WEEKLY UPDATE: Sweet Treats for Job-Hunters

Summary: I'm posting late today after a yummy afternoon of tasting chocolate in downtown Chicago. It was a sweet ending to a wonderful week where I also received a call from a client whose résumé I created—a first for this blue collar retiree. Do you need help with a résumé or with interview skills? KiKi Productions, Inc. (my communications company) can help!

I'm posting late today, because I spent the afternoon belatedly treating my husband to a birthday surprise: A private tour for two, courtesy of Chicago Chocolate Tours. Mmmmm! Our tour guide, Kelly, did a wonderful job of communicating the history of chocolate in general, some specifics about the chocolatiers we visited, and even some chocolate-related tie-ins to famous historic architecture and artwork around the city as we tromped through the wet weather to sample treats at five different establishments. It was well worth it!

Another topic that came up regularly in the casual conversation throughout the day was career choices. And that makes me want to share with you another experience I had this week:

I received a phone call from a client whose résumé I recently created. Newly retired, he's been looking for a blue collar-level job in his previous field—a field that used to accept applications for new hires, but like most industries in this millennium, is now insisting on résumés from every job applicant. After 30-plus years at the same job, a brand new résumé and some fresh interviewing skills were just what my client needed. It was my pleasure to help out, and I was thrilled when he called me this week to say that he'd just had a successful interview—and that some of the feedback he'd gotten was that his résumé was "one of the best they'd ever seen."

So many Americans are in this same job-hunting pattern today. If you or someone you know is looking for a little assistance in this area, consider using a professional to give you that extra edge. KiKi Productions, Inc. (my own communications company) is just one of the many communications professionals available nationwide. I work with clients both in-person, where possible, and over the phone to address chronic communication issues.

Whether you're looking to improve your résumé, build your curriculum vitae, or craft your very first résumé after a career of working without one, I'm here—and happy—to help!

© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009

WEEKLY UPDATE: Online Connections

I've been talking and talking—and writing—about my revamped website and all of the forthcoming goodies it offers. This week, thanks to the wonderful Stephen Parker of sparker webgroup, all these words became reality when we launched the new website to the world.

KiKiProductionsInc.com offers a number of tools and tips for improving the way you share with the world, by enhancing the way you are seen and heard. Not only can you connect with me directly there to book coaching sessions and public speeches, as well as written work, you can also reserve your spot in a number of online opportunities, like my forthcoming e-book and e-course, "Speak Your Truth."

You might say there are copious resources at your disposal all in one site! Via the new webite, you can connect with me on Facebook and Twitter, and you can connect with many of my affiliates—who are also wonderful wordsmiths, all of them in their own rights.

There's a spiritual side to my work, additionally, that connects people to themselves and others, so that true communication can occur. And that side shines fully through on the new site. Scope it out today, and tell me what you think!

(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009

TRULY SPEAKING: Last Week's Contest Still Running

If you thought I'd tergiversated on last week's contest, think again! There's still one winner's spot open—and one more word usage left to be guessed. It's okay to cheat in this contest and use an aide (like an online dictionary), especially if you tell on yourself and share that resource with the rest of us!

Congratulations again to Fellini69. To claim your prize—one free hour of speech coaching to work on any communication issue you choose—simply contact me directly at Kealah@KiKiProductionsInc.com.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you, Fellini69. ... And I'm looking forward to hearing from the rest of you on ANY of the Words of the Week or any other communications points you want to discuss on Beyond Talk. You are never alone when it comes to questions about how to improve your speaking, writing or conflict resolution skills. So don't tergiversate about it. Get to the point today!

(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009

WEEKLY UPDATE: Beyond Talk Announces Change for the Better

This week, I heard about an amazing documentary called “Playing for Change: Peace through Music” by Mark Johnson and his crew at PlayingForChange.com. The movie, still in production, documents the efforts to bring street musicians from around the world—along with some celebrities, both living and dead—together to harmonize and synchronize on a handful of powerful songs. (My favorites are “War/No More Trouble” and “Stand By Me.”) In an effort to practice what they preach, Playing For Change Foundation was formed as an international non-profit to bring funding to music and art schools to some of the most struggling corners of the globe.

Playing For Change is an organization that speaks the truth as a beautiful mouthpiece for the underprivileged, giving voice not just to their troubles, but also their deepest longings for betterment.

We all desire change for the better, and many of us struggle to make our voices heard. Beyond Talk wants to see you succeed in all your goals and dreams. Our new blog schedule aims to help you do just that! Look each week for the following posts:

Mondays – Word of the Week, a vocabulary-expanding post that also spotlights online resources like e-dictionaries

Wednesdays – Truly Speaking, dynamic posts that feature common areas of communication improvement for your benefit

Fridays – Weekly Update, which gives you a sneak peek behind the scenes at Beyond Talk to learn the latest in what’s happening with Kealah Parkinson and KiKi Productions, Inc.

(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009

Speaking of Success: Open Source Means Open Dialogue

This week, I traveled to New York City from Chicago on my favorite airline. JetBlue is headquartered in New York and has JFK International Airport as its major hub, featuring a newly renovated terminal with a number of innovative features—including to-your-gate food service delivery. In-flight entertainment options, such as DirectTV, XM Satellite Radio, The New York Times on Air, and free-of-charge healthy snacks are just some of what makes this 8-year old company a major competitor against airlines that are struggling after decades of doing business.

