Deft Communications

Deft Adds Two Clients

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DENVER (March 13, 2017) – Deft Communications, Denver-based communications consulting firm specializing in communications training, content creation, employee engagement and employee activation is proud to announce two new clients in consulting and agriculture.

“We are thrilled to work with these organizations to help them achieve their business and communications goals,” said Deft Communications Principal Jon Ekstrom.

Deft Communications is proud to add the Colorado Farm Bureau to its client roster.

Colorado Farm Bureau, a leading Colorado trade association that seeks to promote, protect and represent the business, economic, social and educational interests of farmer/rancher members and their communities; and to enhance the agricultural industry in Colorado, has hired Deft Communications to provide communications training for its group of young leaders.

Deft Communications has added PolicyWorks America to its list of clients.

PolicyWorks America, LLC, a Denver-based consultancy specializing in advocacy for conventional fuels and energy production, creation of winning political strategies and advancement of corporate communication objectives, has retained Deft Communications to provide communications, writing, and branding support.

About Deft Communications: Deft Communications is a Denver-based communications consulting firm specializing in communications training, content creation, employee engagement and employee activation. We call ourselves “Deft” because it guides our approach to every client we work with, and each project we do. Any communications project your business undertakes should be in service of helping to achieve your business goals. Being “Deft” means understanding those goals, and tailoring our approach to stay nimble in a constantly evolving environment, being resourceful, and maintaining a sureness of touch. We are savvy communicators with more than two decades experience in a variety of disciplines and across communications platforms.

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Contact: Jon [at] deftcom (dot) us

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“I Just Came Here to Read the Comments”

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“Am I the only person here who loves to watch a couple together that hates each other’s guts?” begins a Dane Cook bit from his album Retaliation. Entitled “The Nothing Fight,” Cook shares a (probably fictional) anecdote about a couple he overhears in the grocery store arguing about something completely inconsequential and how he spies on them with voyeuristic glee from around the Entenmann’s display at the end of the aisle.

Although listening to it again, I don’t think it’s aged well. I found it uproarious upon its release and part of its relatability has to do with the familiarity of past failed relationships and remaining with someone you actively disliked as you continuously fought about any number of irrelevant things. The other part, the more interesting part, is Cook’s ghoulish schadenfreude delight at this couple having it out in a very public way. To whatever extent, most people take some guilty joy in gawking at a public altercation.

You used to have to leave your house to encounter something like this. With social media, it’s easier than ever, which brings me to this meme:

"I just came here to read the comments" is an internet meme that promotes the absolute worst internet discourse, and Deft Communications argues for its end.

You’ve probably seen this in the thread of a Facebook friend who’s posted something controversial, political, or otherwise of public concern. And given your friend list, you probably know which of your friends tend to bring their flamethrowers to conversations, and it’s not unexpected, or even necessarily wrong, to take some pleasure in seeing how they’ll react this time. I understand this.

But flatly declaring your rubbernecking intent via this meme and that “I just came here to read the comments” is just plain gross.

I believe one of the most powerful ways we evolve and grow as people is by spending time with those whom we don’t always agree, and having civil conversations about the issues of the day.

I flew to Philadelphia recently with my friend Adam, and we ended up spending the whole flight talking about politics, policy, religion and whatever else came up. We came at the issues from slightly different angles, and while I didn’t necessarily change any of my opinions, I evolved them in a meaningful way as a result of involved discussion. I know I left the conversation feeling much stronger in my knowledge about the subject at hand, and by virtue of having listened to my friend without any preconceived agenda of the net result of that conversation, I ended up with a deeper sense of empathy.

For the record, one thing I will never concede to him is his ludicrous assertion while flying over the Delaware River that seeing it rendered George Washington’s crossing of it unremarkable since “that’s not that big, really.” GO BACK TO ENGLAND, YOU TURNCOAT! USA! USA! USA!

