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Building the story, March 6 10

And now back to regular programming, March 1 10

Fail it forward , February 5 10

Put yourself out there – on your terms, January 14 10

Are people getting you, December 09

Lessons I've learned, November 09 09

Yep we win awards too! November 02 09

The Choice is up to you
October 09

What makes a great story September 09

The Power of ‘P”
August 09

Cooking up some inspiration
July 09

 

Hopefully you'll find some nuggets of inspiration here. If you'd like to reprint any of these articles on your blog, ezine, website etc. please include the following and let me know or let's connect on twitter. I'll check you out as well!

Leanne Fournier is co-owner of DezignSource Creative Communications. She's dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, business owners and other great causes tell their stories to the world (or whoever needs to hear them)! Visit www.dezignsource.com

Building the story, March 6 10

I'm writing this as a thank-you to my fellow writers/classmates and teacher, author Jake MacDonald (Houseboat Chronicles, The Boys) for the incredible, joyful experience of this week's Writing Your Life session. We are so privileged to have a place like Acqua Books, Winnipeg's premiere written and spoken word venue -- and also so very fortunate to have accomplished writers like Jake MacDonald who are willing to share their gifts. This is the second session I've taken with Jake, even more inspiring than the first. After just 3 days, Jake was able to pull promising, compelling stories out of the jumbled, unassembled vignettes each of us had started the class with. My ideas were flying all over the room, really - and Jake managed to catch them all, throw in his ideas and put me well on my way to a story that matters.

We were such a diverse bunch of individuals -- lawyer, environmental activist, psychiatric nurse, photo journalist and me, a writer, but one with lots to learn from someone like Jake and my classmates. Our day jobs became meaningless as we immersed ourselves in the creation of our stories and the nurturing of our writing souls. Under Jake's guidance, we shocked ourselves and each other with the quality of the work we were able to create and share. I was struck by the depth of the wells we were each drawing from to give our stories promise and beauty.

Everyone should give themself up to these kinds of experiences. It's the best way to reaffirm what's important to you and to guide you toward achieving your dreams. Write on!

Over the last twenty-five years Jake MacDonald has produced ten books of both fiction and non-fiction and hundreds of articles for many of North America’s leading newspapers and magazines. Six of his books have been optioned or developed by film producers and some were recognized with national awards. The memoir Houseboat Chronicles, for example, won three awards across Canada, including the Writers Trust of Canada prize for best non-fiction book 2002, and about twenty-five of his magazine stories have won writing awards. MacDonald divides his time between Winnipeg and Toronto and a rustic retreat in Minaki, Ontario.

And now back to regular programming, March 1 10

I am Leanne. And I am proud to be Canadian. I’ve always been pretty clear on this, but our recent nation-wide rise to the occasion of the 21st Olympic games here at home…well need I say more?

I am writing this in the glow of Sunday’s amazing close to the Games. A combination of national pride and great humour. Yes, we do know how to laugh at ourselves. Perhaps we don’t take ourselves seriously enough, resulting in some gaffes. I still salute our young women hockey players even with the cigars and beer on the ice after their gold. The big question is: did they inhale? Go Canada.

I am writing this with K.D. Lang’s live version of Hallelujah blaring on my computer. And I still have a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. So one of the pillars didn’t rise out of the ground at the opening ceremonies. Catriona Le May Doan www.catrionalemaydoan.ca still got to light hers during the closing ceremonies, even if it didn’t make any sense. It was just the right thing to do.

And that we as a nation took responsibility and felt great sorrow over the death of the young Georgian Luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili. And that we thought of him throughout the entire games. Go Canada.

So today my son says, “Now I have to go back to watching regular TV”. He’s right, “Where do we go from here?”. How can we apply what we’ve learned from these amazing past 17 days to the work we do?

First and foremost, we need to always dig deep to give the greatest value. In our business that means consistent, great writing and design. This is the only way we can distinguish ourselves from the clutter of communications that’s out in the market at any given time. And we tell our clients to do the same. Dig deep to get the real story, what distinguishes you and brings the greatest value to your customers.

You need to Believe it all matters. Every time you put yourself out there it matters. And what you’re saying needs to matter to your customers as well. You might think you know but have you reached out to them to make sure your services are meeting their needs. What are they telling you? Are you listening?

Step up and give it your best, always. Consistency and commitment make all the difference. Social media has made effective communication easier and more difficult at the same time. There’s so much out there. You need to be good, really good to stand out and make a difference. Be clear and consistent on the value you can bring. Make sure you’re getting messages out to your audience in the places they like to hang out – whether that’s online, in print, television or radio.

