Review, Reflect, Relax, and Get Ready!
As we race towards the end of another calendar year and begin to plan for the start of a new one, it’s important to pause and take stock of what’s happened in the last. Progress is integral to our successes and survival but sometimes that inertia deprives us of both learning opportunities and savoring life’s best moments. Before this year ends and the new one begins, here are some suggestions for ensuring we grab onto both.
Progress is integral to our successes and survival but sometimes that inertia deprives us of both learning opportunities and savoring life's best moments.
Review and reflect. Many of us look at our jammed-packed calendars with resentment, all those little increments of time stolen. Often true! But they also provide us with a record of what we did and did not do with our time. Find a few minutes before the end of the year to look through 2021’s appointments to remind yourself of what happened. Each week, look for:
LOOKING BACK AT YOUR MESSAGE
What Did You Say?
Since we’re all about messaging at Spencer Brenneman, we’re going to drill deeper into the concept of review and reflection especially as it applies to messaging. As you plan your messaging strategy for 2022, looking back at what you said in 2021 is time well spent.
- When did you reach out to each of your core constituencies (especially your employees)?
- What was the central theme of your messages in 2021?
- What steps did you take to listen to your constituents? (Communication is bi-directional, after all. If you’re just talking at people, you’re bull-horning, not communicating.)
- What messages resonated most with your constituents? Which channels (email, social media, events, etc.) were most effective?
- With whom did you communicate most? Least?
If you’re familiar with the who, what, when, where, and why approach, you’ve no doubt noticed the big one is missing. Why! Once you answer the questions above, take a minute to ask why: Why did you reach out when you did? Why did some messages resonate more than others, etc?
MESSAGING ON A MISSION
Listen Up: New Episodes Available!
Our podcast, Messaging on a Mission, came back last month from its summer break. Check out these two new episodes!
There’s just one more episode of Messaging on a Mission to come this year—the mash up of some of the best of 2021 (although all our guests were great!). If you or your organization have a story to share about how your message impacts your work, don’t be shy! Let us know! We’re always looking for new guests.
MISSION DRIVERS
Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, Inc.
In this recurring feature of Focal Point, we profile people and organizations on a mission! If you have someone to suggest, let us know!
The Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) is entering its thirty-fourth year as an award-winning multi-service non-profit community development corporation (CDC).
NOAH was organized as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit and began serving East Boston in 1987 as a two-person organization operating from the basement of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. The early faith-based founders were members of the East Boston Ecumenical Council. NOAH now serves the Greater Boston region.
NOAH’s organizational capacity has grown, and NOAH has 22 full-time and 14 part-time staff members governed by a multi-cultural 14-member Board of Directors. While their business lines and initiatives have multiplied, their original goals remain the nucleus of their work: creating and preserving affordable housing opportunities and building safe and healthy neighborhoods for those most in need and others challenged by today’s housing market.
Focal Pointing
Focal Pointing shares some of the books, podcasts, and emails that are helping us learn, create, and grow.
WEBSITE
Nonprofit Hub
BOOK
Atomic Habits
PODCAST
The Daily
Blog Posts You May Have Missed
Well Said
"Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings."
— Walt Disney
Born this month in 1901, Walt Disney was an American entrepreneur, animator, writer, voice actor, and film producer. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, he holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Whatever you celebrate and however you do, please accept our sincere wishes for a very safe and happy holiday season!
