Kem Meyer on Less Clutter & Noise

Tension

2009-12-11T07:38:00-05:00

"When I get honest, I admit I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and get discouraged, I love and I hate, I feel bad about feeling good, I feel guilty about not feeling guilty. I am trusting and I am suspicious. I am honest and I still play games. Aristotle said I am a rational animal; I say I am an angel with an incredible capacity for beer." The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning

Who doesn't resonate with that? I know I do. We're all schizophrenic. Not just personally, but corporately. We are constantly balancing (at least we should be) tension in our environments.

As an example, here are three areas of tension we work to effectively balance at Granger:

The balance between information and inspiration. People don't need more information. They need inspiration. How do we inspire people with the right information that inspires them to take their next step?
The balance between the buzz of a big crowd and intimacy with friends. People like being part of a larger community; being "where it's at". But they process and grow in relationships with friends. How do we create spaces where relationships can happen?
The balance between authentic and excellent. In a consumer, media-oriented environment, people expect to engage with quality elements in art and technology. How can we capture attention and avoid gimmicks?

What tension do you struggle to balance in your environments? Are you aware of the paradoxes that exist? If not, that should be your first step.

[Repost from May 2005 - still crazy applicable after all these years.]

Identity crisis: some thoughts about corporate identity

2009-12-10T14:13:31-05:00

Fragmented identity equates to lost identity. Where's the purpose in that? Ask yourself, is there one common message and feeling that is present and consistent across every communication tool that touches your audience (online, in-person and in-print). Everything that touches your audience contributes something; the key is to make sure it positively reinforces the message you want to send. (Of course, it helps if you know the one message you want to send.)
Don't confuse volume with effectiveness. And, don't get sloppy just because you're overwhelmed. If you can't can’t do it right, don't do it. The secret here is that the less you put out there, the easier it is to get it right. Well developed identities are concise and deliberate. (Starbucks=a great coffee experience)
Audit your touch points. Sometimes it helps to get an outsider's perspective on this. A few years ago, we spent a couple of days with a team from AspireOne and we are still using the information they helped us uncover then - today. It was a great investment. I think this image from the Integrated MarComm blog breaks it down best into three phases

Touch point 1: Awareness/consideration (pre-purchase)
Touch point 2: Trial (purchase)
Touch point 3: Loyalty/advocacy (post-purchase)

This is a great tool to evaluate how all your “parts” play play together nicely as the “whole”. Use this tool to evaluate your programming, facilities, media, print pieces, people, words and actions. You might be surprised with what you find.

The revolution is socialnomics

2009-11-11T15:19:27-05:00

If you’ve ever said (or heard someone say) something to the effect of “social media is a fad” or “you can’t do church online” … hit play & chew on these stats. (If you’re in a cubicle farm, watch on mute. It won’t dilute the usefulness of this AT ALL.)

And, with that…these parting words.

“We used to spend our time trying to get people to come to church.
Now, we’ve got to find ways to take church to them.” Craig Groeschel

“God is not afraid of the cloud. He can move through the internet,
a fish net or a New Jersey Net if He wants." Mark Meyer

With more questions than answers, we’re falling forward. GRANGER’S ONLINE CAMPUS HAS LAUNCHED!! I couldn’t be more excited about the future. This is crazy!

Fist bumps & virtual hugs to the teams at Aspire!One, Lifechurch.tv and Liquid Church for helping us get here. The enormous encouragement and support you’ve given us has modeled community in this revolution and the world ~~will be~~ is different because of you.

Are you promising more than you can deliver?

2009-11-09T07:46:00-05:00

These simple, practical examples from real church promotions seem harmless enough...

"Come to this year's women's retreat where you'll develop friendships that last a lifetime."

It’s what we hope happens, but it’s out of our control. Yet we still promise something we can't guarantee. I had a woman complain to me that she joined a volunteered to make friends. After two years of serving, she felt duped because she had not made one friend. She held the church responsible for false advertising. Yes, her opinion is a little extreme. And, yes, it's a little outrageous and unrealistic. However, it's a recurring perspective we experience with people on their journey. What can we do to help them along?
"Come experience a community of grace."

Again, nice goal, but you can't control the outcome. I had promised a “community of grace” for a friend of mine and she finally joined me for a weekend service. During the message, her cell phone went off. A man sitting behind us scolded her for being rude and selfish. He even asked her not to come back if she couldn't have the decency to turn her phone off during church. True story. Yes, it's a distraction for others when a cell phone goes off. Obviously. However, what isn't obvious is that my friend was taking a gigantic step by attending church for the first time in years. My friend didn’t look at the man as an individual, she looked at him as the church. And, I had not delivered on my promise.

Hey, are you being honest with yourself (and others)?

What are you "putting out there" that you should really cut?
What expectations are you setting that are unrealistic and out of your control?
If people think churches are liars anyway, what are we doing to diffuse this perception and build trust?
Are we making statements as if they were facts, when in reality they are subjective and left to personal interpretation?
Are we promising something we can't deliver on?
Are we baiting people with exaggerated benefits?

A lot of times, the solution is as simple as providing "just the facts" and nothing else. Remove the fluff. Eliminate our “hope” in the content. That's the first step towards turning a potentially negative experience into a great one.