Set your targets and keep your eye on the gold. Ask yourself, ‘what do I want to have happen as a result of this effort?’ The answer will help you determine if the effort is worth it. And if you decide it is, keep your eye on your goals and don’t stop until you achieve them.

Get team and fan support! You have enough to do in your business, just being the best at what you do. Let others, take care of the details that aren’t your strength. Rely on the strength of others and choose people who share your values, believe in you and…make you believe in them. You’d be surprised at how much time and money you might actually save by hiring out things like getting your website up and running and reaching your audience with consistent quality messages.

Believe. Hallelujah!

Fail it forward , February 5 10

It’s Friday and this week has been filled with memorable moments. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. For me that reason usually seems to be to remind me of my purpose. This week was no exception. It ultimately culminated with me choosing to be in the “hot seat” for my LinkedIn mastermind group with Melissa Galt. This is a big stretch for me because I’m not really a “hot seat” kind of person. So I decided to put myself out there for Wednesday’s call. Worked at getting my LinkedIn page primed, managed to secure 5 new connections before the webinar and was set to go. Melissa got me on the line through VOIP (too expensive for me to call in to the states) the sound was good, we just got started and – silence. My computer went OFFLINE! This has never happened to me in a webinar but frankly I’ve never been a live participant before either. So while Melissa was merrily chatting away with me, quite LOVING my LinkedIn progress, I was scrambling to reboot, reconnect etc. Fortunately there was a recording so I managed to retrieve the important feedback but it wasn’t without a few minutes of intense stress and then a chuckle. I finally put myself out there and… I CRASH! Should I see this as a sign? I had a one-on-one booked with Melissa afterward and it was a great opportunity for her to describe to me her philosophy of “Fail it forward”. There’s also a real cool book on this topic by John C Howard that I haven’t read yet but has some great reviews.

We are all human, the crash was due to a technical glitch beyond my control, and I now know a few must do’s to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Specifically dial rather than just relying on my wireless.

But “Fail it forward”? Hmm. We all need to come from a place of who we are. This takes a lot of courage and occasionally it stands to reason that things won’t turn out exactly like we’d hoped. If this happens to you, deal with it openly and honestly, add some humour to the situation and move on. Use your admission as an opportunity to build trust and to strengthen your relationships with your people. These small failures are actually a platform for people to get to know, like and trust who you really are.

So don’t be afraid. Put yourself out there. Make a few mistakes. And laugh. It's good for you.

You are welcome to reprint this article, but please include the blurb at the top of the page. My creative soul thanks you.

Put yourself out there – on your terms, January 14 10

Putting yourself ‘out there’ is a necessary, although sometimes painful part of owning, running or working for a business. Sometimes it can involve sharing your “truths” which in itself is a form of marketing. With the rise of social media, being visible, vocal and real is becoming more and more important and necessary.
Many of us, myself included, aren’t really upfront, yell out our brilliance kind of people. We prefer to put our energy into the work we’re doing for others. And I don’t mean charity work (although that’s good too). I mean the stuff we get paid to do. We just prefer to do it for others, not ourselves. I guess that’s charitable?

We all know we need to market ourselves and for some it’s really tough to do. You might think you have nothing of value to give to others and in that case, you’re likely wrong. You might think no one cares to hear your story and you’d be wrong again. Everyone loves a good story and if you can weave your truths into the marketing of your products or services that can be a pretty powerful combination.
Many opportunities will come to you directly, in particular through your own social networks and we urge you to be open to them. This can include requests from people in your networks to engage you in their business/purpose:

We can help you sort through determining if an opportunity is a good fit for your marketing objectives but if you do decide to go it alone, here ’s some of our ‘lessons learned’ to help make sure the opportunity plays out on your terms. Truth is, one bad choice can cause irreparable damage to your brand. Every opportunity you choose to maximize or monetize should build on and support your core marketing objectives. Choose carefully.

Make sure the opportunity is right for you. Ask questions. If someone approaches you with an opportunity to get your story out to their audiences, make sure you understand the platform in which it will get delivered as well as who else will be involved. Weigh how much you’ll get from participating as much as how much value you’ll give. Looking at both sides is essential to ensuring the experience is an all around good fit for you and your product, service or company.

Always, make sure your needs are heard. You need to ensure that the moderator, benefactor or salesperson has your needs and interests in view. Sometimes you have to be really clear what those needs are or they will be ignored because the request is coming from a place that’s not “about you”. Don’t be afraid to ask directly, ‘what’s in this for me?’ as well as ‘what are you hoping to get out of my participation?’.

