In edition 108 of the Trafcom News Podcast, you’ll hear an interview with Sue Johnston of Waterloo-based It’s Understood, who explains how she categorizes communication styles into four personas: artisan, guardian, idealist and rational. Both in the workplace and in your personal life, it pays to know your type!

And speaking of workplace, Sue’s new book, Talk to Me: A User’s Guide to Workplace Communication, will be published in February 2012.

For now, please listen to this chat with Sue in the player below, and refer to the graphic at the bottom of the post.

Trafcom News Podcast 108: Communication Styles by donnapapacosta

Or you can download the file here or subscribe to this podcast in iTunes.

Here are the show notes:

00:01 Introduction and welcome

01:20 Why communication styles are important

03:00 Sue Johnston’s explanations of the four communication style personas: artisan, guardian, idealist, rational; see her website for more information and tools

09:55 After you’ve discovered your own style, how can you determine someone else’s style?

16:40 About Sue’s book, Talk to Me: A User’s Guide to Workplace Communication

18:01 Send comments to donna AT trafcom DOT com. Visit the Trafcom News Podcast blog.

Look for the Trafcom News Podcast on Blubrry.com. Theme music is "Beneath Your Surface" by the Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet from Music Alley

Listen now or listen later. You can download the MP3 file here, subscribe through iTunes, or listen right now with the player below.

Trafcom News Podcast 107: Content curation by donnapapacosta

Here are the show notes:

00:01 Introduction and welcome

01:10 Link to slides from presentation to IABC Western Region conference in Whistler, BC, #iabccanwest, November 2011; link to write-up of IABC/Toronto session by Sue Horner on her blog.

01:36 What comes to mind when you hear the word curation? Museums? Good analogy! Curation defined: finding, organizing, categorizing, describing and sharing content

02:22 Why is curation a hot topic? Fast Company says so.

03:00 Information overload or filter failure? Clay Shirky says it’s filter failure.

04:00 Finding, grouping and sharing the best of relevant content

04:20 Why curate? As an individual, you can be seen as an important industry resource. Example of Dave Williams in e-publishing with his nascent site, Ebooksdecoded.com 

06:10 Use of social bookmarking tool Delicious in content curation . Donna’s video about how to use Delicious; slightly out of date but still relevant; benefit of adding multiple tags; easy to share bookmarks

07:45 Brands and curation: especially important in the B2B sector with its long sales cycle; essential to be seen often in front of your prospects as a trusted source of information.

08:20 Examples of businesses using curation in this way: CMO.com  from Adobe; Intel Free Press; these are not marketing or advertising sites. They are vendor-neutral.

09:30 What’s the difference between aggregation and curation? The human factor.

10:02 Select the best of relevant content, add own opinion and then share.

10:21 Fire hose of information: Lots of tools available to help you. Storify.com makes it easy to collect tweets and other information, particularly from events, and tell a story with them, adding your own thoughts. Scoop.it lets you put stories together easily.

11:30 Example of Smartbrief.com, curating content in  hundreds of topics.

12:05 See screenshots in presentation.

12:16 Not just text. You can curate videos with Shortform.

12:40 Use Paper.li to curate content from Twitter. Older video from Donna on how to use Paper.li to curate Twitter content.

13:10 Other ways to share curated content: blog, enewsletter, widget, microsite. Example of Donna’s blog post on GooglePlus.

14:05 Curata example: Green Data Center News from Verne Global.

15:25 More on curation tools: Curation Station, Diigo, Pealtrees, Storify, Paper.li, Scoop.it, Mangify.net and more.

15:55 Developing a curation strategy: what role does content play in your overall strategy?

16:12 Industry news, expert tips and advice, presentations, case studies, event and book reviews, infographics, photos, podcasts, videos, etc. Anything that can be communicated can be curated.

16:30 Important to be discerning, discriminating

16:40 Company news, industry news, competitor news, etc. – curation in internal communications.

17:02 Curation best practices: understand your market and your place in it; what are you trying to achieve? What does your audience care about? Pick a curation platform or a curation tool. Keep your information organized; use tags. Add your own flavour; tell a story with your content. Share content and make it easy for others to share.

17:45 Always link to the original source!

18:00 Think like a curator and you’ll be a curator; be consistently helpful.

18:21 Please send your curation stories or other comments to donna AT trafcom DOT com. Visit the Trafcom News Podcast blog.

Look for the Trafcom News Podcast on Blubrry.com. Theme music is "Beneath Your Surface" by the Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet from the Podsafe Music Network

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A fellow member of IABC/Toronto, Barb is a writer and author of Write Like You Talk – Only Better. She also publishes a blog at Sticky Communication. 

