to who feel like they just fell into it. I was a student athlete in college so there was always that connection to sports and I always wanted to work in sports because I had that positive experience. When I left grad school I worked for a nonprofit in Boston and moved on to Florida Atlantic University to work there.

I was fortunate to attend an Orange Bowl when my alma mater played in 2005. Very shortly thereafter I started dabbling in events and meeting planning, but didn't really know that what I was doing was events and meeting planning because it was just part of my job and something I enjoyed doing.

When I started with Orange Bowl, I really just started with a stint in logistics geared toward the teams visiting the Orange Bowl – their transportation, their arrivals, their meals, meeting space at the hotels,… just straight operations and logistics. As time evolved and the Orange Bowl evolved, I moved up into the position I’m in now – I oversee the operations and manage our large scale events portion of the Orange Bowl game.

Q. What do most people get wrong when they hear you help plan the Orange Bowl?

A. They think that it’s all fun and glamorous and sexy and it is not. There are a lot of late nights and long hours. Most of our events happen around Orange Bowl so they happen in a concentrated period of time and we’re planning 50-70 events large and small to happen throughout that small timeframe. So there are weeks when we’re at work from 7 o’clock in the morning until 9:30 that night. There are times when I’ve seen my office more than I’ve seen my house.

I think people kind of get lost in the beauty of the industry. But the industry is absolutely amazing and you definitely have the opportunity to use your creativity, use your people skills, and communicate with people to generate revenue for and organization. But it’s also about moving boxes around and coming to work in sweatpants some day because you know you’re going to have to get dirty or you know you’re going to be on your hands and knees all day putting together registration packets.

Q. What kind of creative thinking goes into planning for the Orange Bowl? What’s your process? What role does brainstorming play?

A. We’ll have an Orange Bowl gala, which we call our Orange Bowl Rhapsody, and we’ll do several of the same events year after year and they have the same audience, so it’s sometimes a little difficult to come up with creative ways to run the same event.

But what we’ll do is we’ll tap into our local network, our local community to figure out what it is they want to see – something that they haven’t seen before or something a little bit different.

One of the things that with our Orange Bowl gala is we’ll take a culture and really explore that culture, like last year we had a Brazilian theme for our Orange Bowl Rhapsody. We brought in Brazilian dancers, we had Brazilian food, all the things that would make you feel like you were in a Brazilian Carnivale.

Q. How do you recognize a successful idea from a really bad idea?

A. Let me give you a really great example. We held a gala at the Miami Seaquarium – it is on a park and there’s a small island next to the park and we wanted to use the space on the park and on the island.

Our committee chair was very creative and wanted to take boats from the island to the park. We had 1,000 people and he wanted to take 3 or 4 boats, 15 minutes at a time, and do boat tours from the island to the park.

While in theory that would be great, logistically and operationally, it wasn’t going to work. We had an issue where we would have had people who may be drinking, getting on to boats, going to docks that were too small to handle that many people. It would have been a lot of fun, it would have been really cool if it could have worked out.

We try to look at good ideas and try to make them work and if they can’t work, we try to figure out an alternative that will.

So one of the things that we did is create an outdoor patio right outside the tent at that outdoor venue so the same idea was there – people could look at the island and have an outdoor space and really enjoy our weather here in South Florida in January.

Q. How much has your experience as an athlete impacted the way you approach creative brainstorming and planning?

A. I come from the background that no one does anything on their own. There is nothing that I’m going to achieve that I’m going to achieve by myself. I know that I need help and I know I need to help others - my feedback, my expertise, my hands, or my lever. That’s the attitude we all take here [at the Orange Bowl] so I think that’s why we’ve been successful with the Orange Bowl and the community.

Apart from that I think my experience as a student athlete has helped me to improve the student athletes’ experience who are here for the Orange Bowl. You know, it’s not just about the sponsors and about our committee members, it’s about the whole community and about the student athletes who are here to participate.

Q. What has been the hardest/most important lesson you’ve learned in your experiences planning for the Orange Bowl?

A. I’ve learned patience and I’ve learned how to work very quickly. The reason I say that I have to be patient because we work by committee – we have a group of about 300 CEOs, doctors, lawyers, business leaders in the community that kind of drive the decisions of Orange Bowl and so you have to be patient because they know what they want and they know when they want it but then they sometimes change their minds.

But beyond that, because we work with such a condensed timeframe, everything has to be precise and everything has to be done very quickly in a very short amount of time.

So we may have everything planned out, but a team is announced and everything goes out the window so I’ve had to learn how to adapt very quickly.

Q. What does every event planner need in his or her arsenal?

A. A great network. I don’t think anyone can do anything on their own. What I’ve learned is it’s great to ask questions and learn from someone who has done it before. So I would say the best thing for a novice event planner to a master event planner is just a really great network.

Q. What’s the best perk for doing what you do?

A. I’m a sports fan so working in college football and planning events is like a dream come true for me. Being able to stand on the field during the national championship games and watch the game from the field. I don’t get all the fancy trips around the world like some planners, but I’m able to be in an environment that I love and an environment that I helped create and there’s so much energy created around that.

