The Bumper Sticker

A few weeks ago I found myself in front of a packed room of people who had come to listen to people tell their story at ‘Stories from the Heart’, a live storytelling event, with all profits from ticket sales going to charity.

The theme was ‘One Day Can Change Everything’.

As promised enjoy the video

If you need support to become a better storyteller I highly recommend Lisa Evans at Speaking Savvy  http://www.speakingsavvy.com.au

Photo credit Pille Qrabat  http://personalityphotographer.com.au

Come along to the next Stories From The Heart event on 3 December 2017. All profits go to charity. Tickets available here https://goo.gl/AVi9ie

Lessons from a Story Teller Recruit

Over the last few months, I have been working with Lisa Evans from Speaking Savvy to develop my storytelling skills. I love telling stories and realised that a key way from me to leverage my messages as a CEO, coach and community leader was to get better at storytelling.

I attended Lisa’s storytelling workshop and then engaged her as my speaker coach. I attended a full day workshop, coaching session, and zoom meetings. Before too long I found myself in front of a packed room of people who had come to listen to people tell their story at ‘Stories from the Heart’, a live storytelling event, with all profits from ticket sales going to charity.

The theme was ‘One Day Can Change Everything’.  Now before I go any further I must share with you some of my key learnings

1.       Tell a true story. Nail the Story Plot. Choose a story that is real, you will have many stories for any number of situations you have found yourself in. Choose a story that people can relate to, understand and enjoy.

2.       Take the time to prepare. Take the time to learn how to tell a story. Lisa gave me a great technique and I practiced and practiced and practiced. I recorded myself and listened to how it sounded and my dog Giles heard my many attempts.

3.       Do not hesitate to remove parts of your story. I had too much, it became confusing, Lisa helped me to remove bits that were not adding anything.  Ask yourself, ‘Do I need to tell this piece of the story this time? Is it critical?’

4.       Develop a way to remember the story. I used a visual map. Lisa has a number of great techniques to help with this.

5.       Use a strong and confident voice. Even if you don’t feel it! As Amy Cuddy said ‘fake it till you make it’. Speak with clarity and confidence. Enunciate and project your voice towards the listeners.

6.      Use good pacing. When I started practicing I rushed. I realised I needed to speak slowly enough so that the story is easily absorbed by the audience…but not so slowly that their minds check out.

7.      Have a key message.  Lisa showed me how to develop this and how to make it ‘sticky’.

So what was my story? It was when I joined the army reserves and how I met Ms. Dee Termination.

The video will be out in a few weeks so you can check it out, but I will leave you with a picture to set the scene.

If you need support to become a better storyteller I highly recommend Lisa Evans at Speaking Savvy  http://www.speakingsavvy.com.au

Photo credit Pille Qrabat  http://personalityphotographer.com.au

Come along to the next Stories From The Heart event on 3 December 2017. All profits go to charity. Tickets available here https://goo.gl/AVi9ie

Getting Smart by Creating Disruption in the Board Room

A key lever for change in any sector, is the capacity to challenge current thinking about a problem or situation. The Engaging Young Leaders on Aged Care and Community Boards 10^th Unconvention ‘Disruption in the Board Room’ aims to do just that. We are bringing Board Directors, CEOs, Senior Executives and academia together to improve Board governance in the not for profit sector.

 

We know that organisations need to innovate to survive, but do we really need to disrupt?

 

Governments at both the State and Federal levels are disrupting the aged care industry and community services sector. To set up for success we need to continuously reinvent our organisations in light of new technologies, new entrants into our markets and new customers wanting different services and products to meet their changing needs.

 

This Unconvention explores how to think like a disruptor so your NFP board and organisation is not left behind.

 You will meet change makers including Jahna Cedar who will share with us her take on ‘Leading in Uncertain Futures’ and Robert Gordon who will speak on ‘How Boards can Disrupt the Disruption’. In addition you will have the opportunity to meet the winners of our Difference Makers Diversity Award winners, Justine Colyer, CEO, Rise Network and Swancare Chair, Etta Palumbo, listen to how you can create a diverse board. You will also have the opportunity to be part of an industry innovator breakout discussion. 

 

Innovation and disruption - some argue they are two sides of the same coin – others argue that disruptors are innovators, but not all innovators are disruptors. As leaders we need to position our organisations and we need to be smart and ambitious in recognising disruption is inevitable.

 

We need to innovate and adopt the practice of disruption as a strategy so we learn and work through how to manage it.

 To do this we need to be learners, we need mentors, people who will inspire us, coach us and we need boards that support and challenge us. We need to create teams tasked with being ‘disruptive ideas makers and innovators’.

