Author: Dave Folkens

The Growing Pains of Growth

Business Communications, Communications, Life

I’m going to go way back in my bank of stories for this one but that’s part of the point. In one of my high school history classes, which is getting far too long ago for my comfort, I had a teacher that would push us in all kinds of ways.  He was a former member of the military and you’d better believe that you *were* going to listen and behave in class.  If not, you could wind up standing with a foot in a garbage can during class, perhaps doing push-ups, or (my personal favorite) running laps around the parking lot…clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on the day of the week and you got it right or you did it again.  He could be both extremely funny and brutally tough on you as well.

One day in class, he was looking for a response on the War of 1812 that he wasn’t getting.  A few people threw out guesses but nobody had struck on the right approach to get the answer he wanted.  Eventually, after thinking for a while, I got a bit tired of the silence and thought I’d give it whirl.  The question?  Who was most responsible for the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States.  My answer- Napoleon.  Well, his response was enough to make a relatively quiet student like myself squirm more than a little bit.  In a tone eerily similar to Jim Mora’s famous “Playoffs?” rant, I received “What, Napoleon is French?!?”  How could he be responsible for the war?

At that point, I began mumbling my rationale and was summarily cut off with “France wasn’t even in the war.  You awake over there?”  The nervous teen embarrassment heartbeat began.  Not sure what the pulse rate was but I’m sure it’d be the equivalent of a great workout today.  My already dim dating hopes dashed, surely my academic future was now on thin ice,  perhaps I’d wind up in a garbage can for such crazy thinking the rest of the hour.  Some of my other classmates then tried jump in and save me, throwing out other names to move the discussion along.  Each one shot down as the teacher went through the events of the war.  I was hoping for the bell to ring soon, kind of like a beaten boxer just hanging on to survive.

Finally, after seemingly four hours in a 45 minute class, he came back and said “You know who was responsible for the war?” Everyone was more than ready to take our lumps and move on…”Napoleon.”  He looked and smiled a bit at me.  At that, a chorus of “he said that” went up to the heavens.  For goodness sake, why had we all (and mostly me) been subjected to the torture and embarrassment for an extra ten minutes??

The teacher wanted us to think critically and be confident in our opinions.  It was another in a long line of tests and challenges that we needed to meet.  I *had* the right answer but he could tell I wasn’t entirely comfortable with my view.  How was a guy not directly involved with the war responsible– well, my thinking had something to do with destabilizing a region and then encouraging the upstart U.S. with trade agreements and support.  However, the most important lesson I learned that day of challenging each other and how we think is one that applies equally well today in the business world.  It’s not easy, really it can be agonizingly difficult like those moments I sat sweating out my high school future and reputation as the “Napoleon idiot” from history class.

Challenges help us grow.  And, in an era of shorter attention spans and more distractions than ever, spending a little more time thinking critically and challenging how we think is essential to advance the work we do each day.

P.S.- I have a story about this teacher and nearly having to wash a car too if you’re interested. ;)

Adapting for Success

Communications, Leadership, Public Relations, Social Media

I’m a huge fan of nature and often times see things very differently by simply observing.  Now, let me be clear before any of you really outdoorsy types start inviting me on a major hiking, camping or exploring adventure: I like being out in nature and enjoying the beauty…then going home to high-speed Internet, air conditioning, and running water.   =)  Anyway, I believe there is a tremendous amount that can be learned by watching how the world moves without us impacting it.   Observe how all kinds of creatures fit into the world and how the ecosystem has a natural rhythm to it.

However, what I noticed last week had nothing to do with a natural setting.  I sat at a drive through bank waiting for the teller to send me a receipt via that amazing wonder of the world known as an air tube and noticed a small bird flying above me.  I watched him fly into the overhang above.  His feet hopped deliberately from the broad girder to a thin piece of metal tubing running downward for several feet to reach a platform below.   He remained there a moment, picked up some sort of twig, and returned in the same focused manner to the overhang above while chirping happily.

What was it about this that made it stand out and stick with me so clearly?  And, how in the world does this relate to communications and PR?

This little bird has adapted to the environment around it which is by no means typical or natural for him.  In the heart of downtown Minneapolis this bird has created a home surrounded by concrete and steel with a constant hum of traffic moving past it each day.

Public relations as an industry must find ways to  successfully adapt to a changing world.

  • PR practitioners must thing critically to understand the goals of the business.  We cannot depend solely on media relations to validate our existence.  The environment is changing and the barriers to traditional media are being dissolved.  Anyone with a computer and a little creativity can find ways to get information to media outlets.  Maintaining a list of contacts isn’t good enough.
  • PR pros have an ever-increasing list of tools available to us that connect with key audiences. We should take the time to expand our own skill sets to understand how social media, geolocation applications, and customer created content on Yelp or blogs impacts our organizations/clients.
  • For the good of the industry, PR must take an honest look at the traditional models of how we measure success.  Does the typical client/agency model still work?  I don’t know.  What is the value proposition for organizations like PRSA and IABC?  Access to thought-leaders is far different thanks to technology versus 10 years ago…how do we need to provide opportunities for continued learning?

I will never pretend to have all the answers but would sure enjoy hearing what others think on the issue of adaptability for our industry.  Change isn’t always easy but a little birdie showed me that it is possible.

