Coaching, Seminars & Resources

Seminars and Communication Models

Wiser Strategies has developed a number of innovative tools to help business people plan and communicate regarding important issues, events, and topics. If you would like to tap into these useful resources, simply contact us at info@wiserstrategies.com

The Balanced Mic© was developed to help executives understand that it is not in an organization’s best interest for a spokesperson to be too afraid of the media or too comfortable with them. A “Balanced Mic” is an individual who understands the risks and benefits of prepared interactions with the media and is willing to continuously improve his or her skills. Participants quickly identify themselves and others they work with on the scale, opening the floor for insightful discussions and opportunities for improvement.

Are you a Media Phobe, Media Addict or Balanced Mic? See our Balanced Mic Scale and score yourself!

Winning Customers and Influencing People This refreshing seminar provides employees with greater insights into how their interactions affect them, customers and others. They will gain new tools they can use in difficult situations and learn how to watch for the “spiral of anger” that can wreak havoc on any business. Participants will gain confidence in their interpersonal communication skills.

Point-of-Decision Marketing© demonstrates why one or two approaches to marketing healthcare services usually are not adequate in today’s complex systems. It shows the many points at which various publics involved in the healthcare process make decisions. At each of these decision points, the institution can lose customers if it has not captured the preference of the decision-maker.

The Wiser Issue Management Model© provides a mechanism for listing and ranking the influence of various publics on an issue. The scores are then plotted onto a quadrant, which helps practitioners develop messages and, most importantly, prioritize target audiences.

The Snowball Theory© grew out of the observation that smart influencers quietly built support for their issues while others were not paying attention. By the time others noticed the issue, these groups had built sizeable support (a mammoth snowball) and had it positioned (at the top of the hill) to gain momentum and roll of its own volition through the approval process.

The Spiral of Anger© takes a previous cycle theory and turns it up a notch. Each episode of anger forms a loop. As the anger is not properly addressed, the subsequent loop becomes larger. The final result is a build-up of anger that can explode like a tornado through a company’s organization.

360 degree Marketing© explains why one or two communication channels (such as publicity or advertising) are rarely enough in today’s complex communication environment. It involves the concept of having a well-rounded communication program to reach target audiences “every time they turn around.” It positions public relations as a key player in strategic planning and communications.

Nancy Wiser’s Blog

Be Brief and Offer More

The challenge of social media for many business people and professionals is that they believe it’s too confining–that there is not enough space to say anything of significance.

These individuals are missing the big picture. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are excellent business development venues for those who understand their nuances.

Consider social media a cocktail party of sorts at which people engage in brief conversations. The purpose is to get know each other better, share commonalities and hear what’s new or interesting.

The worst thing a person can do at a social function is to tell others everything they know or solve people’s problems. (Maybe we should impose Twitter’s 140 character limit during cocktail banter as well as posts!) On the other hand, the most delightful social company is someone who touches on interesting topics, is insightful, asks questions to learn more about others, and floats intriguing ideas to get feedback.

Those people make us want to learn more and to spend more time with them. They get questions such as, “Can you send me information about that?” Or comments like, “I’d like to meet with you to find out more.”

In the social media arena, we give snippets of information in posts but also should offer more information when appropriate through links to our website.

That’s when the cocktail party interaction results in having dinner (so to speak) and we serve the real meat and potatoes. After all, the website is where we want people to land because that’s where they’ll get to know us better and, hopefully, want to do business with us or refer their friends and associates to us.

With that in mind, we can all benefit from being brief and offering more whether we’re at a social function or posting on social media.

Content is King

There is a lot of discussion about “content” in the marketing  realm these days. It seems almost to have taken on a life of its own.

Simply put, content is a broad term that includes text, photos, videos and any other media used to convey information or ideas. It has come out of electronic communication, such as websites and social media, but could apply to any form of communication materials.

As recently as a few years ago, an organization would produce a few marketing pieces and maybe an advertising campaign then make them last as long as possible without changes. They might send the occasional news release and maybe a periodic newsletter. That may still be enough for some businesses, but it isn’t sufficient for most these days.

The Internet changed how we research those we do business with. It now is a primary resource for all types of interactions and transactions, thanks to the efficiency of search engines.

Content drives search engine results. New, better and more popular content raises a website’s position in search engine results. That fact creates what can feel like an insatiable appetite for more content.

Which leads us to the bad news: Creating content for the sake of content is happening far too often. Like many other things, forging ahead without a strategy is a big waste of resources.

But there also is good news: Most companies already are creating some content and most could ramp that up and leverage it with a little more planning and support. So, while content is king, strategy still rules.

(for additional blog postings, visit Nancy Wiser’s Blog)