I recognize that a long, engaged conversation with someone you like and have liked and respected for more than a decade is different than sparring with a quasi-stranger on Facebook… but imagine if we treated the two interactions the same way. Imagine seeing something on Facebook, and instead of loading up with your best ammunition and firing at will, you instead sought greater understanding. That by understanding them better – no matter how unfathomably wrong you initially perceive them to be – you listen and you dig in, and by virtue of that effort, you actually understand yourself better.

I also recognize that some people are just wired to be jerks, and this utopian dithering I’m peddling isn’t universally practical. But I wholly believe elevating the discourse is. And for my money, the best way to start is getting these prurient bridge trolls who live to watch strangers combat each other to piss off.

Just to summarize the intent of these meme-posting jackals: Not only are you not here to contribute anything meaningful, you’re wishing for the absolute worst of the bottom-feeders to hurl Molotov cocktails at each other for your personal amusement. And you’re fully okay with declaring your intent as a grotesque sideshow patron. Swell.

Were you one of the kids who egged on the two school bullies to kick each other’s asses and get suspended while you cried innocence in the aftermath ignoring your culpability in making the environment more incendiary? Were you in Michael Vick’s backyard, too? Were you there with Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer in the back of Marcelino’s bodega at 3 in the morning to watch Little Jerry fight another rooster to try and get Jerry’s bounced clown check removed from the front counter? Did you buy one of those abhorrent Bum Fights videos?

You are the curiosity delay on the highway when there’s an accident going the other way that screws up everyone’s commute to work. You are the reason we have TMZ. You are “The Fappening.” You are the Huffington Post’s idiotic policy of covering Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as “entertainment,” and look where we are now on that front.

In short, you are the worst. Stop posting this.

Better yet, meme or no, stop doing this.

Cold Calls

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Comedian Pete Holmes has a hilarious bit about how he loves to mess with telemarketers and cold callers and how one time that backfired epically. You can view it here.

While I love that bit unabashedly, I cringe thinking about it because a fairly substantial portion of my job involves calling or emailing people I don’t know to ask them to do something they probably weren’t going to do already. That’s an imposition from out of nowhere that, if you’re not expecting it, can feel like a total violation. And being the one doing the imposing and the near-violating certainly enhances one’s empathy for those who make their living doing it.

Giovanni Ribisi, playing Seth Davis in the movie "Boiler Room" spends a good chunk of the movie making cold calls.
Giovanni Ribisi, playing Seth Davis in the movie “Boiler Room” spends a good chunk of the movie making cold calls.

I don’t fancy myself a bad guy, yet watching someone’s face drop when I approach them out of the blue or hearing their voice deflate when I introduce myself over the phone certainly makes me feel for a moment like one. I immediately put myself in their shoes because I personally hate when someone broaches me uninitiated.

Which is why I think everyone should be mandated to work for at least a week doing cold calls of some sort. Semi-related, I also think everyone should be required to work retail, to work in food service, to do fundraising for nonprofit work, and to do factory work for a time. If everyone experienced the unique horrors of each of these sectors of employment, we’d all be better off and more well-rounded people.

However, if I could choose only one, I’d choose the cold calling one. Why? Because our empathy would go through the roof. My very first cold calling job, I was 18 years old, and I offered free housepainting estimates door-to-door. I lasted in this job for an excruciating one-and-a-half hours. At that age, I couldn’t handle the withering glares people gave me as they saw me trudge up my front walk with my little clipboard and backpack. They knew I was peddling some shit, and buuuuuhhhhhh I’m going to have to make awkward small talk with you, aren’t I? please just go away and let me enjoy my Saturday what did I do to deserve this? is what I heard in my head.

Despite flaming out of that job at light speed, I’ll never forget it because I immediately became nicer to everyone. We all have jobs, and some jobs suck. I have no desire to make anyone’s already difficult day even worse with rudeness, saltiness, or otherwise unpleasantness. I’m not sure I would have arrived at that place had I not put myself on the other side of the equation at such an early age.