Some Public Relations for Public Good

Life, Public Relations, Social Media

In recent weeks I’ve been impressed by a trend of blog posts from people I’ve met online who are doing some great work to help or lift up others.  This is one of the most positive aspects of social media that can be lost amongst the negative stories (Facebook privacy issues, security challenges, and sites that may put your information at risk like Spokes) that accompany use of new technology.  However, for each horror story, I’m guessing there is an equally positive case of social media connecting good people or advancing important change.

I want to share a few examples with you illustrating the concept of good:

Erica Mayer:  Erica began a campaign for Charity Water to celebrate her birthday.  She created a page that outlined her reasons for getting involved and began sharing the page with her online network. What happened? Well, over $10,000 later, Erica has changed a lot of lives for her birthday.

Jeanne Bowerman: Inspiration also comes in the form of inspiration and insight. On her blog, Jeanne outlined a moving experience she had by connecting with a single person…who is often overlooked. Through her kind actions, Jeanne created a moment that changed his life, hers, and those that read her story.

Danny Brown: I couldn’t leave out one of my favorite social media for change guys. Danny is the driving force behind The 12for12k Challenge.  Over the last couple years, Danny has raised well over $100k to help out a number of worthy charities and connect a huge list of supporters that also work together to create change.

These are all just a few top of mind examples in my world of people making a real difference in their communities. Chances are if you’re reading this blog you’re working in a professional job, likely college educated, and connected with a variety of different networks. While we each have our own struggles, between a tough economy and the business known as life, there’s also a good chance you’re in a position to make a difference to someone.  It doesn’t have to be a gigantic commitment, it may be a single event that helps someone (much like Jeanne’s example) but in finding an issue that is meaningful to you, it actually engages others to help too.  I am blown away by many of the kind and smart people I’ve met in my community (both physical and online) and feel so blessed to say that you all inspire me. When you’re in a position to help someone, you can truly change lives…including your own.

Hubris Always Ends Badly: Will Facebook Fall?

Communications, Leadership, Social Media

It’s a lesson as old as the days of the great Greek civilization. Hubris.  Exaggerated pride or self-confidence clouds vision, creates a focus centered on self more than on community and others. I’ve been wondering lately if we may be seeing the signs of a pending fall for one of the giants in the social media world in Facebook. 

For the last several years Facebook has been fighting a battle around how to monetize its business while facing the ever-present rumors about adding user fees and creating backlash that comes and goes. Mark Zuckerberg and company have managed to continue to grow the base of users despite the flare-ups.  However, I’m starting to wonder if the shine is beginning to fade a bit. Facebook has become a haven of Farmville, Mafia Wars, and fan pages for everything.  (Who isn’t a fan of “eating” really??) It could just be my perception but more and more I hear from friends, colleagues, and contacts in my community that Facebook is no longer a “must visit” for them. 

The last straw for many could be the constant privacy creep that continues to erode user control of their data. Now, many users were never savvy enough to control their data in the first place which led to many of the significant “fired because of Facebook” headlines over the years. However, recent changes that limit the option for even advanced users to control aspects of their use and the Social Graph concept are pushing the boundaries of creepy big brother control.  I tend to agree with Dan Costa on his interpretation of the privacy issues around the concept of Facebook providing such detailed history of “likes” with other sites.

Where does hubris fit into this? In recent comments from Zuckerberg, it’s very clear that Facebook will not go out of its way to protect its users’ privacy. When leadership no longer cares what is important to the audience that feeds its own success, I believe you’ve lost sight of your own place in the world. You’ve crossed a line when you believe you’re untouchable. There seems to be a growing sense of invincibility coming from the Facebook folks. A belief that users should “just trust us, we know what you really want.” That is what concerns me as an outsider looking in. Hubris. 

Maybe I’m entirely wrong. Perhaps enough users will continue to love the game apps that Facebook offers regardless of privacy.  Maybe there are enough true Facebook loyalists who will never leave.  However, I wonder how the giant in social media will maintain its position. And what happens if the floodgates open and 400 million users becomes 300? If the walls start to crumble and some leave, the experience for those remaining is diminished.  If your friends aren’t on the site, your experience is less rewarding as you aren’t connecting.  What is the tipping point? Are there enough new users still coming into the funnel to replace the ones that are tiring of stale info and constant changes designed to make the site a more open data source for Zuckerberg and crew to sell? Maybe for a while but somewhere there’s a bright creative student creating the next big thing for consumers like Facebook was…four years ago.

Photo courtesy ajh1963 via Creative Commons

The First Key to Writing is to Write

Communications, Public Relations, Writing

Some of you may recognize the title of this post immediately as a quote from a great film created a decade ago. The film Finding Forrester had a number of great writing related references throughout the story line of a young, talented writer who connects with an author that fled into virtual hiding after finding literary success.

As a communicator, my daily work centers around finding ways to write and share information in a manner that will resonate with an audience.  And some days, it’s difficult to even begin. It’s writer’s block on a grand stage. What do you do when you just can’t get started or you aren’t sure how to phrase something that you’ll be happy to present to your boss or the audience? You write.

My favorite scene from the film is one where character William Forrester (played by Sean Connery) is helping young writer Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown) get started and to write with his heart. Wallace doesn’t know where to begin, then Forrester provides one of the great movie quotes of all time (at least to a guy like me who spends hours in front of a keyboard daily): “No thinking, that comes later. You write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head.”

I’ve been stuck lately. I’ve been worrying about every word and framing phrases. Thankfully, I remembered this little piece of Hollywood advice and I hope you’ll find it helpful as well when you need a reminder that the best way to start writing is to write.

Finding Forrester- 2000, Columbia Pictures Corporation