Are you talking too much and saying very little?

2009-11-06T10:32:19-05:00

Maybe you need to “Divorce the details that excite you but alienate your listeners.”

Great post from Blog Decker about being in the weeds.

Lets be frank

2009-11-02T08:09:00-05:00

Love the original context here about online giving. This is fresh. It grows trust with unsterilized copy and refreshing honesty. I don’t feel like someone is talking AT me or wants anything FROM me. It engages me.

You’ll find this tone throughout the entire site… although I highlighted online giving because it’s the hardest thing to talk about effectively.

Well done, Knoxlife Church, well done.

Are you looking for a vendor or a partner?

2009-10-15T06:35:00-05:00

Sometimes you need to hire a job done. But, before hiring any outside professionals (e.g., consultants, vendors, firms, agencies, etc.), there are key things to consider in the selection process. Technical skills or industry knowledge alone does not make for a successful union. Too many consultants optimize their businesses for themselves - not their customers. It's the difference between a strategic partner and service provider.

When we're looking for outside help, we need more than templates, products and a one-size fits all approach. We're looking for "A trusted advisor. A mental sparring partner. Someone with the flexibility of a great vendor, yet the resolve of a doctor who is not prepared to give bad medicine." With inspiration from this FutureLab document, I've created a list of things to look for in a partner.

Someone who focuses on solutions instead of products. Many consultants listen to a client's request for a solution and come back with an answer that fits their in-house capabilities and compensation models. We're leery of people who are quick to offer a product-only solution (their product only). I count on outside experts to help us navigate and give us good working options from which to choose. Third-party solutions are a good thing--don't build from scratch just because you can. Proprietary methods and strategies can take years instead of months to implement. In one short conversation, it is evident whether someone is interested in selling products or taking a personal interest in your continued success.
Someone who improves upon your ideas. Many consultants will do what you want--no questions asked. That's not a good thing. We're interested in someone who will tell us what is out there, challenge us and help us see potential problems with our objectives. We may have a great vision and plan to reach the vision that won’t sustain today’s technology or client environments. A partner will help us continually look at the big picture and avoid making decisions with blinders on. It’s their job to educate us about the potential consequences of our decisions, good and bad. Do they have the ability to serve as our "mental sparring partner" or not?
Someone who can reveal the cost of failure. Most consultants don’t talk ROI. Instead, they emphasize the budgets they manage as well as the client list, certifications and awards they have. While some of that is important, it’s more important to demonstrate they’ll make back more than they spend on your services. Name dropping is not a good sign--run away.
Someone who owns the troubleshooting. Our long-lasting partnerships are with people who demonstrate client-service to a fault. A “can-do” attitude is overlying tone of all interactions. As the expert, it is their job to tell us how something will work and ensure that it does. With all the technology solutions and resources available today, there is always a solution. It is our expectation that we will never hear “it can’t be done” but rather "here's what we CAN do."
Someone who educates your team to be self-sufficient. How our partner plans to transfer their knowledge to our in-house team needs to be part of the deal. Proactive is better than reactive. I want someone who will bring solutions to our attention that will improve our situation.
Someone who helps you grow into it. It's important to partner with someone who not only sees the current picture of today's reality, but also helps prepare you for course changes or growth without breaking or forcing you to start from scratch.

By the way, during my season on staff at Granger, there are a few companies who deliver on "all of the above." I consider them to be “strategic partners.” While we've worked with other great people as well, these four companies rise to the top because of the size, scope and length of the relationship. They complement us -- focusing on the areas we are weak so we can stay focused on the areas where we are strong. We are better because of them.

AspireOne. Branding and web experiences.
Fellowship Technologies. Database management.
Lightcast. Media streaming.
Commerce Guys. Ecommerce customization and implementation.

It's in your words...

2009-10-14T07:40:00-05:00

This was one of those "forwards" from my mom. But, it's a good one. Thanks, mom!

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so blessed that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Are you giving people information or inspiration? Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and expect positive results.

Want to change people's behavior? Make it fun.

2009-10-13T07:47:00-05:00

Want buy-in? Make it fun. It's been proven...thanks to the scientists at Volkswagen. (Thank Matt for the find.)

How many more people will choose the stairs over the escalator -- if you make it fun to do?

How many more people will actually throw their trash away -- if you make it fun to do?

It's not that people hate change. They just hate the way you're trying to change them. (via Michael T. Kanazawa) If you're not getting the results you're looking for, change your approach.

Want a more practical example? I snapped this photo at Christ Community Church. They get it. If you want more people to "follow the rules" you gotta make it fun.

Why some organizations succeed and others...

2009-10-12T15:05:17-05:00

You want to maximize response? You have to minimize options. Will a picture help? Lucky for you, I just happen to have one from Stuff Happens.

Does it get you thinking about how you do things in your organization? Think about your print pieces, web sites, processes, voicemail...the whole shebang. There's always something you can simplify. In fact, I had one meeting today about simplifying our web site and have one scheduled for tomorrow about simplifying our volunteer sign-up process. In both cases, our current solution makes sense to us internally, but is stalling out externally. Instead of defending why we do it the way we do, we're going to figure out what needs to change. That means we have some work to do.

Simple is smart and it's hard work. Complicated is ignorant and it's lazy. Just sayin'.