Ask for follow through and measurable results. No one is looking out for your interests like you are. When you participate in live sessions or initiatives that benefit others, make sure you ask to either have access to the participants in the event or the followup/feedback received. You should be maximizing every opportunity to add to your database/list as well as to learn from your participation. If possible and the opportunity seems right, add your own measures such as an offer of your own that’s sent out before, during or after the event. That way you can measure results directly.

Protect your audience. Exercise some caution about broadcasting events you ’ll be participating in before you have all the details. Find out who else is participating, when the actual seminar or product (publications, etc.) will be available to the public, and what the follow-up to the event will be. Make sure there’s no potential conflicts should the opportunity not play out how you’d like. If your comfortable that all the bases are covered and that your audience will benefit, let them know about it, invite them to “show up” or offer to share information about the event after it’s over.

Don’t have any regrets. Once you’ve made the decision to put yourself out there, go for it. As long as you’ve absolutely made sure the opportunity is right for you, that you’ve covered the bases to ensure it meets your needs and that you will both provide and receive value, participate as authentically and transparently as you can. The world is waiting for your story. But make sure it gets told and shared on your terms.

You are welcome to reprint this article, but please include the blurb at the top of the page. My creative soul thanks you.

Are people getting you? December 09

We love to hear what experts have to say. Nothing gets us more excited than being invited into a room filled with people that are passionate about something they know best. This shared passion shows in the work we do, collaborating with clients to develop communications materials to help them get the word out on a variety of topics: workplace mental health, performance management, information security, arts patronization, flooring, school fundraising, financial security and more.

The information products we develop make the noise clients want to hear at workshops, annual meetings, sales drives, performances and training sessions.

While many of our clients have the vision of what needs to be said, too often they become mired in their own details. Our mission is to help clients cut through their own…bull -- to craft communications that hits their message home to the people that need to hear it. We bring value to the “investi-getting” sessions by listening to the experts, challenging what they have to say and how they want to say it, identifying what their audience wants and needs to hear and packaging it up in a dynamic, effective approach that has lasting impact.Letting outsiders like us inside your organization brings exceptional value to your presentations, workshops or any communications that are challenged by too much clutter and a need to hit the mark to cause action or reaction. Here’s some of the top benefits you’ll see:

Are you ready to bring your message home to the people that need it most? It starts with you opening your mind and doors to us. Once we step inside your organization we are fully immersed in your operational and communication goals. Here’s a great example of what one client had to say after we worked with their amazing team to develop a workshop on a tough subject -- performance management for people with mental health issues:

Dear Friends:

I do hope your exhaustion is abated before day's end and that you become energized by the realization of what you accomplished this past week.  You are phenomenal and brilliant human beings. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to work so closely with you. We challenged each other, made each other uncomfortable from time to time, allowed our vulnerabilities to show and ultimately accepted and embraced the differences.  Our next mission, should you choose to accept it, is to help others in the workplace do the same.

Cheers,
Mary Ann Baynton
(Past) Director of Mental Health Works, Canadian Mental Health Association

Advanced Strategies: Working through the tough stuff
www.mentalhealthworks.ca/training_and_tools/presentations.asp


Lessons I've learned, November 09 09

I was recently interviewed by my friend and fellow Corporate Fugitive -- actually the original CF – Sherri Garrity. This was part of a free coaching teleseries Sherri was running called Lessons Learned. The call happened at a great time when I was rethinking my business model – so was really open to the conversation and likely shared more “truths” than I should have! But when I take a step back and really think about everything I’ve learned after 9 years in business, I can get pretty inspired. And I think the lessons I’ve learned, some of them the hard way, could apply to any business owner. I won’t take you into the weeds of what I learned from a ridiculous tax audit or the great idea my partner and I let float away…No let’s just look forward at how what we learn over the years can prepare us for the business and life we were meant to have.

That felt good. I wrote this article because I needed a "creative" break from a hideous task that has to be done – business planning flow charts! Blech!

Remember: You are welcome to reprint this article, but please include the blurb at the top of the page. My creative soul thanks you.

Yep we win awards too!, November 02 09

Some shameless self promotion here but it is my site right? I was very involved in an exciting project over the last several years. The Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace struck a chord with me on many levels and I was especially honoured to work with an amazing group of mental health experts and website development team that were all focused on delivering a top notch product. As a result, the Centre won an award from the Web Marketing Association for outstanding achievement in website development. There are 96 industry categories and each site that's entered goes head-to-head with other sites in their categories, with the winner being the one that received the highest score in their respective category. You can find out more about the awards program at www.webaward.org. It's a little hard to locate the win, but if you want to see it search all and keep on scrolling!

The Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace website is at www.gwlcentreformentalhealth.com and is filled with resources and tools to help employers address workplace mental health.

Here's a beautiful and inspiring testimonial that the Program Director, Mary Ann Baynton gave me after the project was completed.

"I have had the opportunity to work with Leanne Fournier on a project that involved multiple stakeholders, complexity in both content and format and a need for creativity and innovation. Leanne was quite simply amazing at satisfying and coordinating among the stakeholders, balancing the competing demands while complying with legal and technical requirements, meeting the deadlines and always finding ways to improve upon the process. What was most appreciated was that she did this while contributing both creativity and innovation to the actual substance of the project as well. Whether we needed a quick fix or a big picture solution, she was always ready, willing and able to help. I would hire her again in a heartbeat."

Thanks Mary Ann and team. It was so worth the effort!


The Choice is up to you, October 09

We all have choices to make on a daily basis. Every once in a while you make one that you realize was so right at the time. And could have been so wrong if you’d made a different choice. I had one of those today. I was attending the Enterprising Women's Conference here in Winnipeg. My choices at the same time slot were a) some powerful women sharing their different management styles or b) a panel of writers talking about what inspires them. Okay I’m a woman business owner who is likely a little weak on the management style thing. I work with my partner (in life) and haven’t actually managed people since I left the corporate world 9 years ago. I do manage a business, projects, some charity work including a Parent Council and a very active family. So, I definitely could use some help in this area.

I am also a writer. I've been writing my whole life but mostly corporate communications for large organizations. In fact I was probably closer to my dream of being a published author in my teens than I am now.

So the choice could have gone either way but fortunately I chose the writers and it made all the difference. I was so completely engaged in the first two minutes that it took my breath away. Why? Because I felt like I was waking from a long sleep. This was where I should be, sharing space and time with other people who had a story to tell. Because of my work, people have put me in the corporate writer’s box and to be frank the box has never fit all that well. It’s tight, the corners are too sharp and to make things worse, I’m a chronic claustrophobic. No wonder it has felt so wrong for so long.

The path I need to follow is clearer than ever before. That’s not to say I’ll abandon my corporate clients, but I need to dig deeper to find and tell their stories. In this way I give more value to them, and to me.

We all need to do this in our business lives – whether you're an accountant, a doctor, a teacher, or a writer like me. We all have to get off the fence, know and follow our purpose – and stick with it. Today, this is widely coined as being "true to ourselves". Chandra has some great words on this I've included below. But the reality is, we cannot follow our path as authentically or maybe even as effortlessly, if we are continuously side tracked or unsure of which way to go. Decide on where you're going and do everything you can to stay on the path to get there.

Here are a few of the top inspirations I took away from the session I attended today from these successful Winnipeg writers:

Deborah Schnitzer - "Holding a book I fell in love with and that loved me back."

Chandra Mayor - "Inside we are always ourselves, no matter what hardships we've endured, you can't disintegrate this."

Charlene Diehl - "Arriving at the place where language turns into music."

Anita Daher - "Let your brain go wherever you want it to go."

Thanks to each for helping me get closer to my story. Let’s see where it goes!

What makes a great story, September 09

Good or bad, everyone has a story to tell. But what makes a really good story? The kind of story that inspires action or reaction, optimism or outrage, coming together or, falling apart. Think about the great stories you’ve heard and how they moved you. Some likely stayed with you in a way that brings you back to them time and time again. These are the kinds of stories we all want to tell and have told again and again about our businesses and ourselves.

So what makes a great story – the kind that sticks, stands out and survives over time? Face it, most of us think we’re a bore and no one really cares to hear our stories. While this might be true for some, the fact is you likely just haven’t found out what people want to hear about you. Maybe no one’s asked.

That’s what we do as a livelihood. Sure we get paid to get peoples' stories out but that doesn’t leave you the storyteller out of the equation. Here’s what you need to do to make your story stick:

Listen first, talk later. What is your audience telling you they want to hear? Ask them questions and figure out how they figure into your story. Never assume you know what they want or need to hear from you.

Have a purpose. Why are you telling this story and what does it mean to those who need to hear it? Yes the age old concept of what’s in it for me still applies but it’s no longer about getting what you want. It’s about giving your audience what they need. What can you give back to those who are listening. How can they be richer because of your story?

