For those who aren’t familiar with it, Prezi is a presentation tool, but rather than have individual slides, you work with one large canvas that you can zoom in and out of to highlight key areas of your presentation, talk or workshop. If you like mind-mapping, then you’ll probably love Prezi. It’s perfect for me as my mind doesn’t tend to work in a very linear, structured way anyway. So it means that when I’m planning a conference talk, I can just dump all of my initial thoughts into the one big canvas, then create groupings and move them around to make sense of them, give them shape, and eventually take shape into, hopefully, a beautiful presentation.

The key is not to move too quickly through the presentation, otherwise your audience will complain of feelings akin to sea-sickness! So, as with all technology, don’t get carried away with whizzy technology for the sake of whizzy technology.

Here are a few features that it has, beyond just producing beautiful presentations, that I particularly love (and use a lot):

• The ability to embed presentations into other websites, blogs, etc. If you scroll through my blog you’ll see a number of posts that have presentations I have given embedded in them.
• Seamless embedding of YouTube videos into your presentations just by pasting in the url for the video (so no fussing with uploading large video files).
• The offline editor (okay, you have to have a paid-for account to get this, but it’s worth it if, like me, you do a lot of editing and speech/presentation planning on the go. Many of my presentations are put together as basic structures on train journeys, for example, when I wouldn’t be able to use the online editor).
• iPad app. You can’t yet edit presentations through the iPad app, but you can show them. And they look amazing. These are great for when you’re seeing a prospective client or client on a one-to-one or small group basis and just want to show them something quickly, or for chatting with people on exhibition stands, at recruitment fairs, etc.

This hesitancy and apologetic nature of the way I at times explain what I do stems back to the fact that I did, indeed, previously work in-house where, like everyone else, I was subject to the sales calls from the wide range of consultants and other vendors trying to get me to buy in their product or service. I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of those phone calls. I know that sinking feeling that you get when you realise the person you are speaking to in the seat next to you at the conference is someone who will at some point probably try to sell something to you (and some really don’t waste any time). It sucks, especially when you don’t have budget to spend or a need for the product or service. So, when I set up my business I was determined to find another way. I think I have, but I do still miss that ability to close a deal that probably is needed to make me really successful as a business owner. I find it difficult to do because it makes me uncomfortable.

I’m happy that the way in which I’ve managed to raise my own profile in the sector in which I work has mostly been by providing, hopefully, useful sessions at conferences (without a whiff of a sales pitch), by blogging lots on sites like this and elsewhere, by my voluntary work with the CIPR, and by creating HE Comms, a free social network for HE marketing and communications professionals to network and share ideas, best practice, ask questions etc. In short, I almost try to make up for the fact that I am a consultant who works for the sector and needs business from the sector in order to make ends meet, by giving a lot in return, and sometimes perhaps giving too much of my time for free. Granted, off the back of giving a lot of my time for free I do manage to raise my profile and ultimately win new business, so the returns are there (sometimes – not always), but I still feel apologetic about being a consultant. Why is that?

I like the wikipedia definition of “consultant” at the time of writing this. Or, at least I like this bit: ‘A consultant is usually an expert or a professional in a specific field and has a wide knowledge of the subject matter.’ I’m at ease with that description. I think that sums up who I am (not so much expert, but perhaps a deeper knowledge than those who work in-house have had the time to develop). And I wonder if my sense of shame (for want of a better word) about being a consultant is all in my head and simply a consequence of the sheer volume of people who whinge about ‘social media consultants’ and ‘PR consultants’.

So, regardless of what I choose to call myself or what others might call me, I’ve reflected a little on what it is I do that hopefully makes me add value to the lives of those I work with and makes me love this ‘job’ so much:

- I offer an external perspective on marketing and communications that isn’t bound to internal politics or jaded by years of being told you can’t do something “because…”. This is often why I am bought in to deliver high-level seminars and workshops. I am able to bring a fresh perspective.
- I provide additional resource and support on an ad-hoc basis without the client incurring another salary bill. As such, I provide support as- and when- needed. This isn’t always about specific expertise, just about ability and time. The work I did this year to help put the programme together for the University of Warwick alumni day, and the work I did last year on Imperial College’s undergraduate prospectus are perfect examples of that. I have the head space that some people within an organisation just don’t have, particularly when it comes to projects.
- My distance from an organisation, and yet my knowledge of the sector, mean that I am able to apply proper strategic thinking to projects, again without the distractions of the ‘day-job’. I am able to focus and see the bigger picture that sometimes it is difficult to see when you are working within an organisation. This was very much the case when I spent the last Christmas holidays writing an online PR strategy to support the University of Leicester with their Leicester Exchanges initiative, or when I was writing social media strategies for the University of Nottingham, Warwick Business School and Maastricht University in the past year.
- I help people come up with creative ideas by providing them with time-out and the tools and templates to think in a slightly different way about things. I hope this is what I achieve when I run workshops and seeing some of the fruits of that, as has recently been the case in chatting with people like David Girling from UEA (more on this in a later blog post), is really very satisfying.
- I spend a lot of my time focusing on key areas so I can bring specialist knowledge of my subject area, dedicating a lot of (unpaid) time to improving my knowledge and staying fresh in a way that it is difficult to do when you work in-house. In short, I act as a bit of a ‘filter’ or a sounding board for the sector for new developments and ideas and attempt to apply some critical thinking to that for everyone else in the sector.