And while I make cold calls much easier now – to media I want to cover my client, to coalitions I solicit for their support on an issue, to passersby on the street to appear in a video project I hope sees the light of day very soon – I still tense up and dread that first one at least a little bit.

As much as you tell yourself you don’t care about rejection, you do. It always stings a little, and when someone is notably rude, you always carry some of it with you. It’s impossible not to. That’s why unless someone gives me a super unignorable reason, I tend to go out of my way to be polite to those who are just doing their jobs. I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of surprising vitriol, having done basically nothing to earn it.

That’s not to say I’m a pushover and sign every petition, buy every service, or participate in every survey. Far from it. But I’m cordial, I’m polite, and I’m respectful to the reality that some jobs require some imposition. It’s easy to say no and not be a complete dick about it. Trust me, the people accosting you expect it.

But what we could all do without is the needless hostility. So the next time someone cold calls your house or stops you on the 16th Street Mall, save your Pete Holmes routine, and just be polite.

And if that seems unreasonable, sign up for a campaign you believe in and make some calls to people you’ve never met. You might change your mind.

Presentation Tip #4: Television Interviews

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Deft Communications specializes in helping our clients prepare for all manner of presentations, whether it’s going on camera as a spokesperson, delivering a keynote speech to a large auditorium, or simply conducting a small team meeting. This blog series will periodically provide best practices for any type of presentation you do.

Deft Communications provides television interview tips in this blog post

I recently had the honor of serving as spokesman for Vital for Colorado during a series of Western Slope stakeholder meetings. Over the course of two days, I did three on-camera interviews for television (one live, two pre-recorded – which you can view here, here, and here), one radio interview, and one print interview that has yet to be released.

While our practice focuses mostly on getting our clients ready for their speaking engagements, we’re happy to serve as spokespeople ourselves when the need arises. However, keeping the goal of client service and prep at the forefront of our counsel, below are a few television interview tips I’m happy to share after doing three of them in Grand Junction earlier this month. Keep these in mind for the next time you’re presented with the opportunity to speak on behalf of your organization. And if you’d like additional help, you know where to find us.

  1. Prepare as much as possible

This seems like obvious advice, but it’s amazing how many people believe they can “wing it.” When the cameras are rolling, an interviewer is staring at you, and you’re suddenly drawing a blank on what your own name is, you’ll be glad you prepared.

In terms of how to get prepared, ask a few questions. Will this interview be pre-recorded or is it live? The difference here is huge. In a pre-recorded interview, you can start over. If you mess up, just start again. Reporters want a smooth presentation just as much as you do because watching someone trip over their words makes for bad television. So, if you stumble or make a mistake, simply start again. In a live interview, no such luxury, which will alter the way you prepare.

  1. Find out the questions in advance

Contrary to what the most paranoid part of our brains would have us believe – and no matter what Donald Trump says – the media generally isn’t out to get you. Confrontational journalism certainly has its place, but the vast majority of the time, members of the media are seeking to be effective conduits of knowledge to a curious public.

In service of those goals, help the reporter with facts. Send a press release or media kit in advance. When it comes time for your interview, show up early. Inquire about what they plan to ask you on camera. If they ask why, tell them you want to be as accurate as possible in representing your organization, so if there are specific facts that are noteworthy, you want to make sure you get them right. This will also help you anticipate any curveballs.

Deft Communications live in studio - television interview tips
Emily Fredrick and I talking live in studio about the crude oil export ban.

In my live interview in Grand Junction, I asked Emily beforehand what she was going to ask me about. Most of the questions were straightforward, but she had a question that I hadn’t really prepped for. Since I was early, and since I just plain asked her what she planned to talk about, I was able to formulate a response and practice it. Everything went well, and it was certainly better than being blindsided.

  1. Take a breath and be calm

Going into any engagement with the media, you’re bound to be nervous. Unless you’re a trained spokesperson, and you do this every day, you’re bound to be on pins and needles. I had never done live television before, and my adrenaline was pumping.