Q. Where do you get your best ideas?

A. I use the website and I use the magazine [BizBash] all the time – I’m always getting ideas from places around town. […] When I’m out running or when I’m in the shower or traffic, ideas come from everywhere and if we can, we’ll use them!

xPotomac: It's Not Just for Pornographers!

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 19:20:00 +0000

One of my big goals for this year is to get out in the DC social media scene a bit more. More than what? I am ashamed to admit I have been a relative shut-in to my geographic community of virtual virtuosos. To be fair, I run my own company, am a mom and wife, and speak a fair bit so I always seem to be on the go, but I really can't make excuses anymore; not with so many talented people located so close to where I live. It just isn't right.

Then I heard about xPotomac and it seemed the perfect place to act on my goal to connect. And hallelujah, I was right.

Vanessa Fox speaks to the audience on voice search.

At this point I might point out some other reviews of this event you could read as companion pieces to my own thoughts, located here, and here, and here (and there are many others...the room was full of bloggers).

Like any tech event worth going to, xPotomac (formerly known as Blog Potomac) witnessed its Twitter hashtag seized by pornographers early on in the day giving the attendees, myself included, more evidence that we were exactly where we were supposed to be.

Throughout the day we heard about voice search, the growing use of images and infographics, blogging platforms, online influence, augmented reality, and the future, as well as hearing from the infamous Andrew Keen (the self-proclaimed "Antichrist of Silicon Valley") who shared a more dystopian view of technology...and who managed to piss off a large number of attendees. Keen could still be found nibbling on cheese at the after party, though, so he wasn't a speaker who insulted his audience and ran...he had the ~~cojones~~ strength of character to face his audience afterwards. Or he just really likes cheese. Either way, he did attend the after party with all of the other speakers who were simply amazing.

Me with the effervescent Jill Foster.

The event was chockablock with social media dynamos both on stage and in the audience and well before the end of the day I knew that what I paid to attend was worth it. The speakers were top-notch and the audience was gifted with intelligent participants who made the Q and A every bit as valuable as the presentations themselves. In short, the event rocked.

A moment captured during a break at x Potomac. Photo by Shonali Burke.

Speakers Vanessa Fox, Dino Dogan, Geoff Livingston, Patrick Ashmalla, Shonali Burke, Greg Verdino, Jen Consalvo and Andrew Keen were dynamic and thought-provoking. If the event organizers had offered a chance to sign up for the next event while we were still there, I would have without a doubt paid that day...it was that good.

My takeaways were as follows:

1. The right format makes all the difference for events: Targeted audience, intimate venue, sessions with plenty of Q&A, smart well-selected speakers, ...these all led to a phenomenal outcome. Remind me of this when I have to plan an event.
2. Closing with a thought provoking/controversial speaker keeps the conversation going: Call me crazy, but the conversation was definitely buzzing along following Keen's presentation. Maybe Keen had angered the crowd, but it didn't stop everyone from chatting; in fact, it seemed to give people more to discuss. Smart move. Also, I am completely contradicting myself from how I viewed it at the time. At the time, I wondered if the conference organizers hadn't made a mistake ending on a sour note with Keen. Ah, the joys of being human.
3. Bring on the wearables: I'm ready for Google glasses, Burberry's synced clothing, and everything else. Bring it!

Want more information about xPotomac? Check out the website or follow the @xPotomac on Twitter or you can see the Flickr photos. The new hashtag we used (following the pornographers' siege) was #xpotomac13, if you want to play detective and try to find some of the tweets from that day.

Were you there? Followed along by Twitter? What were your takeaways?

Fierce Membership: Telling Your Fierce Members' Stories

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:42:00 +0000

Last week I was honored to present a webinar, “Fierce Membership: 7 Ways to Keep From Losing Your Most Engaged Members.”

What is "fierce membership" and how is it different than what associations have witnessed before?

A "fierce member"...:

knows their benefits and probably wants all of them plus more
wants to be involved in volunteer efforts and will leave if not given the chance to change the organization (after all, they are already educated and active in the other free ways to engage, as well)
desperately wants to change the organization for the better from the inside-out
isn't satisfied with annual meetings - is looking for more engagement
can be your best advocate or worst enemy - depending on how you treat them

One of the ways to keep fierce members happy is in telling the story of powerful volunteer opportunities within an organization, sharing why and how these fierce members have been as engaged as they are. During the webinar we discussed ways to capture those stories through video recordings.

Here are some questions I like to use when collecting stories or testimonials:

What was your first volunteer activity and how did it lead you to how you are involved with this organization today?
What is the most meaningful project you’ve worked on with us and why?
You have invested so much time and energy into your volunteer activities here. What do you get out of this?
How can new volunteers get more out of their engagements?
Do you feel that you’ve left your mark on this organization? If so, how? If not, when will you feel that you have? What will it take to feel that you’ve achieved what you want to do?

