AWC Des Moines

November Meeting: Nice Women Talk About Money!

In case you missed it, the AWCDSM November meeting was held in a spacious conference room on the United Way of Central Iowa Campus. We had fantastic food catered by Baratta's.

Suzanna de Baca of Private Capital Solutions Group was our speaker. She presented an interesting and interactive session about women and money. There are a few things that I remember clearly:

• Women leave a lot of money on the table because we're not comfortable talking about it
• A high percentage of women are widows
• Hold a monthly household meeting (you and your spouse or SO) and talk about the budget
• "If you can get dressed, you can invest"

My other takeaway from the session is that I can't (continue to) stick my head in the sand and ignore all the financial aspects of my life just because I don't like dealing with them. I can hire an expert to help me!

What was your favorite part of the meeting? Do you have a takeaway to share?

Looking forward to seeing you on Dec. 12.

-- by Sandy Renshaw, Purple Wren

Holiday Communications, Part 1

With family and friends spread across long distances, Christmas cards are a cherished tradition in my home. Often these annual missives are the only communication I maintain with old school chums and cousins. And I'm not alone in this. But among the estimated two billion greeting cards being sent out this holiday season are those sent by businesses and not-for-profits. Which got me to wondering:

How important are seasonal greetings to an organization's communication efforts?

According to the greeting card industry, Yuletide mailings are extremely important. “Christmas Cards Provide Business Marketing Value” asserts a press release from Holiday Cards Unlimited. According to the PR, “for many businesses, [this holiday season] this may be the only time they send a card to customers or associates.”

Tim Christopoulos, president of Holiday Cards, continues, “While some companies feel that sending holiday cards is a routine obligation, high-quality Christmas cards are a valuable component of a company's overall customer relationship strategy.”

He's right. Cards can function as important communications tools by reinforcing name recognition and -- in some cases -- can reinforce an organization's brand.

Cards can also convey a business's appreciation for its customers and suppliers or a not-for-profit's contributors and volunteers.

Mary Beth Pratt agrees that cards can serve an important role. She's the Chief Marketing Officer at Pepper Hamilton LLP, a multi-practice, international law firm. She is also the author of the article, "Card Smart: Mastering the Art of Holiday Greetings," published in Law Practice Magazine.

While geared toward law firms, Pratt's words can be applied to any just about any organization. And she finds that the value of holiday greetings are in not in the cards themselves, but in an added personal touch.

“Think about how you feel when you open a holiday card,” Pratt urges. “Usually, you recognize the name. It’s from someone you don’t see often, and the annual card is a way to stay in touch. Then you notice that the card has a printed greeting. There’s no 'hope you are well' note, and the card isn’t even signed. It’s indistinguishable from hundreds of others. While you’re glad to know that this acquaintance is still alive, you’re disappointed at the lack of a personal touch. In contrast, what’s the reaction when you open a card that is hand signed and includes a personal note? You’re delighted that this busy person made the extra time to remember you. Taking the time to add a personal touch speaks volumes. And that is when the activity of sending holiday greetings is worth it.”

Do you agree?  Feel free to add your comments. Or view  Pratt's complete article in pdf format.
And stay tuned for additional postings on this topic!

-- by Brenda Friedrich, Independent Communications Consultant

Building Email Lists

How do you build effective lists for your organization's email campaigns? Des Moines Alliance member Kathy Towner has some creative answers! In a Nov 20 posting at WinM@ail-WinBlogger, Kathy  highlights a number of ways which utilize the power of cross-marketing. Most are FREE and involve getting the most out of your existing communications and networking efforts. Others rely on reciprocity with like-minded organizations. To learn more about list-building or other email tips and tricks, visit Kathy's blog.

Make Mine Wine for the Holidays

Word is out! The holiday edition of Alliance member Barb Rasko's magazine, Make Mine WIne, will soon be available! The new issue features great holiday wine and cheese recommendations and will detail the new Heart of Iowa Wine trail as well as other Central Iowa Wineries. For more information, or to subscribe, read Barb's Nov 21st posting.

Are you a Des Moines Alliance member with news to report for your organization? Let us know! Just send us an email at awcweb.mchsi.com!

New Downloadable Membership Form

We've just added a NEW way for you to register as a member of The Association for Women in Communications! Just download a copy of the application form, fill it out and mail it to AWC.

Why join now? From now until December 31, 2007, it’s a deal, we’re calling it the “just us chicks” special. The application fee and local dues for new members are waived—that’s a savings of $80. Sign up now and AWC membership includes the national and local membership, and for most new members it’s just $99/year. If you own your own business, are a freelancer, consultant or otherwise independent, membership is $84/year.

Easier to register online? That option is also still open to you with a quick click to the registration area of the AWC web site.

Flock with the best chicks around! For more information, visit contact our membership chair, Leslie Garman at 515-238-1166.

November News Briefs: the Business of Communications

Writers’ Strike Opens New Window on Hollywood
According to The New York Times, "When the Hollywood writers’ strike pulled back the curtain on the world of television, what Americans saw was not a cashmere-wrapped actress alighting from her Escalade, but rather a bunch of middle-aged writers in ill-fitting red T-shirts standing on a picket line on Pico Boulevard."

As the strike continues in its second week, communicators in the midwest may feel several degrees of separation from these west coast writers -- or who we perceive them to be. But are we really that different?

The bulk of the writers "are paid far less than high-profile strikers like Larry David," writes Jennifer Steinhauer. They are middle-class workers. She sites Kimberbly Mercado as an example. “I’ve got big N.Y.U. loans and health insurance that I have to pay for,” said Kimberly, a new writer at Fox. She does have a safety net, however. The Writers Guild of America West has a $13 million fund that will provide loans to “members who face financial hardship because their income is demonstrably affected” by the strike.

