I recently had the privilege of participating in a series Church Marketing Sucks created, "Church Communication Heros." Each author was asked to write a post about who inspires us and could be viewed as a "hero" in church communications.
One of my favorites is Walt Disney. I've been a huge fan since I was a little girl. His vision, imagination, standard for excellence and attention to detail are traits we can all aspire to.
The rest of the post can be read here. Who inspires you?
1) How would you help us solve this problem?
2) Who else have you helped?
3) What will it take to get us there? (time, budget, resources)
That's it.
Don't get me wrong. I understand where a Request for Proposal comes from and the purpose it can serve. But oftentimes an organization believes it needs to know HOW to solve the problem when creating the RFP and subsequently compares costs against executing that solution.
But it doesn't matter which car we drive if we're headed in the wrong direction. Don't feel the pressure to figure out the how—That's a big part of what you're paying for.
Instead, tell them what needs to be fixed and look for a team that truly seeks to understand your needs, your culture and has the experience to back them up. Chances are high the proposed solution may not be what you expect but you'll be delighted with the results.
For those who missed the Echo Conference this year, I'll be participating in a webinar this week hosted by M2LIVE covering the core chewy nougat from my session 5 Quick Ways Social Media Can Kill Your Brand.
I love the unique approach the M2LIVE team takes, as the session was pre-recorded but we'll all be on live chat & ready to answer your questions during and after the session.
Best part... it's free.
When & where does this social media goodness occur, you ask?
Thursday, Dec 2nd @ 11:30 am EST
M2LIVE is a grassroots effort allowing believers of all backgrounds to come together to celebrate Christ, while sharing and learning from one another. A series of web-based and live hands-on workshops, M2LIVE is designed for church leaders and volunteers interested in enhancing their ministry using the latest in web and social media technology. View an archive of past M2LIVE webinars at http://www.m2live.org/web/webinar-archive/.
**UPDATE** Thanks to all who participated! In addition to the above notes, Tim Schraeder did a fantastic job [as always] capturing they key ideas which can be found here. There will be a rebroadcast Tuesday, Dec 7th @ 8p EDT for those who missed it or would like to catch it again.
Thanks again to everyone who came to the session today at the ECHO conference! As promised, here's a quick recap of some of the key points we discussed as well as a few take-home resources.
Enjoy!
Another fantastically fun session I had fun leading on Thursday. There was free candy galore on the seats, [prior experiments of hurling candy into the audience proved dangerous given my complete ineptness with hand-eye coordination] and great questions on how texting is being used in church.
Slides are available::
Download Diving_into_Texting_Echo_SLIDES_09
But do yourself a favor and get the complete scoop with Tim Schraeder's notes. [Yes, again. He's amazing & could seriously have a smokin' side biz for speakers... but let's keep that a secret]
Thanks again to all who participated & if you'd like to read more about churches texting check out Jarbyco or email Mike@Jarbyco.com
This was an insanely fun breakout. Cynthia & I explored the landscape of social media and how it can be used to help churches connect with people more effectively. She's just brilliant & it was such a joy to tag team with her.
Participants texted in questions [courtesy of Jarbyco] & we had a blast. If you missed it but want to feel like you were there, check out Tim Schraeder's recap. [I'm pretty sure his notes were posted as we were walking off stage. The man has a gift, friends]
**AND** as promised,here are the slides which are a nice side dish to Tim's notes.
Download Echo_social_media_SLIDES_09
Thanks to everyone who participated! [and to Tim for the slick title graphics]
A gathering of mavericks in ministry communication is convening at the end of this October. And registration is officially open. [after registering, your Twitter avatar will show up in the "who's in" section]
The facilitators vary in the focus of their expertise--some from the marketplace, some from ministry--but everyone has been carefully selected because of their impact and heart to make a difference.
We'll be highlighting their backgrounds in the weeks to come, but in the meantime here are just a few that I'd like to introduce you to:
Matt Knisely is a multi Emmy® award-winning Photojournalist and
Storyteller focusing on social-awareness campaigns with non-profits
around the globe.
He served as director of photojournalism for FOX Minneapolis and made it one of the best stations in the country for television photography and visual product. His work has been featured on the BBC, NBC, ABC, and FOX News Channel and he has received the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award in electronic journalism.
Clint! Runge is the co-founder and creative director of Archrival, a distinguished mid west youth brand strategy and design firm.