Also suggested during the webinar…

“We did exactly that - at our Leadership Forum we selected some volunteers who were interviewed as to why they volunteer and what would they say to someone who was thinking of volunteering. We will highlight one of these interviews each month on our website.”

Who are your fierce members and how do you capture their stories? Share your thoughts in the comments!

***
Upcoming webinar! I will be presenting the free webinar, "The Beauty of Buzz: The 5 Social Tools for Events Every Planner Must Have" on February 19th at 10 am ET. If you'd like to attend, just register here!

Fierce Membership: 7 Ways to Keep From Losing Your Most Engaged Members

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 22:04:00 +0000

Hi gang! I hope your year is going well so far. I just wanted to let you know about a free webinar I'll be presenting, called "Fierce Membership: 7 Ways to Keep From Losing Your Most Engaged Members"on Wednesday, January 23rd at 2 pm ET.

You can register here: https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/50467#Fierce_Membership.

***
UPDATE 1/28/13

Missed the webinar? You can catch it here!

Please leave your thoughts or questions about the webinar in the comments on this page. Thanks!

3 Ways Associations Can Live Dangerously in 2013

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:10:00 +0000

What if 2013 was the year of living dangerously for associations? What kind of changes would we see?

Fear is such a pain. It saps our energy; develops more of the same old thing. Fear creates doubt in the place of excitement. Fear sucks.

And yet, when we drill down into why many decisions are made the way they are in organizations, we find fear at the root. Or the budget. But the budget only reflects priorities, so we're back to fear and why it kills in the most uninteresting ways imaginable.

Fear in associations creates decision making that kills by boredom, repetition, and a disregard for changing societal landscapes.

So what if we lost our ability to fear for a year?

1. Experimenting With The Membership Model: A new pricing structure...the Freemium model...a new membership type...virtual membership... what options are you offering your members? Do you have several ways your members could get and stay involved with your organization. In a year of living dangerously an association would try something new with their membership model. What do you think? Are you ready for a new Blogger/Social Media Ambassador Membership type? What would the requirements for that member be? What would they receive in return?

2. Identifying Better (READ: Kick Ass) Member Benefits: Is your magazine worth it to me to be a member? Do you have varying levels of benefits I could choose from at different price levels? Do I have options as a member for each level of membership? Does your organization provide me with ways I can easily BUY MORE ENGAGEMENT? Identifying some smart member benefits for on-boarding new members and thrilling existing members would fit in well in a year of living dangerously for associations.

3. Taking a Deeper Look At The Annual Meeting: Do you need it? Is it what it should be? Could there be a dramatic overhaul that refreshes the Annual Meeting? What if you invested more? Invested less? What would the most ideal Annual Meeting look like for attendees? Start from scratch. What could you do instead of an Annual Meeting? Several events? Should your Annual Meeting take place with a different format? What if you had to do it without a budget? What if you had all the money you needed? Associations who were taking up the mantle to live dangerously would take a chance with their Annual Meetings recognizing they could have a huge impact be doing more than allowing for small "tweaks" to their meeting.

Happy New Year's Eve! What do you think? What else would associations do in a year of living dangerously?

Non-Negotiable Time

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:58:00 +0000

Are you tired of the rat race and sick to death of your job and everything about it ESPECIALLY as we approach 2013? Fierce guru for women entrepreneurs, Marie Forleo, talks about her NNT (non-negotiable time) that she uses to avoid burnout and it really got me thinking. The holidays tend to overwhelm many of us (I am no exception) and so any ideas of ways to combat fatigue catch my attention. Forleo's NNT topic actually got me thinking so much that I took this idea of NNT over to my new community, Amplified Growth: A Group For Women Entrepreneur's so I could get their feedback.

So what's NNT all about? NNT consists of things you do for yourself on a daily basis to keep you on an even keel, avoid burnout, and maybe even help to inspire you along the way. Writing in a journal, prayer, meditation, a walk around the block, a coffee break, or even a daily retreat into a broom closet for 15 minutes of quiet time can count. The point is, it is non-negotiable so it is something you give yourself every day to keep you going.

What three things do you do on a daily basis to keep you positive and forward moving as opposed to swampy and burned out?

I thought about this question and realized I had no good NNT plan in place! So I decided to test out a new one to see how it would impact my productivity and how it would make me feel about my work (and myself) at the end of the day. Here is what I'm testing out:

KiKi's NNT Plan
1. Each day list 3 brags, 3 gratitudes, and 3 desires I have.
2. Incorporate green juice into every day for a boost of nutrients and energy.
3. Schedule 2 dance breaks (mid-morning and mid-afternoon) to boost my energy, metabolism, and happiness. I actually scheduled these on my calendar. The rule is I must dance to at least ONE full song before getting back to work. (I'm starting to keep track of my dance breaks and green juice on this blog, as well.)

What does your NNT look like, or do you need to create your own NNT plan? Please share below in the comments.

