Taylor believes the three most likely factors to be compromised within project management are time, quality or cost.

The article explores how project managers can manage compromise, strategies and tactics to use and how to weigh up the cost of implementation.

The full article can be read here.

Ongoing Crisis Communication: Planning, Managing, and Responding By W. Timothy Coombs

I was asked by organisers of the  New Zealand Communication Association to do a key note speach at their 24th Annual conference which was held at the Heritage Hotel in Auckland on 12th & 13th December, 2011.

The theme for the conference was “Convergence”. This lent itself to discuss topics around convergence of of ideas, technology, cutures and nations, academic disciplines and education and industry.

It was a good opportunity to interact with the people who are shaping our university students minds in the area of communications.

Some of the papers discussed at the forum included:

• Josephine Ellis, AUT University. “On-line feedback and the Facebook effect” and  “A research journey by way of the classroom”.
• Dr. Lara Giles, EIT. “Meta-literacy”.
• Dr Kane Hopkins, Massey University. “How New Zealand organisations are using Facebook: A public relations perspective”.
• Jill Clark & Leta Roache, Whitireia.  “Grunting and Snorting on Facebook and Twitter: A Boomer’s Guide to Communicating with Gen Y”.
• Hamish Robertson Dr. Trudy Rosenfeld and Dr. Joanne Travaglia, University of NSW. “Communicating in Ageing Societies: Diversity and Dementia Looking to 2050”.
• Jacqui Hartley-Smith, EIT. “The jigsaw puzzle”.
  Arjan Van der Boon, MIT. “Teaching in your pyjamas? Online Learning with Wimba – The Student Experience”.
• Peter Bruce, Northtec.  “Building Stakeholder Engagement Capability”.
• Nuddy Pillay, MIT.  “To blend or not to blend, that is the question: the perceptions of students on the impact of the face to face and Web Based learning environment on their learning”.
• Susan O’Rourke, AUT.  “Teaching journalism, newspapers, convergence and the Arab Spring: Reflections from Oman”.
• Dr. Rosser Johnson. AUT.  “Cosmopolitanism, commercialism and food television: a case study of Tegal World Kitchen”.
• Debbie Page and Elna Fourie, Wintec. “Leaps and bounds, or a technological divide in the communication classroom”
• Una Wildon, MIT. “Process Based Learning: The Convergence of Teaching and Assessment in Writing courses”.   
• Nippy Paea, MIT student.  Whakarongomai ki taaku nei Reo:
• An Investigation into key factors in the engagement processes between Institute and Iwi
• Saarah Gul, MIT student. Investigating Facebook: The Impact of Facebook usage on the youth in New Zealand
• Manisha Jyoti, MIT student. “Perceptions of homosexuality and homosexuals among different Christian believers”.
• Trish Baker (Wellington Institute of Technology) and Jill Clark (Whitireia New Zealand). An introduction to cooperative learning. 
• Josephine Ellis, AUT University. This workshop to get participants to look at their own areas of teaching practice to identify research questions

My own talk focussed on Convergence and Conversation and how, for better and for worse they are changing how businesses and organisations respond during times of crisis.

I discussed examples of organisations where Convergence (media, technology etc) was beneficial and also where this same concept made lives difficult for company and organisational executives. 

Media Convergence can work against organisations :

• Organisations have less time to respond
• Organisations are global even if they are localy focussed, are forced to consider how their actions are seen beyond country boundaries 
• People (customers, voyears, onlookers) will comment on issues even while not understanding the facts
• There are always opposing viewpoints ready in the wings to be quoted or published online
• Private conversations become public faster and are more available
• Company execs are expected to be available – whenever…wherever.

Media Convergence can work for organisations : 

• Organisations have more media avenues to add to their toolbox
• Everything organisations and companies  do is visible Internationally
• People will go with their gut / brand allegiances / values and this will be demonstrated visually through social media
• Opinions  can be “heard”, published and commented on the minute you want them to be. The power is now with consumers as opposed to with media alone.

We discussed the necessity to have a plan in place for the unexpected and how to achieve outcomes by using the strengths of “Convergence” to our advantage and how to minimise the effects of the negatives. I have attached an example of one of the many and growing texts on the subject for those interested.