You can download the MP3 file here, subscribe through iTunes, or listen right now with the player below.

Trafcom News Podcast 106: Storytelling within organizations by donnapapacosta

SHOWNOTES

Apologies for the audio issues during part of the conversation.

00:01 Intro; about Barb

01:23 People remember stories; in organizations, you particularly need stories for the tough sell

02:20 Recap of Barb’s blog post; keep the story concise; don’t bore people

03:44 Keep it real, admit to conflict (stories need conflict); identify heroes and villains

05:22 In some organizations, leaders fear conflict; maybe the villain is a problem solved, not a villain in the traditional sense of the word

06:40 You can’t engage employees if you’re not being real; use real language

07:02 We are emotional beings; people are naturally afraid of new things at work, such as change

07:33 Develop your characters; they should be likable

09:45 It’s important to warm people up before you interview them

10:44 Make sure your story has a point, just like fables always have a moral

12:00 Role of emotion in corporate storytelling; story without emotion does not resonate with people. People won’t relate to “just the facts”

14:02 Remind people that they can review the story before publication, to ease their mind and get better stories

16:20 Be sure you share with transparency and respect; find common ground

18:00 What to do when they say: “We have no stories!”

21:00 Put on storytelling hat to uncover employee stories; employees appreciate hearing stories about themselves

22:44 Classic storytelling establishes characters, builds toward a climax, then resolves; must have a conflict or challenge to be overcome

23:30 Pitfalls of corporate storytelling: thinking you have no stories; wanting to gloss over negatives; talking only about the CEO and other senior leaders; standing in the way of truth

29:00 Fear of the very word “story”

30:20 Day-in-the-life stories can be effective if it’s not a boring day; look for conflict or challenge to be surmounted

NOTE: Next Trafcom News Podcast will feature an interview with Steve Clayton, senior director of storytelling at Microsoft

36:00 Your comments are welcome; where to send comments.

Look for the Trafcom News Podcast on Blubrry.com. Theme music is "Beneath Your Surface" by the Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet from the Podsafe Music Network

Listen now with this player:

Trafcom News Podcast 105: Why organizational storytelling matters by donnapapacosta

Listen later; download the MP3 file.

Subscribe through iTunes.

Here are the shownotes:

00:01 Introduction and welcome

00:44 Yes, I’m experimenting with Google+

01:00 Storytelling experiences at the IABC world conference in San Diego, including a visit to the USS Midway (blog post)

02:45 Great storytellers at the IABC conference, including Jonah Lehrer

03:55 Nancy Duarte, author of Resonate, spoke about storytelling in presentations; link to Shel Holtz presentation on Your Company Must Become a Media Company; link to Digital Storytelling presentation at IABC world conference by Donna Papacosta

04:27 Storytelling is one of the best ways for organizational communicators to actually reach people and get their point across

05:09 The human brain is hard-wired for stories

05:55 Stories must have a point, but you don’t have to start at the beginning

06:15 For storytelling to be successful, your organization and its products don’t have to be fun or sexy

06:40 Future episodes of Trafcom News Podcast will talk about the HOW of organizational storytelling

06:48 There is no excuse for not sharing stories. In Social Marketing to the Business Customer, Eric Schwartzman and Paul Gillin tell us about Indium Corporation, a company that makes solder paste, successfully using stories to talk to customers and to generate leads and sales.

07:00 Benefits of storytelling in organizations

08:30 Free teleseminar on Take Your Podcast to the Next Level, July 14; register now

09:18 Your comments are welcome; where to send comments. Email: donna AT trafcom DOT com; show blog: http://trafcomnewspodcast.com

Look for the Trafcom News Podcast on Blubrry.com. Theme music is "Beneath Your Surface" by the Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet from the Podsafe Music Network

You can download this podcast to listen later or subscribe to listen to it in iTunes or you can listen right now with this player:

Trafcom News Podcast 104: Storytelling with P.W. Fenton by donnapapacosta

Here are the shownotes:

00:01 Introduction and welcome; how I was first introduced to P.W. via Shel Holtz on the For Immediate Release: Hobson and Holtz podcast

01:55 About P.W. Fenton

03:20 How P.W. Fenton became a storyteller

05:05 Early influences on P.W., including radio, particularly Jean Shepherd

07:05 Keys to a good story: beginning, middle, end; start by doing something to get the listener interested; narrate in a way that keeps the interest going and that anticipates the ending and supports your conclusion; need to experience your own story as a listener.

08:44 P.W. has lived all of his stories; the best stories come from our own experiences.

09:58 How P.W. produces Digital Flotsam; the importance of editing.

12:07 P.W. has to enjoy his own stories.