But I think about one of my good buddies who played football in high school. He told me he’d be so amped up before a game that he’d feel like he wanted to vomit, but that once he hit someone for the first time, he’d calm down. The same principle applies here. Once you answer the first question, assuming you’ve practiced your talking points, then you’re just in it. And before you know it, the whole thing’s over.

What a rush!

  1. Know your talking points

This might be the most important tip I can give you. In a pre-recorded interview, the reporter will likely ask you what feels like the same question in a bunch of different ways. It’s not up to you to come up with new and inventive ways of answering the same question, so just hit your points again and again. You know what’s important, and what you want to convey in this piece, so stick to it. It may feel repetitive, but in the five minutes or so they’re interviewing you, they’ll use maybe a sentence of yours. Make it count and make sure it’s the key point you want you to get across.

  1. Remember you’re the expert

Today’s newsrooms are understaffed, and many reporters will lean on what you provide them. You’re the expert in your field, so have confidence. Again, the overwhelming majority of reporters are not “out to get you.” Work with them, treat them with respect and professionalism, and you’ll optimize the opportunity. Provide background material beforehand and ask if they have any questions. Doing good prep work will ensure you, your client or organization, and the news organization get the most out of this engagement.

  1. Keep your feet and your head quiet

A practical tip before we end this post. Movements are amplified on camera, so try to keep your feet from moving too much, and keep your head relatively still. This feels unnatural for me as I have what one of my high school theater directors referred to as “happy feet,” but it’s key in not making physical movement a distraction during your piece. Getting on-camera practice with professional instructors can be helpful with this.

Like most things, doing television interviews can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Visualize yourself doing well will usually lead you to practice, prepare, and work collaboratively with your interviewer resulting in a good piece. Fretting about it and failing to optimize your approach will produce less than stellar results.

So be confident, do good prep, remember these television interview tips and when all else fails, call a professional.

 

Ending the Export Ban on Crude Oil

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Last week we shared the press release from Vital for Colorado where more than 90 Colorado business leaders supported lifting the United States ban on crude oil exports.

The Denver Business Journal picked up the story last week, and you can find it here. Pertinent from the story is this little tidbit of information:

“A recent study by IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), the international information and consulting firm based in Douglas County, concluded that lifting the ban on crude oil exports ‘would actually lower U.S. gasoline prices an average of 8 cents per gallon by encouraging greater U.S. crude production.'”

That’s but one reason to support lifting the ban on crude oil exports. Need more? How about an Independence Institute Freedom Minute featuring yours truly?

Say it with me: Support of ending the export ban on crude oil is vital for the nation, Vital for Colorado.

Around Town

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Building on my previous post about becoming one of the “Day People,” and having now worked in a variety of places all over the city, it’s time to build on this concept a bit. I find it uncouth to be some freeloading crotchstain and just show up at a business to use their free wi-fi, so it’s vital that I buy something.

I tried working at the libraries near my house – where it’s fine to be a freeloading crotchstain since you’ve (presumably) already paid your taxes, and thus, have no further commerce pre-requisites to fulfill – but I ran into two problems with this.

  • There are kids EVERYWHERE during the summer, which, even with your headphones in, is distracting because kids move with such unpredictable and different cadence from adults. You can’t not watch kids even if it’s just to see what they do next. They’re mystifying.
  • Thanks either to poor management of resources by our government, the increasing distaste of voters to fund basically anything that even appears extraneous, or some unholy combination of the two; libraries are open at weird, short, and not terribly convenient hours.

[shakes fist at government cronies] [shakes other fist at misguided voter ideology] [remains unsure which fist he should actually engage]

Thus, coffee shops and cafes! What follows is a list of places I’ve gotten work done, and something from there I happen to really like. Important note before we start: I don’t drink coffee – which I realize could get me branded a heretic depending on your level of coffee fetishism – so you won’t find any of it listed here, which will likely influence your enjoyment of this list.

Look, coffee tastes fine and I accept that my Facebook feed is flush with people who believe they can’t live without it, but I neither need the caffeine, nor like the taste THAT much. I also accept that my position is objectively wrong, much like my inability to care about Game of Thrones. So let’s just move on.