One lucky busker in particular stood out from the rest. When Michael Murray heard about the busking competition at his local mall, he knew he had to be there for his chance to be discovered. The talented individual was second off the block at the audition and captured the audience as he stepped off stage to serenade the seated guests. His pitch-perfect vocals and guitar work also impressed lead judge Gray Bartlett, who has offered Michael the chance to record a track on his new CD, to be released next year.

“From the moment Michael stepped onto the stage, I knew he was going to deliver an excellent performance,” says Mr Bartlett. “His personality shone through and vocals were strong – he was the whole package.”

Gray Bartlett’s CD will be a collaboration of some of New Zealand’s top artists, with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

A special mention was also given to the talented duo Mike & Shay, who wowed Mr Bartlett with their seamless acoustic guitar performance. Their tenacity on stage and raw talent impressed Gray so much that he has kindly offered one of his own valuable guitars to one of the duo, whose talent is sure to soar with the use of a quality instrument.

“It is great to see the top prize go to someone from West Auckland,” says LynnMall Marketing Manager Linh Luong. “Not only did the spotlight shine on Michael and Mike & Shay, but it did on all of the other participants at the Lynnmall audition. We were so impressed with the West Auckland talent, that we awarded all our participants a busking license.”

Botany Town Centre Marketing Manager Desiree Clark says the competition showcased some amazing talent from the local community and beyond. “The number of registrations received and the calibre of talent was overwhelming. We look forward to sharing the amazing busking talent with our shoppers during the festive season.”

Michael Murray and Mike & Shay will join 20 other performers selected to busk at LynnMall over the Christmas shopping period, from 16 to 24 December. Twenty buskers have also been selected to perform at Botany Town Centre from 15 to 24 December. 

Click here to view the LynnMall Shopping Centre and Botany Town Centre Best Buskers video highights posted on Youtube.com.

Botany Town Centre hosted South Seas Film and Television school student Stijn Van de Velde and a group of dancers who created a flash-mob scene on 27 October 2010, wowing shoppers and drawing crowds of onlookers.

On Sunday afternoon, over 120 strategically-placed students shopped and sipped coffee in the town square before springing into action and getting their jive on to ‘Greased Lightning’ from the film Grease.

Video cameras were set up in advance to capture the event and the reactions of shoppers. A few key media received a tip-off the day before. 

The Flash Mob campaign highlighted Botany Town Centre’s support of the local community’s creative projects. As a first-to-market New Zealand retail initiative, it reaffirmed Botany Town Centre’s position as an innovative retail centre.

Results

The news of the Botany Town Centre Flash Mob spread quickly. It was well-received by local media and made headlines nationwide. The story featured in the Howick & Botany Times and the New Zealand Herald, and was nominated as picture of the week by the Weekend Herald.

 The Flash Mob news spread as far as the Bay of Plenty Times, Hawkes Bay Today, Wanganui Chronicle, Wairarapa Times Age, Daily Post, Northern Advocate and Oamaru Mail.

TVNZ’s Breakfast show mentioned the event and South Sea Film school’s initiative and organization of the ‘Greased Lightning’ dance. 

A video of the Flash Mob in action was uploaded to Youtube.com, receiving over 3,900 views and numerous positive messages. Following the Youtube.com posting, the footage appeared on several other blogs, including retail-blogbiz, fastnews.in and viralvideochart.unruly.media.com.

New Idea magazine ran a double-page spread, ‘I’m a flash mob fanatic’, featuring an interview with Stijn Van de Velde in which he discussed his inspiration and vision of creating a flash mob. 

Challenge Trust’s upper North Island staff are celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week with an inhouse talent show, Challenge’s Got Talent.

The talent show embraces the idea of having fun, laughing and diminishing stress, having taken a leaf from the Psychological Journal which says humor and laughter strengthen the immune system and best of all, is priceless, fun free and easy to use.

With this in mind, 8 October promises to be a fun filled day, with a showcase of Challenge Trust and their clients hidden talents.

All staff and clients are welcome to participate with one entry per service to perform.  The Grand Finale takes place at St Andrews Church Hall, Otahuhu, Friday 8 October, 1.00pm.

