Wojtek Dabrowski’s Post

If you can improve your employees' communication skills with each other and with your clients, it can lead to so many beneficial results. Here's what I think about that. 👇 Multiple studies have shown that when employees are kept better informed about their organization's goals, activities, and achievements, they are more satisfied at work. This leads to... Improved productivity + Improved retention, which leads to... Less employee churn + lower training costs. And when you have experienced, happy employees remaining in their jobs, your organization's customer service improves, which also leads to... Happy customers, more sales, and increased revenue. 😊 So what's the best way to improve your employees' communication skills? One way is to hire a business writing coach who has a track record of proven success. Want to know more? Go to www.NewsWritingPro.com.

What does success mean to you as a Comms professional? This is one of the questions that someone asked me - How can you describe a successful Communications professional? Is it by the results, work ethics, professional qualifications, experience or influence? I find the topic of success to be quite a subjective one but here's my answer from my perspective. Success to me is doing what God wants me to do and fulfilling His purpose for my life because truly without Him, I can do nothing. With regards to my career in Comms, what this means is that success to me is measured in terms of Impact, Results, Growth, Reach and Legacy. That's me. Your perspective on what success in your career looks like may or may not be different. What I will emphasize is that in your Comms career, I think it is super important to do purposeful work that will leave you fulfilled and also give you room to make an impact in any organisation you work with. I hope this helps you to define what success means to you as a Comms professional. You can watch my full response to the question here - https://lnkd.in/dExfKm6N #Communications

Too often, life puts you in a box to dictate who or what you should be. And unfortunately, we believe it. And limit ourselves to the views of others. Reflecting on my professional life and vocation over the past 2 or 3 decades, I realize that there is a big difference between what I studied in school, what I was employed for and who I have now become. I studied International Relations, have worked as a PR and Corporate Communications professional for most of my career and I am now a strategy and communications consultant. I deliberately highlight the strategy piece because about 25% of our consulting clients come to us with “non-PR” challenges I.e. organizational issues around performance, business delivery, work behaviours etc and we come up with functional solutions based on the insights harnessed from within the organization and our intricate knowledge/understanding of how things work in high-performing organizations. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐀&𝐀 elevator pitch 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬: We are a strategy and communications consulting and training firm dedicated to enabling our clients achieve their desired outcomes through strategic communications, organizational effectiveness and reputation risk management. This is what we live by. Our clients come to us with urgent and pressing problems that require workable solutions tailored to the needs of their business and organization. We work with the brief given, interrogate into the organization, the sector/eco-system, assess and (re)frame the nature/scope of the problem and identify where a potential solution lies. We are driven by impact and our mantra is to ensure we leave our clients much better off than before. If we do our job well, we are in and out in no time - just like an efficient plumber. We come in, get under the kitchen sink, find the cause of the leak, tell you what needs to be done, work with you to get it fixed and advise how to avoid getting into that situation again. We plan our exit from the moment we step in. And if we do not have the expertise to fix the problem, we are quick to say so and recommend those who can. We aim for 100% client satisfaction and to the glory of God, we have achieved that to a very large extent. Many people know me as a PR or Communications consultant, others as a trainer. A few know me as what I really am i.e. an analyst and strategist at heart. I love research, data, insights, analysis and have the ability to cut to the heart of an issue by probing, listening, learning and observing the way things work. The ability to see what others don’t is also helpful. I am very fulfilled in this phase of my life because I now have the opportunity to bring ALL of me into my vocation and profession. I no longer have to be constrained by the opinions of others about what I can or cannot do. I can become who I was born and graced by God to be .... Have a blessed week!

I recently gave a talk at a Swiss company about the power of experimentation in internal communications. I opened with my career mantra: “Be a simplifier, not a complicator.”   These six words have been my embedded in my brain ever since I first heard them during a job interview many moons ago.   They have since become a part of my professional DNA. I often ask myself, “Am I being a simplifier, not a complicator?” (I do a lot of self-talk and self-coaching FYI). This simple question keeps me grounded and focused, ensuring that clarity in my work is at the heart of my interactions because on most days, my goal is to remove complexity from our communications and make simplicity the default. On some days, I intentionally add stress to the system, but that’s for another post. 😉 Do you have any career mantras that have helped you along the way?

Corporate lawyers - you know your job. HR - you also know your job. Audit - you know your job too. Sales team - you're the engine room. CEO - you know your job, if not it's time to move on! Guess what? The #communications team know their job as well. So, ask yourself this. Why is it commonplace for everyone to have a say in the way a business goes about its communications? Put yourself in the shoes of the comms team. They're talented people who produce fine, impactful #campaigns and copy. They develop strategies which will benefit the business and excite #stakeholders . And...along comes a cast of thousands who are suddenly experts in communications, despite having precisely none of the required skills and experience. They think it's entirely reasonable to engage in rewrites and rethinks. Not only is this soul-destroying for those people who are paid to do the job of communicating, it's also counter-productive. In my experience it leads to, at best, dither and delay and, at worst, inertia. It reduces the focus on the bottom-line. It results in communication that makes you look exactly the same as your competitors, as opposed to making the business stand out in a crowded marketplace. The end result is, frankly, boring. Disengaged staff and stakeholders who delete your newsletters as soon as they hit the inbox. Use your communications expertise wisely, give it freedom to breathe and it will pay dividends. Or scrap it entirely and suffer the consequences.