GetBackInThatRoom is keeping a running tally of industry workers who have been laid off -- almost 250 as of Thursday afternoon.

>> Continue to read November News ...

• A Call for Small, Women, Disabled, and Diversity-owned Businesses
• Apex Awards Now Accepting Entries
• Download Free Chapters of New SitePoint Marketing Book
• Email Survey Results Released: Do Email Marketers Measure What Counts?
• Changing Consumer Behavior Fuels Mobile Advertising Industry:
• Free Mobile Advertising Whitepaper Issued

-- compiled by Brenda Friedrich, Independent Communications Consultant 

Info Influx

Communicating is more than the messages we give to others. The flip side of communications is receiving new information, such as the new tips we pick up by reading. Though this information influx is critical if we want to remain relevant, it's often neglected as we became involved in the demands of daily work and life.

Too often I have found myself saying, “I don't have time to read!” But this isn't quite true. I may not always have the time – or inclination – to crack open a new book, but I've learned that audio books present new opportunities. Through books on tape, cd-rom or MP3, I can continue to learn and grow while driving, on my lunch break or even while folding laundry. So, it's small wonder that Audible.com has become a favorite source for reading material.

Check out this list of audio books available for communicators and others:

Bang! Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World (Unabridged),  by Linda Kaplan Thayer and Robin Koval

The Art of Woo: Using Strategic Persuasion to Sell Your Ideas (Unabridged), by G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa

Communication Skills to Influence, by Chris Widener

Connecting the Dots for Clarity (Unabridged), Part of the Change Masters Leadership Communications Success Series

Words That Work, by Dr. Frank Luntz

How do YOU get the information you need to stay relevant? Are there any books you'd like to recommend?

-- Brenda Friedrich, Independent Communications Consultant and Des Moines Alliance Co-Webmaster

Tea for Improved Communications

Perhaps in the near future every great communications piece will start with tea. The beverage, that is. New research is showing that the benefits of Green, Black and Oolong teas may include improved focus, a must for every professional communicator!

Feeling Anxious or Distracted? Sipping a hot cup of tea before you write new content might help you think more clearly, thanks to an amino acid called theanine. Based on clinical studies conducted by John Foxe, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience, Biology and Psychology at the City University of New York, we've learned that theanine – an ingredient found almost exclusively in tea -- actively alters the attention networks of the brain. By impacting the brain's neurotransmitters, theanine increases alpha brain-wave activity to induce a calmer, yet more alert, state of mind.

Additional research in Dr. Foxe's laboratory at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Orangeburg, New York, suggests that theanine may also work synergistically with caffeine in improving focus and concentration.

Foxes' observations indicate that increased attention can be gained within 20 minutes of tea consumption, and that the effect lasts up to four hours, which Foxe speculates, “may be why people tend to drink a cup of tea every three-to-four hours during the day."

For more details or information on all the latest scientific findings on the benefits of tea, click here.

-- Brenda Friedrich, Independent Communications Consultant and Des Moines Alliance Co-Webmaster

Chimp Remembered for Ground-Breaking Communication

The chimpanzee Washoe, the first great ape to acquire human language, died of natural causes on Oct. 30, at Central Washington University’s Chimpanzee-Human Communication Institute in Ellensburg. Washoe, born in the wild in Africa and captured as an infant, was believed to be 42.

Scientists at Great Ape Trust of Iowa, a scientific research facility dedicated to understanding the origins and future of culture, language, tools and intelligence, joined scientists around the globe in mourning the loss of Washoe, the first ape to break the species barrier in human-chimpanzee relations. In their work with Washoe, Drs. Beatrix and Allen Gardner, both psychologists, made the first major breakthrough in understanding the limits of the chimpanzee mind and the influence of language in 1966.

Among the scientists collaborating with Washoe was Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh a scientist at Great Ape Trust. Her early work with Washoe led to subsequent work with chimpanzees now living at The Trust. Rumbaugh and William M. Fields, director of bonobo research at Great Ape Trust, are the only scientists in the world conducting language research with bonobos.

Washoe was born in Africa in September 1965, captured as an infant when her mother was killed by hunters, and taken to market and sold to a dealer. She was brought to the United States by the Air Force for space research and was later adopted.

The young female chimpanzee was reared in a home-like environment and was exposed to American Sign Language rather than spoken language. Those interacting with Washoe were forbidden to speak in her presence and were instead asked to use ASL.

When she died, Washoe  had a vocabulary of about 250 words.

Communicating Your Business

As a communicator, are you in business for yourself? If so, you may be interested in Boosting your Business Image, an informative program available through MyEntreNet. After all, promoting your business isn't just about advertising or PR. According to event organizers, "Promotion is also about how you present yourself to the public."

If your business image could use some polishing, join in Monday, November 5th at 7:00 pm as Mike Hahn and James Hoelscher, Program Managers with the UNI Regional Business Center/SBDC, present tools for assessing what your current image is. They will also discuss how that may differ from what you want or need to have within the marketplace and offer strategies for clearly defining your image and communicating the message to your market.                         

To participate, go to the MyEntreNet Website and log in. Then, simply click “Webinar” (located on the compass at the left side of your home page).  (If you haven’t already done so, you will need to fill out a brief registration form to access MyEntreNet.)

-- Brenda Friedrich, Independent Communications Consultant and Des Moines Alliance Co-Webmaster