Here’s some good stuff from some cool places around town. [Read more…]

Common Courtesy

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I have always described myself as upbeat and chipper. I have rarely met a stranger, and will talk to anyone. I talk to animals, to myself, and sometimes even to the walls. I am outgoing.

So, the other day when I was at Panera for lunch, I didn’t hesitate to chat with the guy behind the counter, making and bagging the food. As he bagged the food and called the customers’ names in front of me, the interaction, or complete lack thereof, saddened me. Every customer just grimly took their food, ignoring the gentleman behind the counter and no one even uttered “Thank you.”

He prepared my food next and we made eye contact. Without hesitation I said “Hello!” and asked how his day was. He smiled and we started chatting. He handed me my food and told me, “Thank you, you made my whole day.”

I teared up a little as I walked out the door. Someone who works with people all day, and this tiny minute of conversation – just a little common courtesy – made his day.

This led me to wonder, how many people do we just pass by, do we not engage with, do we never say “Thank you” to? A little common courtesy can make all the difference to someone.

Presentation Tip #3: Managing Your Nerves

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Deft Communications specializes in helping our clients prepare for all manner of presentations, whether it’s going on camera as a spokesperson, delivering a keynote speech to a large auditorium, or simply conducting a small team meeting. This blog series will periodically provide best practices for any type of presentation you do.

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Jerry Seinfeld has a joke that says speaking in front of a crowd is considered the #1 fear of the average person. #2 is death. That means to the average person that if you have to be at a funeral, you’d rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.

We believe that because we know how to speak, we can easily speak in public. This is a fallacy. We were taught how to speak just as we were taught to do anything else. It stands to reason that we should be taught how to speak in public as well. Because speaking in public can seem daunting, and with that comes nerves, here are some tips to managing that nervousness.

The first (and best) way to calm your nerves is as easy as it is annoying. Prepare, prepare, prepare.

The most common cause of nerves is a lack of preparation. Many feel that because they’re likely being asked to speak on something with which they’re very familiar, they can “wing it.” No matter how well you know the information, it’s imperative to make notes or an outline of the material you want to cover. Why? Because no matter how familiar you are with the material, being in front of an audience adds a layer of tension that can cause you to lose your train of thought or make the material magically disappear from your head. Having notes will help keep you on topic, allow you to pick back up where you left off (if it happens), ensure you don’t forget an important point, and quell your jangly nerves.

Second, recognize what you do when you’re nervous, and then mitigate it.

Do you flip your hair, tap the podium, sway back and forth or all three? Your audience will focus on your distracting nervous behavior, not you, and certainly not your message. By managing your nervous habits – in the cases mentioned above, think about wearing your hair up, putting paper on the podium to absorb the noise of tapping, or planting your feet in a wide stance) your audience can focus on you, and you can focus on your message. Then everyone gets the most out of your presentation.

Finally, understand that nerves are natural, and although it may seem counterintuitive, beneficial. Being nervous is a sign that you care and that you want to do a good job. Never try to rid of yourself of nerves fully (and especially never use chemicals to eradicate them). Instead, channel that energy in a productive direction and use them to visualize yourself doing a good job. The times I am most nervous are when I am most passionate, and when I want my presentation to be perfect.

Speaking in public doesn’t come naturally to most, and the above tips are just a start. If you would still prefer to be in the coffin instead of giving the eulogy, we can help.

Deft Communications Announces Three Additions to its Client Roster

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deftcomm

DENVER (July 16, 2015) – Deft Communications, Denver-based communications counseling firm specializing in communications training, content creation, employee engagement and employee activation is proud to announce three new clients in the oil and gas sector and real estate.

“We are honored to work with these organizations to help them achieve their business and communications goals,” said Deft Communications Principal Jon Ekstrom.

The Peak Properties Group, a full-service, Denver-based real estate team, has hired Deft Communications to provide copywriting, content generation and promotional strategy.