Engage to persuade. If you don’t reel your audience in by the third sentence, you’ve likely lost them for good. What can you do or say right off the hop to engage them in your story? Why is this important to them and how can they be involved?

Be bold and believable. Position yourself as an authority for sure, but the fact is, most people don’t care about your fourteen designations or all the years you've spent in the trenches. It’s enough that you’re the one telling it and that you’re believable. Show your authority by telling your story with conviction, and most of all with honesty. Your audience is likely smarter than you think so never, never try to deceive them. They will see right through you and will stop listening.

It’s not about you. Now more than ever, you need to be looking at how your message as well as your service, product and ultimately, you are giving value to others. We can all take a page from the Go Giver on this one. Most of us aren’t giving enough. Coincidentally we are all not nearly as successful as we’d like to be.

I could go on and on with the marketing speak around defining audiences, key messages, opportunities and strategies but that all follows and falls into place after the story develops – whatever shape that story takes.

The Power of ‘P”, August 09

I am not a paperwork person – no that’s not the P word I’m talking about. I love to talk about Power and Passion, also Participation and Purpose. But again that’s not where I’m going today (although sounds like a great script for a future piece). Let’s talk “Process”. Oh I know, you now want to officially Part ways – stay with me, I Promise it will be good.

Okay, so these past few months, we have been going through an evolution in our business. The driver for this has been our response to the change in markets as well as ourselves. Lots going on in the background and you will hear about it soon – Promise. But the shift in our mindsets has made us more aware of EVERYTHING that’s going on around us. A few projects have recently gone “south” not because our work wasn’t up to snuff, the clients loved it, but because our processes fell short in fully assessing clients needs and expectations. Hey we’re creative, right-brained people, give us a break! But the awakening came when we broke down how much creative and how much “process” or administration we were doing on our last 5 projects. The creative gets us in the door but what clients really seem to be wanting – and using -- is our ability to deliver projects from start to finish. Projects like this can hit many bumps along the way and we are now seeing just how important it is to ensure our processes help (or should I say ‘force’?) clients to place their orders in a way that makes sure they get what they want and expect.

You’d think after 10 years we’d have this process thing nailed. But like many of you, our business is changing faster than the spread of a YouTube video. Processes need a refresh as much as everything else we have to offer clients. So after a decade of putting process on the backburner, I’m sharing with you my well-seasoned suggestions for adding the dreaded “P” word to your client service relationship. Whether you have them or not, take a look at the processes you use to support your work and business.

  1. Do your processes allow your clients to choose the level of quality and service they want to pay for? Too often, we make these decisions for our clients. As a result our pricing and services are out of sync with what the client actually wants. You’ve charged too high to try and factor in all the variables or too low, by assuming the client doesn’t want to pay for a higher level of service.
  2. Do you ask your clients to fill out an order form? We have to get past the fear of making our clients think or work too hard at the outset of projects. Most clients actually want to talk about their business (some won’t stop!). Let them know this step is important to your business process and necessary to making sure the project delivers what they’re after. Our order form requires that our clients:
    • Agree to the level of service they want to pay for
    • Specify or confirm the production requirements
    • Confirm their role – and your role on the project
    • Agree to the production schedule and perimeters
    • Identify how materials will be provided to us
    • Sign off on budgets, including start up deposit requirements and all terms of engagement
  3. Does your process give you the opportunity to bill work in progress or work that’s delayed at the client’s discretion? If you’ve done the work according to the original order, its really not fair if you can’t bill it because the clients fussing over the final details.
  4. Do your contracts ensure that the client understands they are responsible at every stage? From reviewing tax returns to signing off on large print runs, clients need to understand their responsibility and liability for the final product.
  5. Do you have a process for follow-up? If the project objectives included measurable results, these should be measured. If appropriate, your process should include a requirement for the client to report results from the program.

Take it from me. Stepping outside the box I’m comfortable with to put in place processes to increase our productivity, profits and client satisfaction is absolutely essential. We see this need increasing as our economy continues to be challenged and many of us need to have successes in everything we do.

Good luck and more Power to you!

Cooking up some inspiration, July 09

I LOVED the movie Julie & Julia. I’m not sure if it was the company (us girls – me and my 14 year old snuck out for a late show) or that the story struck a chord with me on many levels. I too am “looking for something to do” – differently than what I’ve been doing so far. I left the theatre taking a bit of Julie (weepy) and Julia (resolved) with me. But this isn't about me :)! I think J & J provides some lessons that spill into anything you can do with passion and purpose.