Dance break #1 today was Maroon 5's "One More Night" - enjoy. ;)

Saying Thanks to Your Members

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 12:25:00 +0000

We had a fabulous discussion about gratitude yesterday on Association Chat and if you missed it, you are probably kicking yourself. But never fear! The whole convo was captured using Storify and you can feel like you were actually there by visiting the post on "Saying Thanks to Members" -- I promise you, you'll get at least one good idea on showing your members gratitude if you take the time to look through the commentary.

If you are a reader located in the United States, have a great Thanksgiving! If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, just know that I am thankful for your readership. This has been a great year for me and for my business, Amplified Growth, and I can't thank everyone enough for their support. Now go find someone you should thank and report back on the results!

Gobble gobble!

My Interview With Julie Cottineau of BrandTwist (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:20:00 +0000

Julie Cottineau is the founder of BrandTwist. Before starting her own company, she was vice president of Brand Virgin USA, overseeing branding strategy for new Virgin companies in North America, as well as providing strategic brand support for the established Virgin businesses. She also lectures at Columbia University.

She’s also speaking at BizBash New York IdeaFest and I had the amazing opportunity to talk with her about entrepreneurship, branding, and how she’s learned to stand out from the crowd.

KiKi: Your talk at IdeaFest is, “Making the Brand Permeate the Event: Lessons from Great Brands” – Can you tell us a little bit more about it?

Julie: Actually, it's going to be part talk and A LOT of interaction. I'm speaking at lunchtime and it's going to have an activity so everyone can get involved. I'm going to talk first about what really makes a great brand and to me part of what makes a great brand is a brand that tells a great story. And great brands, like when I used to work at Virgin, you see them telling their story at every single touchpoint. Not just with the advertising, but they tell it in the way the product is designed, the way the people that work there act, little touches - like all through the airplane, for example - little unexpected things. So I'm going to talk about those lessons and then ask the crowd to play along with me and innovate on their own brand and on their own events.

At this point in the interview I noticed that Julie's background, her wall color, matched with the color in her logo and tied in with her scarf. I mentioned this to Julie and she beamed. I'd stumbled on to her living her words...the color was part of her brand. Part of what makes her brand different from that of other consultants. Julie's personality matches this vivid color. Julie explained to me that "BrandTwist is all about passion."

KiKi: Events like IdeaFest can be amazing opportunities for networking and forging new strategic relationships. Are there any associations or online groups that have helped you or that you encourage entrepreneurs to join?

Julie: I find that a lot of the networking that I do is still pretty organic and person-to-person. I'm constantly meeting people, entrepreneurs, and saying, "Oh, I just talked to someone who had that exact same issue, maybe you should talk to them." That's great because it's a personal touch, but it can be really inefficient, especially when you're meeting hundreds of people. I'm actually right now launching something called BrandSchool and BrandSchool is an online course for entrepreneurs. It's an eight-week program that takes you through everything from who you should target, what you should promise, how you can use your personal brand like we just talked about, how you should support your professional brand, how you should use social media, and one of the things that I built into BrandSchool is a community page. When you sign up for the BrandSchool class, you'll learn from me, but I think more importantly you'll learn from other students in BrandSchool. You'll be able to talk with them, comment on each other's homework, talk about each other's brand ideas and my hope is that it will become a strong community.

Watch out for Part 2 of my interview with Julie Cottineau!

Social Media and Disaster: Hospitals On Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:47:00 +0000

It was the scariest day of my life. I was settled in on the couch with my husband and daughter enjoying our Sunday evening when my phone rang.

Giving it a quick look, I saw it was my cousin Sarah calling from Texas. I'd never in all my 30+ years received a call from her. Something must be wrong.

"Hello?"

"Hi, KiKi? It's your cousin Sarah...you need to turn on the Weather Channel right now. Joplin's just been hit by a tornado and it was a big one."

Joplin, Missouri is where most of my family and friends still live. It is where I was born and while I went to high school in Carthage, Joplin is where I spent most of my time. I tried to call my mom and got through - she was fine. I tried to call my dad and it went straight to voicemail.

I left a message and tried again. This time the call didn't go through.

Immediately I jumped on to Facebook to see what I could find out from my friends in the area. They were reporting if they had made it through the storm and trying to locate others. They were reporting on damage and area landmarks that were gone. They were reporting that phone calls weren't getting through, but that they were still able to access social media using their phones. Facebook became a gathering place - a communication hub - a way to share important information with a large number of other people who had no other way to communicate with one another.

As a social media consultant, there was a lot I learned about social media during the days following the tornado in Joplin. I stationed myself behind my computer and worked remotely to try to help people find food, shelter, and places to join up with volunteers when things were changing by the minute.

I used apps like Emergency Radio on my iPhone to tune into Joplin area law enforcement to find out about areas of looting and where volunteers were being told to congregate. I listened non-stop to local station KZRG via the internet so I could update people via Facebook and Twitter about where supply drops were happening and where hot food was being delivered at different times during the day; which shelters were full and where people could go for medical supplies.

This was extremely important because St. John's Regional Medical Center had been destroyed by the tornado, leaving Freeman Health System as the one large remaining hospital in Joplin (many patients were taken to other areas for care).