Since opening up registration last week for the Communication Advantage training, I've received several questions about the training... I put the most common questions together in this email and if there is something I didn't cover below, just hit reply. Let's dig in... =============== What exactly IS the Communication Advantage Training? =============== In the Communication Advantage training, discover how to stand out, shine, and sell any idea or initiative using masterful communication. This is a one-time 2-hour training event happening on Thursday, November 9th at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET. =============== What will be covered in the training? =============== In the training, I’m going to cover… - How to get buy-in for any initiative using executive-level communication… - How to consistently craft winning presentations even if you struggle with creating visually appealing slides… - The #1 thing you need to know about any audience for your message to land (it’s not what you might think)… - How to communicate your value and your team’s value to anyone across your organization… - The simple 3-levels of communication model that took me from verbal vomit to complete clarity… - How to effectively answer the question "What do you do?" once and for all in a way that even your parents can understand… - What interview tactics are working right now - the economy is having a big effect on this so I’ll show you how to ace your interviews whether they are within your company or with another company... Plus much, much, more… =============== Will there be a recording? =============== Yes! A recording will be provided along with a Cheat Sheet with the most important points covered in the training. If you can’t make the training live or if you have to step out during the training, I have you covered. =============== Who is this training for? =============== This will be great for you if… You are a manager, director, or VP who is communicating with your team(s) and other leaders all day every day… You are an individual contributor who wants to get recognized for the tremendous work and value you bring to your organization… Or you are interviewing for your next role and you want to become the #1 candidate that goes to the top of the priority stack… =============== How much is the training? =============== I set the price at just $197. =============== Why are you offering this training at just $197? =============== I’m experimenting with the format. The topics I’m covering are proven and have been the cornerstone of many successful presentations, promotions, raises, etc. for myself and my clients. I’m testing to see whether or not you are interested in a one-time training event like this. If you are interested and sign up, that tells me that perhaps I should do something like this again in the future. If not, then I won’t. =============== How do I sign up for the training? =============== Drop a comment below or DM me with "Interested".

“Everyone thinks they can do PR until there is a crisis.” How important is the authority of the practitioner when asked to advise? This is a theme that I set out to explore with practitioners who have graduated from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations crisis communication diploma with us here at PR Academy Ltd and who have also achieved chartered status. In an introduction to my series of practitioner profiles, Chris Tucker who is the course leader for the programme with us at PR Academy and also chair of the CIPR Crisis Communication Network makes the point that crisis communication is PR working at the most strategic level so there are clear links between being qualified and chartered and the authority that results. For my first profile I talk to Chloe Chescoe Chart.PR, ACIPR to hear the perspective of a practitioner working on the agency side. One thing I particularly like about Chloe’s perspective is the importance of reflection. She told me: “You need to let the dust settle after an incident or crisis and then come together to discuss what you learned and how you can carry that forward into planning for future incidents and crises. Hiring an agency can really help with this process as they are unbiased.” I hope you enjoy this short series – there are more to follow during the coming week or so. I’ve popped a link to the first profile in the comments.

Part One 9 Strategies for Crafting a Compelling Professional Statement: Stand Out in the Competitive Professional Arena By: Angela Williams Executive Coach As an executive coach, I have had the privilege of guiding professionals from diverse backgrounds and industries in their pursuit of career growth and success. One aspect that consistently emerges as crucial in today's competitive professional arena is the ability to create a well-crafted professional statement. In this article, I will share insights and strategies to help you develop a compelling professional statement that will make a lasting impression and set you apart from the competition. 1. Understanding the Purpose and Importance: A professional statement serves as a concise introduction, highlighting your professional background, skills, and career goals. It is your opportunity to make a strong first impression and capture the attention of potential employers, clients, or business partners. A well-crafted professional statement showcases your unique value proposition and sets the tone for further engagement. 2. Identifying Key Components: Begin by breaking down the essential elements of a professional statement. Start with a brief introduction that grabs attention and creates intrigue. Follow it up with a summary of your skills and expertise, highlighting your key strengths and achievements. Incorporate relevant experience that aligns with your career goals, and conclude with a clear statement of your future aspirations. 3. Reflecting on Your Unique Strengths: Take the time to reflect on your own skills, experiences, and career aspirations. Identify your unique strengths and accomplishments that set you apart from others in your field. This self-reflection will help you articulate your value proposition more effectively and with confidence. 4. Emphasizing Clarity and Conciseness: In a world inundated with information, clarity and conciseness are key. Use clear and impactful language in your professional statement, avoiding jargon or unnecessary details. Craft your message in a way that is easily understood by your target audience.

Media training: It’s not just a C-Suite Thing George van Rooyen is a media trainer, so of course he thinks more people need his services. But he’s not wrong. He outlines his arguments in Ragan PR Daily. ·        You don’t want your CEO always fronting everything – leave room for escalation. ·        As a general rule, let the most qualified person speak and recognise that it may not always be the CEO. ·        Despite your best efforts to control who says what, when things get gnarly your front-line staff may find themselves face to face with a journalist or cameraman. Prepare them. However, George didn’t mention two things that we think are equally important. First, being able to clearly and confidently articulate what matters to a business is an essential management skill and should be part of the investment you make in your people. Second media training demystifies. It helps people at all levels understand what the media may be interested in and how they work. Knowledge and awareness filters through your organisation, makes it more media savvy and helps protect your reputation. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eBMC7G24

Why would your organization need an audit? 🗒️ A well-conducted communications audit will provide you with clear data on whether your messages are in line  with your mission, vision and values. This way, you can strategically take action to make improvements. It can also help you build trust and credibility among your various stakeholders 👩💼🧑🎨 So, the next time you have questions about gaps in your communications (both internal and external), don't forget to go the research route - conduct a communication audit 📊 📩 If this is not possible, please contact us for advice ➡️ partners@linza.agency