Having your personal brand narrative is not something that you suddenly one day need in order to apply for a job. Figuring out what sets you apart from others may be useful for that, but having your brand narrative precise and ready can, and will, underpin your career as a whole.

Whether you think you need one, already have one or aren't sure - it's more than likely your colleagues, friends and even family already have one conjured up on your behalf.

So, why wouldn't you take the time to craft and refine the way that you wish to be perceived in a professional or unprofessional capacity?

In today's episode, we take the time to really scope out the why and even the how behind the importance of a brand narrative that encompasses you and what you bring to the table. I'll be giving you a run down on a mini-workbook I've collated to help run you through the entire process in detail (which you can find here) and I'll even give you some key examples of how to apply it.

Let's get to it.

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There was a lot of excitement earlier this year when ChatGPT took off! A tool that produces copy in an instant? Fascinating! Helpful! Worrying!

Whatever your initial reaction was, tools like ChatGPT are evolving quickly, and if we don't learn to use them, we'll be left behind.

I've been playing with some of these tools, attending events, listening to other podcasts, and putting a few of them into practice myself, and I've now got a list of use cases for professional communicators - or people who communicate a lot as part of their work - that shows how useful artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be for our work.

So get ready as I share six ways you can use these tools to boost productivity and reduce time spent on tedious work, particularly if you're a resource-poor comms team! I also share some examples of how I've tested out these tools myself, and the results of those experiments.

Links mentioned in this episode

• ChatGPT
• Munch
• Swell.ai
• Tango
• Blog post - re-written by ChatGPT to optimise SEO

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65 per cent of people are visual thinkers. People remember 80% of what they see and do; only 20% of what they read; and only 10% of what they hear!

That's why it pays to know your audience, and think about how you could communicate in a way that will actually work.

If you've been following the podcast for a while, you'll know we say tailoring your communication to meet the needs of your audience is key to your communication cutting through. A big part of that is understanding people's different personality types, so whether they are more introverted than extroverted; more of a strategic thinker or a detail thinker; or more of a visual or auditory learner.

In today's episode, we're going to delve into the specifics and focus on ways you can adapt your communication to resonate with people who are visual thinkers.  I'm going to share four ideas with practical examples of how you can take your communication and repackage it in a visual way that will actually work!

Links relevant to this episode

• Podcast episode 6: How to adapt your communication style for your audiences
• Blog post: How to reach visual learners
• Communication Personality Type Quiz
• Kate Norris, Presentation Boss, LinkedIn profile

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If you don't have these three key documents, you're working harder not smarter.

Communication teams - and the broader organisation - need tools to help them make decisions, uphold standards, and educate others.

The tools I'm sharing in today's episode will help you work more efficiently, and ensure everyone is singing from the same songsheet - so you have consistent output, you protect your brand, and you protect your channels.

Importantly, they also help to protect your time! So tune in to find out what these three golden documents are, and how you can get your hands on a template for one of them.

Links relevant to this episode

• Free 12-month comms toolkit

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The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) annual World Conference in Toronto has just wrapped up, and boy was it an incredible learning experience!

Across two-and-a-half days we heard from international speakers on a variety of corporate communication hot topics and trends, that are relevant not only for professional communicators, but for anyone who has communication as part of their work responsibilities (looking at you, leaders!).

In this special episode of Less Chatter, More Matter, I'm going to share the three key trends I identified from the sessions I attended across the conference, and stay tuned to the end of the episode for a bonus - my summary and key takeaways from the woman who took Duolingo's TikTok account from just a few thousand followers to 6.7 million followers in a flash!

Links relevant to this episode

• IABC website
• Zaria Parvas LinkedIn profile

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Today's episode addresses a bug bear of many - how to write concisely, without losing friends! It takes a lot of practice to write in a way that's short and clear, without sounding abrupt or rude.

But with a few simple writing tips and tricks, you can be a much better, clearer writer, which will help you get the outcome you want!

I'll walk you through my three-step process for writing concisely, and share a few of the writing 'red flags' you need to look out for when honing your writing skills. I'll also share a simple formula that will make drafting any content so much easier.

Links mentioned in this episode

• Episode 2: The three outcomes every comms plan should have

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If you've ever worked in communications, corporate affairs, investor relations, or even finance, you'll be aware of the beast that is the Annual Report. Whether you work for a listed or non-listed company, a for-profit or not-for-profit organisation, the Annual Report will be around in some shape or form.

Annual reports are important - they need to be done to meet regulatory requirements, let shareholders know how their investment is performing, or let donors know how their funds are being used.

But the problem with annual reports is HOW they're produced - in my opinion, they're currently a colossal waste of time and effort. They're not targeted at their audiences, they don't respect their audience's needs and behaviours, and they don't achieve good business or communication outcomes.

So as we approach end of financial year, I'm sharing a few ideas on how to re-think the dreaded annual report, and produce it in a way that's both more efficient and more effective.

Links mentioned in this episode

• LinkedIn article - how to position profit in an environment of loss
• Episode 6 - How to adapt your communication style for different audiences

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One of the things I’m asked about all the time is advice on starting a business. I offer it freely, although brunch is often involved!

Back in episode eight I shared the five fun things you should consider doing when you’re looking at starting a business - whether that’s as a side hustle or a full-time gig.

Today’s episode is about the five boring things you’ll need to consider - at least, I consider them boring! But they’re really super important things that will help set you up for success, and they’re things we often don’t consider and then learn about the hard way! I want to help you so you don’t have to do that.

So if you're thinking about starting a business - whether now or in the future -  this episode is absolutely critical for you!

Make sure you grab a copy of my 'five things' checklists from my website to play along from home when listening to this episode!

Links mentioned in this episode

• Free checklists: Five things to consider when starting your business
• Episode 8: Five fun things to do before starting your business

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Also, helping people to understand the differentiation between a strategy and plan is something I’ve had to coach quite a few people with over the years. Often it’s because they’re simply new to comms, or they’ve been in other roles and never had to think about comms strategies and plans like this before - they’ve simply just communicated the way they always have. Except now they might be in a position where they need to communicate more broadly, rather than just to a few people.

So in this episode, I'm going to help you understand what strategic thinking means in comms, and how your strategy and your plan work together to deliver a solution!

Links mentioned in this episode

• Episode 5: How to write a comms plan that actually works
• Weekly HMC Blog
• Subscribe to my fortnightly email

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I'm going to take you back to 2017, when Cyclone Debbie hit large parts of my home state of Queensland, and I was leading the internal comms team at a big insurance company.

In this case study episode, I'm going to talk you through the steps my team and I took to communicate during this crisis - the channels we used, what messaging we used, and our tools and processes - to show you how the three crisis communication principles work in practice.

It's a peek behind the curtain of crisis communication 'in real life', and a reminder to all leaders and communication professionals that being prepared is the best way to manage communication during a crisis.

Links mentioned in this episode

• Podcast episode 9: Three key principles of crisis communication
• Upcoming Crisis Communication Bootcamp registration

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