Joplin's Freeman Health System is extremely active with their Facebook page, engaging with the community on a regular basis, providing not only information about clinics and health programs, but also updates on staff changes since the tornado. They used their Facebook page to communicate in the immediate aftermath of the tornado and their CEO even has a Twitter handle for outreach using that channel.

Many hospitals have figured out how to meet their task of engaging the community using tools like Facebook to hold a steady, reliable presence online.

Arkansas Heart Hospital is another one that has done a tremendous job with their Facebook page, connecting with the residents of their community and posting healthy tips and articles alongside community events to keep people informed.

Fort Belvoir Community Hospital was listed as one of the Top 50 hospitals for Facebook engagement via UbiCare's research of over 1,000 hospitals. From UbiCare's results, we learn hospitals with the best engagement provide the following:

They post at least 4 times per week, and up to as often as 3 times a day
They post videos and pictures of people for visual interest
They interact by using quizzes and contests

What does this mean for hospitals and the communities of people surrounding them? Just like I immediately turned to my online communities for information when the phone wouldn't connect, so many others looking for information and help in time of crisis can get up-to-the-minute information about where to take the sick and hurt if the hospital is full using Facebook.

People turn to the hospital's Facebook page to find out where, when, and how to help. The hospital can inform their staff on how to report in when phone lines are down.

My next post in this series will talk about how hospitals can start building their community engagement.

Do you have good example of hospitals using social media to share? Post in the comments here!

One Foot In Front of The Other

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:41:00 +0000

I've lost six pounds.

After allowing the excuses to pile up (stress, knee injury, time, motherhood, travel), I joined Weight Watchers with a good friend of mine and started following the plan. Happily, I can report I've lost six pounds over the last two weeks.

Just like blog posts or any other kind of work we do, following the plan and putting one foot in front of the other is what leads to success. Do I look at pictures of clothes I want to wear or things I want to do when I achieve my goal? Yes. But for me, concentrating on that huge goal can seem overwhelming. I've learned that focusing on just doing the right things right now are the tiny steps that will help me to attain greater success.

Breakfast: 2 eggs and heirloom tomatoes

The movies lie. In them, all the hard work is condensed into a montage with inspirational music and fast results. We don't live in the movies.

Today, think about what it is you want to achieve and put one foot in front of the other to get closer to your goal. If the word "discipline" is too scary, just focus on making the next decision the right one.

Have a great week!

Ma Bell Got The Ill Communication

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:33:00 +0000

Is social media bullshit?

I've had some days when I've wondered about that myself. With audiences that include people who still don't know how to turn on their smartphone sitting next to people who have jailbroken their iPhones and used them to tether their WiFi, it can be a nightmare to serve all during a presentation.

In many ways, today’s social media training could be compared to telephone training. You wouldn’t pay a consultant to come in and teach you how to operate your phone…a manual can do that. What you need is someone who understands the way people use the phone to communicate so that your staff may best use its features to make the tool more effective for your business. Scripting and strategy work goes a long way. This is not the time to ask how to transfer calls. You want your staff to know how to answer the phone, the expected protocol, and how to handle common problems.

Unfortunately, too often, people get stuck in the tool and can't get their head around the strategy for using that tool.

How much thought did you put into making your voicemail message? When is the last time you learned a new tip for using your telephone for business? Maybe instead of a telephone, social media training is like PR training. You need to prepare for one voice to reach many people – whether by video, audio, or text.

I’ve been reading the book, Social Media Is Bullshit. Admittedly, the title got my attention and with so much hype around social, I wanted to check out the author’s thoughts. I mean, I am a social media consultant…this could mean my livelihood, right?

Guess what? I love the book.

People put too much importance around the wrong things: Increasing follower counts, adding likes, and other superficial metrics. You wouldn’t try to measure how many people you could get to call your business phone number…but what happened as a result of that call might be worth measuring.

B.J. Mendelson challenges the authority of the likes of Chris Brogan, Seth Godin, Brian Solis and other popular social/PR big cheeses. He asserts that these guys work to preserve their livelihoods at the expense of providing anything of real value to the people who buy what they’re selling.

How are you adding value to your customers/clients/members? Focus on that today. I know I am.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the same thing. You need to have a solid product and services before all else. If you don’t have that, you are misplacing priorities. Even if you hire me for social media strategy, you still need to focus on the basics. That should never change. You still need to build real relationships with your customers or members. Relationships that are not dependent on whether or not they are influencers.

So, is social media bullshit? Only if you're focusing on it at the expense of your basic services.

What do you think?

Like Playing Piano

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:00:00 +0000

When I was growing up I took piano lessons. Each week I would clutch my latest Bastien or Alfred's piano instruction book and march into my lesson while my mother met with her best friend over coffee. The ritual was soothing, mechanical, something I could rely on.

When I returned home, I'd go to the sunken living room with gold shag carpeting, and sit at the old antique upright piano and play. Rarely did I study the drills. Mostly I played the songs we were studying over and over and over. My goal was to get to the point where I could play the entire piece with my eyes closed, my hands automatic in their tempo and notes played.