 Register for the 10^th Unconvention here https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/unconvention-disruption-in-the-boardroom-tickets-29472370654

I hope I see you there!

 

Five Reasons to Nominate for the Difference Maker Diversity Awards

I was speaking with a colleague the other day about the Difference Maker Diversity Awards, she said that she was a bit too busy to stop and think about this award opportunity.  I was thinking that whilst I understand we are all busy, I also thought how we don’t do ourselves any favours when we don’t share the good things we are doing to champion diversity on boards.

I know it takes time, energy and concentration to complete an awards nomination form but ours is so simple and it can bring great benefits. Here are a few I could think of

1.    Boosting the person or organisation you nominate’s profile

Winning an award is guaranteed to give you a higher profile within the industry.  This award offers the opportunity to receive lots of media attention, and all nominees will be acknowledged.

2.    Boosting credibility

Whether you win the award or not, the simple fact that you have been nominated signals to the sector that you are worthy of their attention.

3.    Increased confidence in the board and the business

A higher profile and boost to your credibility or the board’s credibility can bring more business.   If you are good enough for an award, who is going to argue with it? You get to say ‘Award Winning’ in your marketing material!

4.    Publicity

An award nomination is a great story to use in your media efforts particularly at a local level.   It gives you a story for your press release which will capture media attention. This could bring new and diverse board members who see you as inclusive.

5.    Recognise your own achievements or your boards achievements

In many ways this is the most significant reason for preparing your nomination form. The questions really make you think.  You need to analyse what you have done, how you have done it, what worked and what didn’t.  Too often we look at what we have done wrong.  Completing a nomination forces our attention towards the things we’ve done right.

Nominations for the Difference Maker Diversity Awards are easy - you can self-nominate or be nominated by another individual or organisation. You will be asked the following:

Individual Award Nomination

1. Describe the leadership shown and actions taken by the nominee to promote, encourage and champion diversity on a board.

2. Demonstrate how the action(s) towards diversity have improved the board and/or organisation.

Board Award Nomination

1.    Describe the strategies implemented to promote diversity on the board.

2. Demonstrate the outcome(s) that have been achieved because of the improved diversity on the board.

All nominations are entered online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/dfawards.

Winners will be presented with a trophy, certificate and an opportunity to present at the August Unconvention as part of the Engaging Young Leaders on Aged Care and Community Boards program.

For further details please call me on 94506233 or email me at nicky.h@southcare.org.au

I urge you to give it a go!

Why are the Difference Maker Diversity Awards Important?

I was recently asked why we established the Difference Maker Diversity Awards, which is a really great question to be asked. This question gave me the occasion to explain why I think awards like this are so important. Our world is filled with uncertainty and one thing that we can do as leaders is look for understanding. We can do this by looking for the drivers of change or we can seek to understand by getting a different perspective.

I explained to the person that these awards will recognise a board and a director in the WA Not for Profit sector who are really seeking to engage with people who bring a different perspective. This helps them to manage uncertainty. They do this by championing diversity in the boardroom. They actively seek out people who are different from them, people who view the world from another perspective.

To engage diversity can take courage, courage to reflect on your own behaviour, attitudes and beliefs relating to differences.  

The Difference Maker Diversity Awards highlight those who have reflected, those who are showing exceptional leadership, courage and commitment in promoting diversity to achieve better governance outcomes for their organisation and society.

The Difference Maker Diversity Awards gives us the occasion to showcase the innovative programs, initiatives and strategies that boards are using to enhance diversity and inclusion.        

I ask you, do you know a diversity champion? Champions are people who are respecting, valuing and including of differences in ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, education, profession and religion - these are core principles of diversity and inclusion.

It could be an individual or Board that has reviewed the diversity of board membership. It may be a board who has widened their board recruitment practices, or implemented a board diversity policy. Maybe they have undertaken some diversity training and improved board processes to be more inclusive? 

Nominations for the Difference Maker Diversity Awards are easy - you can self-nominate or be nominated by another individual or organisation. You will be asked the following: 

Individual Award Nomination

1. Describe the leadership shown and actions taken by the nominee to promote, encourage and champion diversity on a board.

2.  Demonstrate how the action(s) towards diversity have improved the board and/or organisation. 

Board Award Nomination

1.       Describe the strategies implemented to promote diversity on the board.

2.   Demonstrate the outcome(s) that have been achieved because of the improved diversity on the board.

All nominations are entered online 

Winners will be presented with a trophy, certificate and an opportunity to present at the August Unconvention as part of the Engaging Young Leaders on Aged Care and Community Boards program.

For further details please call me on 94506233 or email me at nicky.h@southcare.org.au