12:35 P.W. shares advice about the art and craft of storytelling; the importance of reading and listening to stories and finding your own voice.

13:40 Advantages of audio storytelling vs. written storytelling; much easier to convey intent with spoken words; must write for your own voice and work to your strengths; difficulty of attempting to put P.W.’s own stories into a book.

16:37 My insights about relevance of P.W.’s comments to storytelling in a business context: Enjoy your own stories; listen to others’ stories; structure counts; best stories come from your everyday experiences.

18:27 Reminder to visit P.W.’s website and Digital Flotsam

18:35 Your comments are welcome; where to send comments: Email: donna AT trafcom DOT com, or comment on the show blog: Trafcom News Podcast 

Look for the Trafcom News Podcast on Blubrry.com. Theme music is "Beneath Your Surface" by the Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet from the Podsafe Music Network

Listen to Eric explain how to grow that steak. You can download the MP3 audio file for this podcast if you wish.  Or you can subscribe to the Trafcom News Podcast in iTunes. Or you can listen with the player below.

Trafcom News Podcast 103: Social Marketing for the Business Customer by donnapapacosta

Here are the show notes:

00:01 Intro and welcome; about Eric Schwartzman
01:30 Eric cites  B2B social media statistics, and says that B2B social marketing is where the action is; greater opportunities abound for B2B vs. B2C in marketing today
04:00 Book includes many social media tools, not just Facebook and Twitter; it is the first book devoted to B2B social media
05:00 Rational approach to social marketing; need management buy-in; steps to success include socializing the organization, building strategies based on where the action already is taking place; the social media monitoring dashboard
06:46 Blog is the Swiss army knife of social media; allows you to include text, photo, audio, video. Fact that many marketers have switched to Twitter is a good thing for bloggers!
08:12 86% of business interactions begin with Google; importance of search
08:30 How Eric and Paul picked examples for the book; difference between B2B and B2C case studies
09:20 B2B buyers want steak; B2C buyers will settle for sizzle
10:20 B2B decisions are often made by committees
11:13 In B2B market, it’s not about making a splash; you have to swim a marathon because of the longer buying cycles
11:43 Relationships more important in B2B buying decisions
12:40 Podcasting can generate remarkable success in B2B; Eric explains why and how
14:15 News-oriented podcasts vs. feature-oriented; features have a longer shelf life
15:40 His favourite case study from the book: SAP Communities Network; they built a white-label social network with 2 million members, mostly system integrators; helping people in full public view
17:50 Counter-intuitive star ratings demonstrate confidence
20:00 Case studies in the book are NOT all technology oriented
21:22 How to be successful today in B2B social marketing – humanize your business, experiment openly, be tolerant to risk
END of interview
25:22 Listen to this interview with Donna by Jennifer Tribe on “How authors and other experts can use audio products” (links to blog post, which links to MP3 and PDF transcript)
26:01 Where to send comments: Email donna AT trafcom DOT com or comment on the Trafcom News Podcast blog
Look for the Trafcom News Podcast on Blubrry.com. Theme music is "Beneath Your Surface" by the Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet from the Podsafe Music Network (Music Alley)

As for this latest edition, you can download the MP3 audio file for this podcast if you wish by clicking here.  Or you can subscribe to the Trafcom News Podcast in iTunes. Or you can listen by clicking below.

Here are the show notes:

00:01 Intro and welcome

00:30 A few words about Podcamp Toronto

01:35 Question: What should we do when we are stuck and not able to think of a podcast topic? How will we know if a topic will be of interest to an audience?

03:53 Question: How do you pick a topic that’s interesting and that others will find interesting too? I’m scared it’s all been done.

04:38 Question: How many podcasts should someone dedicate to the same topic in a sequence (series)?

06:02 Question: Can you discuss the idea of having resolve and dedication while creating a podcast? Should you schedule podcast recordings?
LINK: WordPress Editorial Calendar plug-in

08:24 Question: Please talk about techniques to put more expression in your voice.
LINK: Using your hands when speaking or recording

10:20 Question: How long does it take to put a show together?

12:00 Question: Please discuss making podcasts for clients; what’s involved? Would these podcasts be part of a client’s marketing strategy?
LINK: The CEO podcast or audio broadcast
LINK: The Tweep in Profile podcast for Donovan Group Inc.

14:21 Interesting comments on Trafcom News Podcast 101: How to be a terrific podcast guest. Listen to commenters Petya Georgieva, Darren Clements, Will Norman, Melitsa
LINK: Three-part guide to podcasting from Telesperience (from Darren)

20:01 Where to send comments: Email donna AT trafcom DOT com or comment on the Trafcom News Podcast blog

Look for the Trafcom News Podcast on Blubrry.com.