He's served a diverse roster of clients that include Red Bull, SPAM, Walgreens and Microsoft and has a reputation for winning numerous national gold ADDY'S, Art Directors Club, Young Guns, AIGA awards and One Show appearances including multiple One Show Pencils. His work has also been featured in publications like Communication Arts, HOW, Print, Graphis, STEP and the One Show Book. Runge teaches at the University of Nebraska in the advertising and architecture colleges.
Phil Cooke is considered one of the most insightful resources on issues of faith, culture, and media. His production and consulting company: "Cooke Pictures," works
specifically with non-profit and religious clients, and as a founding
partner in the commercial production company "TWC Films," he also
produces national advertising for some of the largest companies in the
country - giving him a unique perspective on both religious and secular
media issues.
His online blog at philcooke.com features insight into issues of media and faith, and his book: Branding Faith: Why Some Churches and Non-Profits Impact the Culture and Others Don't is changing the way non-profit and religious organizations use the media to tell their story. He's lectured at universities like Yale, University of California at Berkeley, UCLA, and is an adjunct professor at the King's College & Seminary, and Biola University in Los Angeles.
And there's more to come... some focus in ministry, some are social entrepreneurs... all want to help others tell their stories more effectively.
Seriously--you won't want to miss this.
Welcome to Day 8 of the Tribes group blogging festivities, initiated by John Saddington. I'll be focusing on pages 35-39, which deals with initiative, leverage, followings, factories, and my favorite--Innovation. (Which I believe it's at the heart of it all.)
What I love about innovation--the power of an idea--is it can come from anywhere. It's not dependent on what you've done before, your talents or bank account size. In fact, too much of any of these things can actually inhibit the process. That's why I'm a huge cheerleader for the little guys.
The little guys are typically the ones to challenge the status quo. They don't have the resources to do it the way it's "supposed" to be done. (Or they're fortunate enough not to know any better.)
Large established organizations are frequently boxed in [perhaps self-contained?] by this type of thinking. There's too much at risk to try something new. The stakes might be too high with much to potentially lose. The early days of Southwest Airlines was a brilliant example of challenging the status quo. They refused to hire industry professionals who knew how it was "supposed" to be done. They were masters at asking, "What if".
"What if we standardize our planes to make servicing them easier? What if we could turn them around in 10 mins instead of 40? What if we focused regionally? What if the flight attendants had fun with the passengers?"
They changed the game.
Little guys are nimble enough to shift gears if something isn't working. They're forced to get creative when solving problems because throwing more money or people at it isn't an option. They cast vision and create passionate tribes that are crazy enough to realize they just might be able to make a difference.
This is one of the reasons why I love church planters so much. They're entrepreneurs. Underdogs. Ministry MacGyvers, if you will.
"[You have] ... everything you need to build something far bigger than yourself. The people around you realize this, and they are ready to follow if you're ready to lead." -Seth Godin
The challenge is to maintain this mindset as the organization begins to mature. Marketplace companies have R&D labs; what about the Church? This is something we need to be intentional about because it's inevitable. Once we discover something that works, we systematize it. So what are we doing to overcome the Factory mindset that is inherent with larger organizations?
Fellow Triiiber, Eric Murrell did a fantastic job painting a picture of the unfortunate results in his post of an organization consumed by the Factory mindset:
"The lack of enthusiasm was even evident from the demeanor in the break room; instead of discussing the latest technologies and wildly daydreaming about it’s implications on our field, folks sat around passively drinking their coffee and checking the clock to see how much time remained before they could escape their fluorescent prisons."
How many churches does this describe today?
My take away from this section is that innovation is born out of initiative, which leads to increased leverage and a following. Factories can be the unfortunate byproduct of success that cripples future growth if not handled with care. True, efficiencies can be fantastic but at what cost?
*Tribes banner courtesy of Media Salt
Lots of people are talking about Starbucks' recent entry into the instant coffee market. The packaging &
roll-out is slick, and apparently it tastes really good.
But just because we can do something, should we?
One of the key issues I run into when working with clients is the challenge of focus. Sure you may be able to execute a fantastic youth program, red-headed quilters' group or coffee bar. It might be making an impact and even change some people's lives.
But if it splinters the core of your unique positioning, you'll dilute the essence of who you are in the long run.
When times get tough, it can be tempting to start grasping at straws that reach outside your sweet spot.
Starbucks used to have one of the strongest brand positions on the block. But unfortunately a series of eclectic choices have left people wondering who they really are anymore.
If you don't understand an organization's identity, it's hard to apply their value proposition to your own needs.
How often do we do this in the ministry space?
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