Besides its branded “Even More Leg Room” and leather seats for every passenger (along with the amenities named above), what makes jetBlue so special as a standout in its industry?

The fact is, the company has been earning accolades every year since its inaugural flight in 2000. But what really gave it wings was a much-publicized customer service catastrophe on Valentine’s Day of 2006, when jetBlue learned the hard way what not to do—the key word being, “learned.” What might have sunken another such young company kept jetBlue sailing through the skies: After disgruntled passengers were kept aboard grounded flights at JFK for several hours during an ice storm, the airline created its Customer Bill of Rights, stating among other things, that passengers who experience on-board ground delays will be reimbursed to some extent for the inconvenience. In June of the following year, it miraculously ranked highest in customer satisfaction of all North American low-cost air carriers by J.D. Power & Associates—an honor it continues to boast to date.

This ‘open source-esque’, evolving strategy keeps the “customer satisfaction” brand alive and well. In example, witness the honesty of CEO David Neeleman, who—rather than downplaying the Valentine’s Day event—gave an emotional press conference a few days later, where he confessed to feeling “humiliated and mortified,” and even shared with the world the reasons behind the debacle: a faulty communications system between pilots and other staff that slowed service options down to a standstill. The changes made to the company’s communication infrastructure ensured that the Customer Bill of Rights was more than just lip service.

On my own flight, I got to see this super-hyped customer satisfaction promise in action: The electronic equipment for the plane’s entertainment system was out of order, which meant I received a $15.00 voucher toward my next jetBlue flight. Also, we passengers were informed of the glitch at the gate prior to boarding; both the pilot and the flight attendants made additional apologetic announcements at take-off, as well.

The most important factor in any open source service or product is always an open dialogue with the customer. I frequently receive e-mail messages from this customer-oriented airline after my flights, often containing a survey form. I love to fill out these forms, cherishing the opportunity to voice my opinions about how I believe the company and crew have (or have not) gone above and beyond to enhance my in-flight experience.

How do you keep the channels of communications open with your customers or potential customers? Is your brand sending an inconsistent message? Or do you take an honest and open approach to welcoming feedback and aligning or alleviating inconsistencies? Studies show that surveys that use a combination of ratings and written feedback can best measure customer satisfaction. Implementing the survey findings is the height of marketing strategy. KiKi Productions, Inc., can help you implement the right survey approach and the right branding solutions for your company’s target audience. Talk about satisfying!

(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009

Of Dinosaurs & Digitization: When Print (Still) Works

This month, the 100-year old international news rag, The Christian Science Monitor, makes history by replacing its print edition with several digital editions: its website, RSS feeds, and handheld PDA and e-mail subscriptions. Founded in November of 1908, the newspaper has won 7 Pulitzer Prizes in journalism, and touts a non-partisan stance on global affairs. Its decision to reach audiences solely through digital means in the year 2009 (and beyond) comes at a time when a number of newspapers are struggling—or folding—in the face of adversity.

It isn’t just economy pressures that push the envelope for newspaper budgets. When I entered college as a journalism student in 1991, the internet was a little-known portal dubbed “the information superhighway;” praised by forward-thinkers, but mystifying to many others. Even then, visionaries were proclaiming “the death of the daily newspaper”: Glossy magazines were more appealing to the color-television generation of the day.

Now, with the myriad of technological advances in business and society that continue to occur each year, today’s news audience has little time to thumb through the newsprint as in days of yore. Fast receipt of information is top-of-mind to most businesses—including newspapers—in this fast-paced world.

But there are some times when print pieces still succeed over their digital counterparts. While print journalism struggles to remain valid in the current electronic age, print advertising continues to have a home. As electronic communications sources become prolific, tangible items are a valuable commodity—especially to the younger set, who are more likely to have fewer print pieces on-hand or in their homes.

Whether you choose e-format or print versions of your communiqués, consistency is key: Studies show that the more successful ads are those delivered on a regular basis, from daily blogs to monthly mailers. And don’t forget to weave your promotions into your information, so that your product or service is always a major takeaway—even alongside any educational info. you may provide (such as in white papers, newsletters and magazines). Marrying the two formats is still a valid option. With the right design, e-mail and print newsletters can consistently share the same information with similar-to-identical looks and feels.

Small businesses, along with groups and organizations with low budgets, particularly benefit from local mailings. The Toastmasters speakers' club I belong to in Chicago succeeded in more than tripling its membership with a year-long campaign that included publishing a newsletter, where print pieces were given to visitors, as well as left behind in area offices, coffee shops, and gyms. The dual electronic component of the newsletter (PDF downloads available on the club’s website) provided the right tandem push to excel the campaign. Furthermore, direct-mail industry giant The Ballantine Corporation reported via blog in 2008 that the local auto, retail, and hospitality industries were just a few that could directly benefit from direct-mail campaigns—especially when both print and electronic options were available to audiences.

Has your print marketing campaign gone the way of the dinosaurs? KiKi Productions, Inc., offers newsletter creation to individuals, non-profit organizations, and businesses of all sizes, featuring both print and online formats that fit your solutions. Talk about timely!


(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009