Challenge Trust is a charitable trust which began in 1993 and now has over 280 staff providing services to over 1500 people out of 24 sites.  Clients include people affected by mental illness, physical disability, intellectual disability, addictions, dual disability and dual diagnosis. 

To read more about Challenge’s Got Talent from The Aucklander click here.

The difference between a master craftsperson – a true artist – and someone who has done a ‘paint by numbers’ job is often easily discernable to observers. But where do you start in demonstrating your expertise? Like all professionals you have a day job – KPIs to meet, a company to run, clients to engage, a board or investors to answer to. You want to take the next step in your business model and have a hunch that getting some publicity might be one of the necessary steps.

I am often asked what the best way is to attract ‘good’ media attention (getting attention for the wrong reasons is easy).  There are some basic things that, with planning, will ensure you optimize opportunities when they come your way.

Here is where the disparity between a master craftsperson (who relies on contacts, relationships, and expert knowledge of your market and the media agenda) and a paint-by-numbers PR practitioner can become most evident. The latter approach is unlikely to be sustainable – it’s a far better idea to work on the basics so when the time comes and cashflows can sustain it, you are in a position to partner with a professional PR firm that can help you engage with your markets in a meaningful and perpetual way.

After all, luck is what happens when preparation and opportunity meet. It’s also true that while gaining positive publicity is essentially about trust, relationships and content, there are some basic paint by numbers initiatives that can get you closer to your PR goals. Being an expert in your area helps too.

While there are many other factors that affect whether you are quoted or not (eg the news agenda of the day, the availability of journalists, what the competition is saying) here is a list of building blocks that will help get your name or company closer to featuring in the media as an industry or key opinion leader:

1.  Have an opinion – be willing to comment clearly and pithily on industry issues and how they relate to the national / local news agenda

2. Have a quality, creative photo (not a passport- type photo) that demonstrates your personality / what you do

3. Have an elevator pitch for your company and know how to adapt it according to the situation

4. Have a good, relevant (short-form) bio

5. Be open to using business milestones to illustrate economic shifts and trends – for example:

• You are investing in a new strategy / building / refurbishing / market
• You are moving factories / warehouse / plants / stores
• You are acquiring or being acquired by a company
• You have an overseas visitor / international CEO / manager / guest speaker that has relevant ideas for New Zealand
• You have done research on your markets
• You have a new product or service that has relevance to business or consumer markets
• You have invested in a community initiative – are ‘paying it forward’ in some way – or are attracting your community through a creative idea

6. Once you have a few ‘runs on the board’ and are getting quoted regularly and have developed trust:

• Create an In The Media section on your website – this will help you build momentum and share your media milestones with customers and prospects
• Share your media links, such as interviews and opinion pieces, in your e-mail signature, newsletters, and with staff – these create talking points for people within your company. When teams are talking with customers, that’s a good thing.
• Send your loyal clients and prospects a copy of the latest NBR, Unlimited or New Zealand Herald in which you or a company executive has been quoted. It’s a conversation starter.

7. Write a regular blog – this creates another opportunity to share your thoughts/ opinions/ ideas with your immediate community of staff, partners, stores, sales teams, regional teams etc. If they are written in a relevant way they can also be syndicated to mainstream media and used to ‘bait one-to-one coffees with journalists.

8. Learn how to tell stories. Nothing much has changed since sitting around the campfire thousands of years ago. Journalists know their readers like anecdotes and real stories that capture their imagination.

9. Get to know the journalists and bloggers in your area of specialization. Read what they write and be ready to engage them on relevant story ideas.

10. Ask for recommendations of your work on LinkedIn and on your own website – these  add credibility when journalists are investigating your background.

11. Don’t send a “media release” to multiples of outlets expecting journalists to pick it up. They receive hundreds, sometimes thousands a day.

12. Be  mindful of the deadlines and leadtimes of the various media as well as what editorial features they have planned. Bugging a journalist at the wrong time won’t do it.

13. Write a book – it’s not only a giant business card , but another good excuse for a conversation.

The event is one of two community initiatives that LynnMall Shopping Centre hosts in support of walking. At least twice a week for the past 12 years, members of the New Lynn community have chosen to avoid car emissions and instead enjoy the smell of fresh coffee and muffins on their regular MallWalk at LynnMall Shopping Centre.

