Lindsay Lindholm: Recipient of the 2015 Undergraduate Research Excellence Award in Communications

IMG_1548Lindsay Lindholm’s project, “Urban vs. rural opinion toward B.C. Agricultural Land Reserve legislation: An analysis of comments on online news stories” was recognized for research excellence at the Monday June 1, 2015 awards dinner. An invitation to the dinner, an event hosted by the University of the Fraser Valley’s Research Office, is much coveted by students, faculty, and administration among the plethora of year end activities. This year’s did not disappoint.

Lindsay has a love for learning and is entering her fourth year of the Bachelor of Arts program, pursuing a major in Political Science, a minor in Communications and a certificate in Adult Education. She previously obtained a Diploma in Horticulture specializing in Greenhouse and Nursery Production (thus her special interest in the agricultural land reserve), and a certificate in Computer Information Systems. Lindsay states that “The research project allowed me to utilize my combined educational interests while developing my most valued skills of communications and research. I would like to apply my education to a career in the field of Agriculture with particular interest in agriculture education and public policy.”

In the report, originally developed as part of her Professional Formal Research Report Writing class (CMNS 351) Lindsay analyzed reader comments to online news articles about proposed amendments to the British Columbia Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) as they were approaching a province-wide referendum vote in 2014. The amendments divided the ALR into two zones that allow farmers in one Zone to supplement farming income with non-agricultural land use such as oil and gas, the other would allow greater leniency for development. British Columbians voiced their opinions towards the changes through social media in online commenting forums that followed the online news. Lindsay decided to look at whether there were opinion differences based on whether the articles and commenters were in an urban or a rural area. She compared the opinions of people in urban Metro Vancouver and rural agricultural communities of the Fraser Valley.

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Dr. Marcella LaFever (University of New Mexico, 2005) is an Associate Professor in the Communications Department at the University of the Fraser Valley. She specializes in intercultural communication and brings that expertise to various subjects such as communication for workplace, instruction, social media, team and public speaking contexts.

It’s the writers life for me: Pitching stories to magazines with Ronda Payne

Ronda Payne aka Girl With a Pen

At the February meeting of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (Fraser Valley chapter) local freelance writer, Ronda Payne shared her top tips for pitching to magazines. Here are the top ten:

  1. Start with what appeals. Ronda says that she’s motivated to tell a good story. She keeps a copy of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on her desk to remind her to stay inspired to create places where other people want to go.She suggests starting with stories that you like to write and then making a list of places where it makes sense to publish those stories. She recommends reading The Magazines Associations of BC and the Best of the Magazine Markets for Writers. What do you know a lot about? If you can think of a topic, then there will a magazine for it. For example, Canadian Thoroughbred, Food and Wine Trails, and The Southern Review.
  2. Look for opportunities everywhere. Tell your family and friends that you are writing for a living, says Ronda. She sees every meeting as an opportunity for work. She told a story about how she has been joyfully writing for Country Life in BC for the last five years because of a chance encounter at a Chamber of Commerce event. Then, at a Pacific Agriculture Show event, she met the publishers of Modern Agriculture and started writing for them. Connect with other writers – get to know them. They might have work opportunities that suit your skills better than their own.
  3. Do your research. Ronda advises writers to check online to see what the magazine is already publishing. What can you add? Look editors up online. Check out the Editor’s blog for likes and dislikes. Look at back issues for the style. Show that you care. Writers that are consistently employed are thoughtful—and read the guidelines.
  4. Respect deadlines. Magazines can be deadline driven so Ronda recommends working out what is feasible for you. Get your interviews done early so you aren’t relying on other people to meet your deadlines.
  5. Do it all. Magazines writers need to be able to talk to people to bring out a story, put together random facts in an interesting way, and take good pictures. Ronda emphasizes asking questions that help find a good story. The story may not be the one that someone wants to tell. But tell the truth, she says. Get to the truth. Why does this matter? Why should people care?
  6. Ready, Set, Pitch! Ronda recommends going to the magazine’s website and following the guidelines. And then following the guidelines. And then following the guidelines. She says that writers might need to pitch a Christmas story in Jan/Feb so it’s important to learn the business. Be creative and honest. She also recommends building relationships so that pitching isn’t such hard work. Formal pitches get you in the door, she says, but if you are still making formal pitches in six months it might be time to move on.
  7. Draw the line on what you will and won’t do. Ronda was passionate about writing for Modern Dog but they wanted her to do it for free. She tried to negotiate but they weren’t interested. Will you write for a byline? How much do you need to survive as a professional writer? Most magazines don’t pitch a rate but $25c/word is average (or $200 for 500 words).
  8. Grow a thick skin and let it go. There will always be someone who doesn’t like what you’ve written, Ronda says. Their feedback will help you improve as a writer, regardless. Be gracious when you are asked to make changes. If the editor says, “I like it better that way” then recognize that it’s theirs to tweak.Consider, “What hill do you need to die on?” Do your best, then drink wine. Do your job, not the editors. Submit it and then don’t sweat it. Don’t read it again when it comes out.
  9. Get the most out of it. Ronda says all freelance copywriters need to know about Access Copyright. They pay writers for things that they have written where they hold the rights. It’s worth looking up, she says.
  10. Watch for pitfalls but love your job. It’s a flaky business, Ronda says. Sometimes stories don’t run and there’s no kill fee. It’s tiring and deadline driven. Deadlines overlap and pay can be slow. Contracts and rights can be hard to negotiate. It’ll take you away from other, longer projects like a book.But writing for magazines is incredibly rewarding. Creating feelings in readers and inspiring action. Magazine writers help change the world in small ways. It isn’t for everyone but…

“… it’s the writer’s life for me,” sings Ronda.

