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Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

Are You as Good a Communicator as Shakespeare’s Fools?

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The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be
a fool.
-Touchstone, As You Like It, V.1.2217

Happy April Fool’s Day!  In Shakespeare’s plays, fools are the great communicators.  They manage to say what no one else has the courage or the insight to say.  They get heard when men of sense get ignored.

Are you as good a communicator as one of Shakespeare’s fools? Take this quiz to find out.

  1. The fools can say what they want because they have official positions at court.  What is your position with your audience?  Do they welcome what you have to say?
  2. The fools are truth tellers, fearlessly making fun of one and all.  Do your audiences know they can count on you for the truth?
  3. The fools keep an eye out for when they are tiring their listeners.  Do you know when your audience is ready to hear from you?
  4. The fools use humor and unexpected turns of the phrase to win their masters’ attention.  Take another look at your writing.  Are you always serious?  Can people predict what you’re going to say before they open the letter or the post? Or are you surprising and delighting them with your communications?

Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.
-Feste, Twelfth Night,  I.5.328

 

Social Media: How Do I Find the Time?

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Nonprofits are getting the word: we can’t afford to put social media off any longer.  As a consultant, the biggest question I’ve heard from nonprofit leaders is, “How do I find the time to do social media when my staff and I are so busy already?”

It’s a fair question, but there are answers.

One: start small.

Two: make sure you have a strategy, so the time you do put in produces the best results.

Three: get good outside help.

Social media are not a cure-all, and they don’t replace your website, email, or the written word, but you can use them to build and strengthen relationships–and that leads to the six ways to succeed on social media.

Social Media: How Do I Find the Time?

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Nonprofits are getting the word: we can’t afford to put social media off any longer.  As a consultant, the biggest question I’ve heard from nonprofit leaders is, “How do I find the time to do social media when my staff and I are so busy already?”

It’s a fair question, but there are answers.

One: start small.  http://wp.me/p3zdDF-d3

Two: make sure you have a strategy, so the time you do put in produces the best results. http://wp.me/p3zdDF-ew

Three: get good outside help. http://wp.me/p3zdDF-qt

Social media are not a cure-all, and they don’t replace your website, email, or the written word, but you can use them to build and strengthen relationships–and that leads to the six ways to succeed on social media.

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