Like the rocking of a rocking chair, playing the piano brought comfort in its regularity and fulfillment of expectations. It did what I expected it to do.

People like having some semblance of control in their lives.

What can you do to bring a sense of regularity to your own life? As we ease into the weekend, maybe you should try making a "to don't" list rather than a "to do" list. Can you stay away from social media for a day and spend more time with your family or a neighbor? Maybe you can add a walk to your day that is for pleasure and not fulfillment of your duty to exercise. Have you tried just sitting still long enough to listen to music and savor the sounds and process the way you react to those sounds?

My daughter has been practicing spelling her name. Over and over again she spells it on the backs of menus, on her drawings at school, and she takes pride in being able to spell it faster and faster and faster. Even with her eyes closed.

Don't forget to take the time to enjoy the feeling of cool air on your face as you fly to reach the stars. Have a great weekend!

Feed Your Head (Five For the Ladies)

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:08:00 +0000

Inspiration comes in many forms. In today's post I want to share some of the people, blogs, books, and music inspiring me lately. From PR to Pop!, this is what's feeding my head and what you just might want to feed yours.

I also wanted to target this post for women specifically because a lot of what I'm reading, learning, and investing time in happens to be female-focused right now. Once you take a look-see through my list, I think you'll figure out what I mean...

1. Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts - Look, I know it's a kinky name with all its implications, but after every woman seems to have read Fifty Shades this year, I feel I can share this book suggestion with you. Truth is, another inspiration on my list this week first told me about this book and as a result I have been embracing my pride and power as a woman more and more every day.

But Mama Gena is the focus here - not the book. The book is your primer to what Mama Gena is all about and a lesson in how to take back your power. It's an invigorating reminder to embrace life and bring everyone along with you as you live your life with passion!

Her blog is fun. There is a lot of talk about vulvas and vaginas (you'll adapt after blushing) and I signed up for her newsletter and daily messages she calls, "The Daily Fluff."

Fun. Positive. Powerful.

Check it out.

2. FitCyn - Cynthia D'Amour has been a longtime friend, mentor, and inspiration for me. She's creative and smart and driven and not a soul who knows her would dare disagree. I first met her when I joined the association community and became more involved with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

Over the past couple of years she's evolved from pursuing a healthier life for herself to sharing her weight loss journey with everyone online and people are eating it up! (Hey, no calories in brain food, right?) And her success is not only physically visible, but you can feel her positive energy radiating out...that's the kind of thing that just invites success to your life.

She's posting regular videos to her blog, many times without wearing a stitch of makeup after her workout (did I mention she's daring, too?), and she's developing a devoted community on her FitCyn Facebook Group. I watch her videos and love this woman for sharing so much of her life - struggles and success - and her willingness to reach down and pull the next person up the mountain with her.

3. Real Jazz station on Sirius XM - What does one listen to when she's busy being happy and making a purposeful decision to transform her life into what she wants it to be?

I was struggling with finding the right kind of music to allow for my happy thoughts and my creative thinking while writing and working throughout the day.

It needed to be upbeat. It needed to be mostly instrumental. It needed to inspire the kind of thoughts and activity that I was aiming for.

Enter: Real Jazz.

As a longtime lover of jazz, finding a place for jazz in my life on a regular basis shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was! I'd been listening to a lot of alternative and chill music...not so much jazz.

Finding the right kind of soundtrack might just be what you need to do to put a little extra spring in your step!

4. Adele Cehrs - One of the most fun, authentic, beautiful people I've ever met; Adele is blessed with business acumen and a power in PR. In fact, she owns Epic PR and is regularly paid to speak on public relations topics with a natural talent for being in front of people.

She gave me invaluable business advice after starting my own company, Amplified Growth, and told me about the awesome show, The Pitch.

We are speaking together at the upcoming ASAE Great Ideas Conference next spring on the topic of big ideas and how to know if you've got a dud or a winner...yes, we are going to make this a really special session and I can't wait! You can follow Adele on Twitter @EpicPRGroupDC.

5. Sam Horn and Pop! - Strong women will introduce you to other strong women. After I missed the chance to see Sam Horn in person at ASAE Annual this year, Adele (see #4 above) suggested I pick up Sam's book, Pop. Adele and I now practically have our own little Sam Horn book club and I've purchased more of her titles.

Sam's advice stands out because she makes it actionable. Super actionable. It's almost as good as if she did it all for you.

There you go! I have more stuff that's lighting my fire lately, but those are the top five for this week. What about you? What's working for you? Got any suggestions for me to check out? Let me know in the comments!

What's Holding You Back?

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 12:26:00 +0000

If you are reading this, you are lucky.

How do I know that? You have access to a computer. You are educated enough to use it. You are literate.

According to the demographics of my blog's readers, you are most likely employed and have a relatively comfortable income.

But I bet you're looking for more in your life.

I'm lucky. I'm surrounded by amazing, talented people I can call friends. Individually they are each strong, inspiring, and powerful. They make me stronger by association.

I'm educated. I'm making money. I'm a wife. I'm a mom.