Theme music is "Beneath Your Surface" by the Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet from MusicAlley (formerly the Podsafe Music Network)

Many of you enoyed the interview on show 100, with Ann Handley and CC Chapman, authors of Content Rules. If you’re looking to publish content for your marketing efforts this year, I highly recommend their book.

I’ve been doing lots of podcast interviews for clients recently, which led to the topic of today’s podcast: being a terrific podcast guest.

You can download the MP3 audio file for this podcast if you wish by clicking here. Or you can subscribe to the Trafcom News Podcast in iTunes. Or you can listen by clicking below.

Here are the shownotes:

00:01 Intro and welcome

01:32 If you've written a book or ebook or you are a consultant or speaker, chances are you'll be a podcast guest. Here are some tips to make the experience worthwhile.

02:00 Do your research. Is the podcast a good fit for you? Ask what the angle is. Don't expect all questions in advance. Do not write out and read your answers.

03:45 Sounding great: Don't talk too fast. Get the technology out of the way early.  If you need to learn to use Skype, do so well before the interview.

05:24 Get the gear you need. Buy a microphone and headphones. Learn to use them.

06:55 Remove ambient noise, including pets.

07:56 Tell stories, but be sure they're not too long.

08:24 Don't worry about pauses. Breaks between questions and answers will help the podcaster to edit the file.

08:45 Follow up with the podcaster. Link to the finished podcast.

Comments are welcome! Email donna AT trafcom DOT com.

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available here.

Here's something special for the 100th edition of this podcast: an interview with Ann Handley and CC Chapman, authors of the newly released book, Content Rules.

 
You can download the MP3 file for this podcast directly by clicking here, or you can subscribe through iTunes. Or you can listen with this player below:

Here are the show notes:

00:01 Intro and welcome

01:06 About Ann Handley and CC Chapman, authors of Content Rules

02:55 The content rules are actually guidelines; you need content to differentiate yourself online; WHY and HOW to develop compelling content – that’s what the book is about

04:00 The 11 rules are a great starting point for understanding content

04:44 Book also features a how-to section and case studies (or ideas to steal)

04:55 What about people in organizations who say that have no interesting or sharable content? 

06:10 Content curation; find content you think your customers will like; you become the filter; add your own insights; ask questions of your customers

06:42 Ask customer service; talk to your customer-facing people to get content within your organization

07:00 You have to get out of your office; show, don’t tell

07:50 Your customer’s story is your story

08:01 Content Rules devotes a separate chapter to B2B; everyone always asks about B2B

10:00 Case studies in book are pulled from all walks of life; you can make content on any budget

10:40 More about curation within the organization

13:25 About the book tour; check the Content Rules site for details

14:42 Let the authors know if you want them to come to your city

16:42 In their book, CC and Ann point readers to other resources, such as Steve Garfield’s Get Seen, etc.

18:00 Donna asks you a favour: What topics would you like to hear on the next few editions of the Trafcom News Podcast?

18:27 Comments are always welcome! Where to send comments: email to Donna AT Trafcom DOT com or post a message to the Trafcom News Podcast blog

Look for the Trafcom News Podcast on Blubrry.com. Theme music is "Beneath Your Surface" by the Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet from the Podsafe Music Network

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You can download the MP3 file for this podcast directly by clicking here, or you can subscribe through iTunes. Or you can listen with the player right here:

Here are the show notes:

00:01 Intro and welcome; what would you like to hear in Trafcom News Podcast 100?

01:00 Intro of Barb Sawyers of Sticky Communication

01:58 Why do we complicate our writing with dense jargon? It starts in public school.

03:00 What is the solution? Write like you talk.

04:58 Barb reminds people to think through what they’re going to say; be sure to appeal to your audience; make your writing interesting, short. Look for your common errors.

06:08 The value of simple, clear writing.

06:48 If you write like you talk, your job will be easier and more fun.

07:08 Bonding with your reader.

08:00 Some people insist on indulging in corporate-speak.

08:45 Is it possible to go too far and be too casual? Yes. It depends on the audience.

10:00 Barb’s book is an invaluable tool for bloggers, who really need to show their personality in their writing.

10:30 People engage with people, not companies.

11:05 Barb offers workshops too.

11:55 Visit Barb’s website at Sticky Communication, where you can buy the book.

12:28 Comment on show 98, the chat with Sallie Goetsch about writing books, from MJ McConnell, a holistic health coach in New York.

13:03 Where to send comments: email to Donna AT Trafcom DOT com or post a message to the Trafcom News Podcast blog.

Look for the Trafcom News Podcast on Blubrry.com. Theme music is "Beneath Your Surface" by the Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet from Podsafe Music Network.

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