People often ask me what exactly it is that I do. So, I think I can summarise this as follows:

- I come up with new ideas for marketing and communications (overarching strategies, projects and campaigns)
- I help other people come up with new ideas themselves (by providing workshops, training and coaching)
- I help organisations put those plans into action (by sometimes doing whatever needs doing: building social media spaces or sites, copywriting, managing events, overseeing a video production).

A lot of what I do could be done in-house, but people don’t always have the headspace to do it themselves. And that’s what I’d like to be seen as. Instead of an evil ‘consultant’ trying to sap the sector of its money, I’d like to be seen as a critical friend, a useful pair of hands and as an extension of the sector rather than as a ‘consultant’. But I’ll carry on using the word ‘consultant’ until I come up with something better (and before anyone else suggests it, guru is very very much not acceptable and should never be used by anybody in a job title or description). And whatever I call it, I love it. I just wish I was a little better at actually closing the deal on work instead of just having a good profile and reputation.

I know my own thoughts on the question, and will share them along with some case studies at the conference. However, in the spirit of good preparation and sharing some useful insights, I’m keen to gather others’ thoughts on:

• how social and digital media has impacted on priorities of the PR professional
• has it impacted on the working hours or demands on your time?
• have you had to change your approach to press and media relations because of social media?
• has social media opened new opportunities for press and media relations?
• are you increasingly cutting the journalist out and communicating directly via online spaces?
• have you had to develop any new skills as a consequence of the rise in online and social media?

Look forward to hearing your contributions.

BIRMINGHAM TO JOIN 100 CITIES ACROSS THE WORLD IN FUNDRAISING ‘TWESTIVAL‘

On February 12th 2009 Birmingham is joining with over 175 cities around the world to host the Midland’s biggest ‘Twestival’, a volunteer-run fundraising event for people who use the micro-blogging service Twitter. BrumTwestival will be held at Poppyred in the Arcadian Centre from 7.30pm, and will see Birmingham join over 175 confirmed cities world-wide in a night of fundraising. The global event, described as “a ‘tweet up’ with a social conscience” will be raising money to support charity:water a not-for-profit bringing clean water to people in developing nations.

With members including Barak Obama, Stephen Fry and Jonathon Ross, Twitter is quickly growing to become a world-wide online phenomenon. The network allows users to update other members who are ‘following’ them online with details of what they are doing in 140 characters or less. As Twitter’s user network has grown, the community has also been the first to publish breaking news online, with members ‘twittering’ updates on unfolding events before journalists have reported on them.

Birmingham’s Twestival will give twitterers across the West Midlands the opportunity to come together in the spirit of fun, change, charity and global communication. Over 100 guests have confirmed their attendance at the event, and more tickets are to be released shortly to meet demand. Birmingham has a very active social media community and this has grown through Twitter to include users from a variety of backgrounds including politicians, University staff, artists and bloggers.

Birmingham Twestival has been organised by volunteer Twitter members who work for a wide range of local businesses. John Newbold, creative director of 383 Project and one of the Twestival organisers commented: “Twitter has grown across the West Midlands to become a really exciting community. It has enabled me to connect with a network of other users from with a variety of backgrounds and occupations within the city and get to know people I may not have met otherwise. Twestival is not only a great opportunity to bring the online community together offline, but unites Birmingham with other participating cities across the world in a common aim. Twitter will allow us to join other cities throughout the day with live updates and coverage of the events.

“As social and business networks grow, online communities are becoming increasingly popular ways to stay in touch and up-to-date. It is rare for people who engage online to have the opportunity to meet face-to-face, and I’m delighted that Twestival will make this possible for so many local users.”

Birmingham Twestival is sponsored by Pickle Jar Communications, the Coventry-based communications consultancy specialising in new and broadcast media, and Bostin, original t-shirt producers and promoters of pride in Birmingham, the Black Country and beyond. Tracy Playle, Director of Pickle Jar Communications commented: “I’ve been using Twitter for personal and business use now for several months. The power to build communities through social media, such as Twitter, is significant and important for small and large businesses alike. We spend a lot of time advising others on how to use tools like Twitter to build communities of interest, and possible business opportunities, so it only seems fitting that we would want to support the biggest Twestival in the Midlands.”

Managing director of Bostin, Donato Esposito added: “Twestival is a fantastic development to Twitter, and I welcomed the opportunity to support such an important charity.”

As well as raising money through ticket sales and donations, a range of raffle prizes donated by local businesses and Twitter members will be auctioned at the event. All guests will also be automatically entered into a main prize draw to win a Nintendo Wii.

The event will begin at 7.30pm. A limited number of remaining tickets are available at www.birmingham.twestival.com

Pickle Jar Communications worked with the team at PARD to develop the video brief, then worked closely with the production team to develop the concept. We were responsible for organising all filming, scheduling a very tight 3-day shoot, then overseeing the edit process for delivery of the final DVDs in time for a conference that the PARD team had organised where the DVDs were to be distributed. The entire project was turned around in just 6 weeks from proposal to final delivery.