I've got what a lot of people want.

But I want more.

I want accomplishment. I want recognition. I want to achieve greatness doing something I am passionate about.

This week's Association Chat prompt was, "What's Holding You Back?" The discussion fired up a lot of internal questions for me and seemed to do the same for other participants.

I asked participants to focus on their own goals and skills for the chat and to consider their desires. Moving in the direction of one's desires, intentions has been a focus for me lately and people who want to move ahead should probably make it their focus, as well. Examine that life! Challenge your comfort zone! Get real with yourself!

Please check out the entire discussion we had on Association Chat and post your comments here on what you are doing to achieve your goals in your career. Do you have tips? Have you figured out a process for creating abundance in your life that works for you? Please share! It's good karma and besides, it could bring you closer to your own goals without you knowing why or how.

Ain't life grand?

Embrace the Unorthodox! KiKi's Interview with Jeff De Cagna, Author of Associations Unorthodox

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:57:00 +0000

Last week I sat down with the always provocative Jeff De Cagna about his new book, Associations Unorthodox: Six Really Radical Shifts Toward the Future.

What I love about Jeff is his candor and clarity. The guy just knows how to take ideas apart and play with them like no one else! I'm envious at how well he does this and every time I talk with him I come away a little wiser. You'll be wiser, too, for watching this interview!

I ask Jeff five questions about his e-book and if the association world listens to his answers, we'll see a pretty radical shift in the association landscape, indeed. Watch on!

By the way, I just love this guy! Please be sure to check out his book and let me know what you think about the ideas we discuss in this interview.

Head's Up! The Awesome Is Back.

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:15:00 +0000

Many of you may be asking yourselves about this blog.

What's happening with it?

Where are the regular updates?

What's shaking in KiKi's world?

Where is the blog bliss we long for?

I know, I know. You can dry your tears because change is a comin'.

This week's blog will feature:

An awesome video interview with the always thought-provoking and unequaled Jeff De Cagna about his noteworthy e-book, Associations Unorthodox: Six Really Radical Shifts Toward the Future

Words of wisdom from Association Chat, just in case you haven't attended any of these chats lately, I'll give you the skinny on what you've been missing!

Blogs that are rocking my world lately: 6 Blogs That Are Changing My Life (for real - no joke)

My Methods for Fighting Past Fear of the Ridiculous (and how that's made me who I am)

My Upcoming Speaking Engagements and What I'm Changing About My Speaking Style to Make the Message Stick

How's that for awesome?

You'll notice some trends, too. I'm in the midst of a deep dive investigation of what it is that truly lights my fire. My passion. My moxie.

I didn't plan on this quest. It just sorta happened right after I went through a mid-life crisis/question of what I'm doing in this world.

But far be it from me to ever hold back on sharing what I'm learning from my own experience on this glorious spinning blue and white thing we call Earth. I've been quiet for a few months, but the time has come to move forward and bring you with me.

I'm ba-ack. And I'm ready for action.

I look forward to sharing this week's posts with you along with tales from my own mixed up, crazy, fun, and occasionally gut-wrenching journey.

Have a great week and see you soon!

Conversations That Matter: Post ASAE Annual Summary

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 23:11:00 +0000

In my life I have one association I belong to that continues to serve as my professional home - the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). Every year when I leave ASAE's Annual Meeting, like I am today, I feel a combination of excitement and sadness. Excitement because I have new ideas and follow-up activities that will change my career for the better. Sadness because I have to leave all my good friends from all over the globe, whom I am not able to see very often face-to-face. It is like the end of summer camp, when we all go home from our friends to a world that seems a little different than it was before.

How I spent my summer at ASAE Camp:

1. I learned game changing tips from the sessions I attended that will change the way I present information and saw some dynamic presentations done in inspiring new and creative formats. I saw lessons presented as a fashion show, heard about brain science that increases learning for attendees, and listened to challenging discussions pushing the envelope on the way we look at association management.
2. I spent more time networking on the Expo Hall than I have in previous years and as a result I discussed potential new projects with people and forged new friendships. This used to be one of my least favorite parts of attending a conference and now I see it for the opportunities it presents. We are always learning!
3. In the bookstore I picked up the book I contributed a chapter to, The Component Relations Handbook, and a little later that day discussed co-hosting a new podcast in the near future with a good friend of mine.
4. I co-hosted the daily "Live From ASAE" show with Jay Daughtry and John Chen, courtesy of TMA Resources and had a complete blast. We're discussing doing a recap of the conference, so be on the watch for that.
5. I attended a dinner, hosted by a dear friend, that included a diverse and good-to-know crowd. I have several lunch dates lined up as follow-up to that dinner.
6. I co-presented with Sandra Giarde and Renato Songueco on being a "Mobile Warrior" and we knocked it out of the park!

Sandra Giarde and me at Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Opening Night

There are so many more wonderful parts of the ASAE Annual experience, I can't share them all, but look for more outcomes and musings in the following days as I report out on what I learned and what I'm changing in my practice for associations as a result.