Vital for Colorado, a broad coalition of business, civic and economic development leaders along with thousands of Coloradans from across the state, brought together to support and promote the benefits of energy production in Colorado, has chosen Deft Communications to promote expanding the availability of US oil and natural gas.

Whiting Petroleum, an independent exploration and production company with an oil focused asset base, has retained Deft Communications to enhance and implement an employee education and engagement program for its employees in Colorado and North Dakota.

About Deft Communications: Deft Communications is a Denver-based communications counseling firm specializing in communications training, content creation, employee engagement and employee activation. We call ourselves “Deft” because it guides our approach to every client we work with, and each project we do. Any communications project your business undertakes should be in service of helping to achieve your business goals. Being “Deft” means understanding those goals, and tailoring our approach to stay nimble in a constantly evolving environment, being resourceful, and maintaining a sureness of touch. We are savvy communicators with more than two decades experience in a variety of disciplines and across communications platforms.

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Ghostwriting

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If you’re not subscribed to Next Draft by Dave Pell, you ought to be. Phil Bronstein, Chair of the Center for Investigative Reporting, says of Next Draft “Think of Dave Pell as the Internet’s managing editor. The NYT meets SNL. Smart, funny, essential.”

He’s right. Pell manages to distill the ceaseless whirring cacophony of news stories down to a succinct 10 item list that’s a mix of irreverent, vital and engaging. As someone required to be up on my shit at all times, a well-curated news digest compiled by a non-robot is invaluable.

In the June 22 edition, Pell linked to a trend piece in the New York Times about toast ghostwriters. Yep, you can now contract out your Best Man or Maid of Honor speech to a professional who will help you articulate all those feelings about your best friend, your sister, your brother or whoever that you can’t find the words for despite loving them to death.

Ghostwriting, Denver PR, Deft Communications
One of the greatest toasts of all time for all the wrong reasons.

Understandably, a lot of people don’t like to admit to using this ghostwriting service. According to one of the subjects in the story, “Some people call us and say, ‘I don’t want people to know that I’m using you.’” I suppose I can relate to that impulse, since, at its most base, it feels like you’re basically outsourcing your feelings, which seems crass and horrible. That’s certainly not the only way to look at it, as evidenced by one of the story’s subjects.

“You don’t sew your own dress,” she said. “You don’t bake your own cake. But those things are considered O.K. to ask for help with because they’re less personal. For some reason, speaking has always been something you’re not supposed to ask assistance for, even though it makes it better.”

I’m a professional writer, and I’ve ghostwritten speeches, op-eds, prepared remarks, press release quotes and simple emails. It’s true. One of my executive clients grew to trust me to the point where any email he sent that was for his entire regional staff came from me.

That’s called trust, and that’s why there should be no shame in hiring a ghostwriter. I believe it’s a fallacy that we know ourselves better than anyone else does. There’s a theoretical construct called the Johari Window, which you can see below.

Ghostwriting, Denver PR, Deft Communications

By far and away my favorite quadrant in the Johari Window is the top right, labeled “Blind Spot.” In this quadrant are things known to others, but not known to you. Have you ever had someone tell you something about yourself that’s at first flabbergasting (perhaps your immediate impulse is to get offended), but after you consider it, it’s incredibly insightful? That’s one of my favorite things in the world, and something you could never discover by yourself.

That’s what a good ghostwriter can do for you. By asking you questions, probing deeply into your relationship with whatever it is you want to write about, and recontextualizing things for you, your insights become fresher and your feelings cast anew. Writing is a gift, and we’re not all blessed with the same ones.

I can’t fix your car, I can’t play you a tune on the guitar and I can’t tell you what the stock market is going to do tomorrow. But I can write you a killer wedding toast, a dynamite keynote address, or a brief but punchy email to your employees.

There’s no shame in hiring a good ghostwriter. And, according to that New York Times piece linked above, “Ghosts, it seems, have invaded our parties, and they appear to be here to stay.”