LynnMall Acting Centre Manager Linh Luong says the MallWalkers set a great example for staff and retailers. “The Walk2Work Day is all about getting our people thinking about using alternative methods of transport and incorporating that little bit of exercise into our everyday routines. Our MallWalkers are very supportive of this.”

LynnMall Shopping Centre was the first mall in New Zealand to offer MallWalking and over the years, walkers young and old have been showing others how it is done by coming to the mall bright and early for a brisk walk along the passageways.

“We now have over 50 members that take part in the sessions, all of varying ages,” says trainer Zoe Bond. “Occasionally we have mothers who join us, some bring their little ones for a stroll and others take it as an opportunity to have some down time. Others in the group are aged between 50 and 90 years old and we even have a regular walker in her 80’s that joins us.”

“It’s more than just a physical activity for our MallWalkers. It’s a weekly social event they all look forward to, where they often have coffee or breakfast afterwards.

“Walk2Work is a great initiative which has a close alignment with what we do. It is great to see this encouragement to get people out there and increase physical activity in the community.”

Auckland Networker for Living Streets Aotearoa Vincent Dickie says he is thrilled to have LynnMall Shopping Centre on board for the Walk2Work Day and hopes staff and retailers will opt to head to work on foot rather than reaching for the car keys. “We want to encourage people to incorporate health and fitness into their everyday life, and what simpler and better way to do this than by taking to the streets?”

The first 20 participants who pledge or register to walk to work will receive a free breakfast from Walk2Work sponsors McDonalds, One Square Meal, Cyclops Yoghurt and Sanitarium Up n Go. Breakfast will be served in the Lynnmall food court between 8am and 9am.

Bay of Plenty MP Simon Bridges vs. Dame Susan Devoy

Campaign Overview

It’s not everyday that a national sporting tournament is played out in the centre of a shopping mall. However, shoppers at Bayfair Shopping Centre in Mount Maunganui found themselves centre court during August 2009 when a massive glass court was erected in the mall to host the A1 Homes NZ Women’s Open. Around 18,000 spectators descended on the mall to witness a piece of the fast-paced action.

Having seen examples of the glass courts erected overseas, Bayfair and Bay of Plenty Sport decided it would be a great way to bring the sport to the masses, staging the event in the centre of the mall in full public view – from all corners!

It was also the first time in 13 years a NZ Women’s Open tournament had been played in New Zealand, another great story.

The AC team focused on profiling Bayfair’s innovative approach – a NZ first – hosting the tournament in the centre as well as celebrating this milestone event with the local community and high-profile Tauranga personalities.

Results

What better way to commemorate this event than with the darling of New Zealand squash and one of our most successful international female squash players of all time – Dame Susan Devoy! Dame Susan was invited to play a match against the Bay of Plenty’s rookie MP Simon Bridges – a challenge which she accepted without reservation.

This event captured the attention of the public, attracting around 100 onlookers and media keen to see their local MP take on the sporting legend. Despite a considerable absence from the court and retirement from professional squash, Dame Susan showed Simon a thing or two about the game. Needless to say, Simon was an excellent sport!

The event made national TV, when Breakfast took the opportunity to show coverage of the match on the politician’s regular young gun segment that week. The Breakfast hosts had quite a chuckle, at Simon’s expense, about his technique and bravado in challenging such a sporting great.

The NZ Herald, Bay of Plenty Times, Sunlive and Classic Hits Tauranga also covered the event, relishing the opportunity to see their local MP put himself up for the challenge.

The rather unique setting for the national squash tournament was the focus of a piece on prime-time current affairs show Campbell Live. The article titled ‘Squash open gives new meaning to window shopping,’ looked at the angle of reinvigorating public interest in the sport and the innovative approach of taking it to the people in a glass court in the centre Bayfair. Journalist Emma Keeling described the court as ‘oasis for sport’s lovers in a desert of shopping’

Blackwoods Paykels' National Manager Paul Watson takes the SME spotlight on NZI Business

Since Blackwoods Paykels was established through the merging of Blackwoods New Zealand and Paykels Bros in 2004, the company has grown exponentially, and the AC team was pleased to help spread the word about its $5 million investment in the business infrastructure and customer service.  