Thank you to ASAE for another great conference and many thanks to all of my friends and supporters who made the experience special!

The ASAE Games: Goal Hunting at ASAE Annual

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:48:00 +0000

I'm excited! My hunting party is gathering in Dallas. I've come fortified with business cards, business suits, and an insatiable hunger for the games to begin. My fellow adventurers have their own goals for these next few days. As for me, I already know the three things I'm tracking while I am in Texas.

I will be spending the next few days attending the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Conference, and my dance card is already full with so many things to do and people to talk to, that I am wondering how to do it all. But I have my mission - my list of goals I hope to achieve - and here they are in no particular order:

KiKi's ASAE Hunting List

1. Inspiration - What ideas will I hear discussed that will change the way I think or do business? What presenters will motivate me to be better, smarter, more creative? One of the things I love most about ASAE Annual is its ability to leave me with inspiration to grow on for months after the meeting has ended.

2. Community - Whom will I see from the Association Chat community? What kinds of conversations will I have with my longtime association friends? Where are the new faces from whom I'll get to know and learn?

3. The Big 3 - (I got this idea from Tom Morrison, a friend and fellow ASAE Member) Who are three people I'd like to develop stronger professional relationships with that I can continue working on after the meeting is over?

As a social media consultant, obviously finding business would be ideal, too, but at this point I believe that the business comes when I focus on the items on my hunting list first. How will things turn out? I'll post an update along the way, so you can share in my hunt! Please send me any tips or suggestions you have on ways to meet my goals.

Join Me in Louisville for #CESSE12!

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 - 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
How do you serve your customers better in the digital age? This session will cover effective social media strategies customer service managers can use. There will also be time to help you develop action plans to implement when you get back to the office.

Session Chair:
Ashley Pruett, CAE, Manager of Membership & Member Contact Center, ASHRAE

Speaker:
KiKi L'Italian, President, Amplified Growth
Breathitt

Like Sands Through The Hourglass...Spilling Off Of My Desk

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:42:00 +0000

The sand broke free from my hourglass this morning ... it's a mess, but it reminds me that we only fool ourselves that we can control time.

Today, time has broken free and we have plenty! Have a great day, everyone!

Fierce Membership, Part II

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 13:57:00 +0000

Happy early Independence Day!

"Don't Tread On Me"(the words with the image of the coiled snake on the Gadsden Flag from the American Revolution) represented the desire for independence and controlled individualism back in the day.

Today, too, Fierce Members (FMs)* want to work and rework the system so that it runs better and provides the benefits FMs know the membership needs. Forget about the policies, what will it take to make an association meaningful (or relevant) - those are the issues the FMs worry about the most. And they want to be the ones to help solve that riddle.

Understand these fierce members and you'll have their loyalty to support your efforts.

In Part 1 of this blog post, I mentioned the importance of volunteering to the FM. Heaven forbid an association should squander the talents of an FM when they have volunteered and not appoint the member to a chance to be heard. Such an offense would equal betrayal in the FMs eyes when they know so much work that could and should be done!

"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." -Albert Schweitzer

How to Turn Fierce Members Into Your Best Volunteers

Find or create a place for them to do their work. Look for meaningful ways they can provide input and apply their unique skills to challenges and opportunities within your association.
Never, I repeat, never fail to communicate directly with them and work to find a place for their services. This is an almost unforgivable offense in the mind of the Fierce Member.
Say thanks and provide recognition. Don't ask for them to use their skills in "one-off" opportunities and then forget to shine the spotlight on them.

What are some other ways to turn FMs into your best volunteers? Please add your thoughts and have a great holiday!

*Fierce Members (FMs): A new breed of member who knowingly chooses to pay membership dues to belong to an association in spite fo the many free options available to them to network and build their careers without belonging to an association. These members are demanding because they want to get what they paid for and most often give something back to the organization for the people coming up behind them.

Fierce Membership

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:05:00 +0000

The days of passive membership are done. For the most part, many people have found a way - or can find a way, should they desire - around paying for membership to allow for career growth and community.

But associations still have a place in the world - one that recognizes a new kind of member and a new set of expectations - a home for fierce membership.

What is "fierce membership" and how is it different than what associations have witnessed before?

A "fierce member"...:

1. knows their benefits and probably wants all of them plus more

2. wants to be involved in volunteer efforts and will leave if not given the chance to change the organization (after all, they are already educated and active in the other free ways to engage, as well)

3. desperately wants to change the organization for the better from the inside-out

4. isn't satisfied with annual meetings - is looking for more engagement

5. can be your best advocate or worst enemy - depending on how you treat them

Do you recognize these qualities in any of your members? What are you doing today to foster this new breed of member and how is it challenging your routine?

Sign Up for My Webinar Series!

noreply@blogger.com (KiKi L'Italien) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 13:26:00 +0000

I'm super excited about the upcoming Nour Advantage webinar series that I'm doing with bestselling author, international speaker, and senior management advisor David Nour.

We're discussing 10 game-changing trends everyone should know about. I hope you'll join us and sign up to listen in!