As it aims to become the nation’s leading industrial and engineering supply company, Blackwoods Paykels’ long-term investment is directed at maintaining its quality service and growing market share in their sector.

The fit-out includes a new distribution centre, manufacturing plant and flagship retail outlet to meet the increasing demand from growth sectors such as infrastructure, oil and gas, food production and other local industry, as well as the upgrade of the national branch network, in preparation for the expansion of the new retail model.

To leverage the investment in the Highbrook premises adjacent to the airport, Blackwoods Paykels hosted an intimate business briefing on-site, at which Manukau Mayor Len Brown officially launched the building.

The business briefing guest list was strategically targeted to engage Blackwoods Paykels’ niche audience. By concentrating on target markets and key mainstream media, the impact of the investment was seen in big business headlines.    

Results

The Blackwoods Paykels investment launch gained positive momentum and was well received by the media.

Paul Watson, Blackwoods Paykels’ National Manager, took the SME Spotlight on NZI Business to talk with Corin Dann about the new distribution centre and launch of the new investment strategy. 

The Blackwoods Paykels $5 million investment announcement also featured in the print versions of the National Business Review and the New Zealand Herald, and gained further coverage by featuring on their websites.  An interview on Radio New Zealand was also secured. 

Other online channels such as  btob.co.nz, infonews.co.nz and scoop.co.nz also contributed to raising awareness and positive positioning of Blackwoods Paykels among the business pages.

Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety New Zealand NZ (WISNZ) General Manager Mike Taylor says the total outlay for recent developments, including the fit-out of the purpose-built distribution centre, represents a 10-year investment to re-engineer the business: “Is geared towards building quality of service and market share so we come out of the recession as the clear leader in our sector.”

The re-engineering also includes expenditure on the upgrade of the national branch network, in preparation for the expansion of the new retail model.

The recent merging of the Blackwoods Paykels and Protector Safety branches into a single offering is beginning to hit a nerve with segments of loyal customers, prompting several areas of revenue growth in July-September quarter. Both brands are owned by WISNZ.

 “We currently have a customer overlap of just 25% between the two brands, and combining the product range allows us to serve all bases better and take advantage of the many cross-selling opportunities,” Blackwoods Paykels National Manager Paul Watson said.

“The response from the market to this new retail offering suggests to us that we’re meeting a need, and we’re looking forward to completing the roll-out of our new national network as part of this investment plan.”

A single IT platform was within the company’s recent investment expenditure, which enables customers to buy products across the Blackwoods Paykels and Protector Safety range on one account, and now permits the automation of purchasing via a combined web portal or direct EDI relationship.

Mr Watson said industries’ operational expenditure was starting to pick up, but capital expenditure continued to be subdued: Blackwoods Paykels’ investment is aimed in the first instance at those industries whose capex is on the increase. “There are notable areas of growth –new dairy plants are being constructed, and meatworks operations are picking up again after the drought.”

Blackwoods Paykels is also competing for some of the major current infrastructure projects in the areas of petrochemical, coal and roading, among others.

Manukau Mayor Len Brown, who is speaking at the official launch of the new building on 3 November, said, “To invest nearly $5 million in our city, at a time when it is needed, is significant.  We are going through challenging times, so to have a major multinational company like Blackwoods Paykels making a long-term investment to service the industrial and engineering sectors is a positive signal as we continue to strengthen the economy.”

 Additional Facts

• The new Highbrook facility consolidates five former sites into one
• Staff on the Highbrook site totals 78; across the business, Blackwoods Paykels
• Total footprint of 6,780sqm:
• Warehouse/manufacturing 4,500sqm
• Showroom/retail outlet 690sqm
• Office/amenities 765sqm
• The value of stock held at the Highbrook distribution centre is $9 million
• The distribution centre has approximately 22,000 stock-keeping units at any one time, and 25,000 locations
• The new layout of the distribution centre is by activity rather than product group, increasing efficiency, reducing errors and freight costs (also contributing to cost reduction is the new practice of zone printing and packing on a single packing slip)