 

What do you really know about Canadian culture?

canadian-cultureThe students in Communications 180, Introduction to Intercultural Communication, found out a bit of the answer to that question during the Fall 2014 term at the University of the Fraser Valley. At first it seems strange, but in order to really understand the impact of culture on communication every individual needs to start with learning about themselves; their values, worldviews, beliefs, ways of behaving and how such things were passed down to them across generations. Then you might actually be able to see yourself as someone else perceives you.

There is, of course, much more that goes on throughout the semester. The ultimate goal is to be able to set aside your own ingrained ways of judging the world; to take a step back and understand that just because you were always taught that something was the “right” way to communicate, it doesn’t mean that every other culture that does things differently is “wrong.”

The class had some fun with their culminating research and presentation. The task was for each learner to spend three hours in a public place, such as a mall or a park, and just observe everything that was going on around them. They observed the environment, the clothing, the demographics of the people in that space at that time, and ultimately the interactions going on around them. They took whatever notes they could, with a proviso to write descriptions not judgements. When they came back to class they were counted off into five groups and shared their notes with each other, looking for common threads among all the pooled information. Then, they had to come up with a creative way to tell the rest of the class what they had learned about Canadian culture.

One group found that wherever they went there were people having very loud conversations about very private matters. They entertained us with some skits. Another group took us into a restaurant and demonstrated the gamut of what they had observed servers having to put up with, not the least of which was some fairly blatant misogyny. I have to confess, the one I enjoyed the most (and I think the class did too) was the group where each member created a poem about how typical Canadian seating arrangements and room design had an impact on communication. We were treated to a poetry reading with projected images of the spaces and the snapping of our fingers between the delivery of each poet’s creation. It won’t be the same but check out the SlideShare above to get a little taste of what they saw.

I am certain that the next time somebody is discussing Canadian culture it won’t be about hockey and politeness for these students.

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Dr. Marcella LaFever (University of New Mexico, 2005) is an Associate Professor in the Communications Department at the University of the Fraser Valley. She specializes in intercultural communication and brings that expertise to various subjects such as communication for workplace, instruction, social media, team and public speaking contexts.

Teamwork on trial: Search for the perfect app

Max Smart
The Get Smart shoe phone

Endless meetings are just not cutting it for me these days. I need to be able to do continuous work with the various committees, task groups and projects that are on my plate at any given moment. Waiting to see everyone face-to-face just doesn’t seem very efficient in this digital age.

Once again I decided to go on the hunt to see what is available with features that include mobility, full service, easy to work with and FREE 🙂

Somewhere around 2008/09 I signed up for Wiggio, a web based tool, and decided to have my students use it in a group communication course. It is still around, it still works well, allows for posting messages, trading files, assigning tasks and more. It is also free; but no mobile app. If your group doesn’t care about mobility this may still be the best around.

Basecamp  is another digital teamwork site that helps you keep track of tasks, files, and conversation. There is an older, basic, free version with limited functions that is fine for small projects. Again, you might be quite happy if working on the web suits your group. There is a mobile app but the bad news: it doesn’t work for the free version.

You may have come across the (literal) bulletin board idea such as Spaaze or Padlet. Here is one that has more capacity, is easy to work with, and is more professional looking when you want to send it out as a static note – Board Thing. This is still web based but all you need to do is share the URL with your team.

OK – those are some great resources but still not mobile. I decided to go simple and find something that was specific to team instant messaging that gave me a mobile notification whenever there was a new message. It took me a while but I found Hall. Perfect if messaging with the ability to tweet will do it for you. Now just get your team to sign up and sign in and you are set to go – very simple.

Thanks to my colleague David Thomson for mentioning Slack . Team messaging with mobile notification (check), file sharing (check), create hashtags for conversation threads (check). Main problem so far – team members not always engaged with their mobile devices (can’t really blame them for that) and cannot always tell when they are actually connected (not good if you are a control freak :)). Stay tuned as we get used to using this free app.

As I continued my search I came upon Intellinote. I’m still working on checking this one out. So far – it is free, it is mobile, it has file sharing, messaging, work spaces and all that good stuff. There are also a whack of tutorials on how to use the features. With my little bit of exploration it was not quite as intuitive as to how it worked but I did get the hang of it without too much frustration – back to what we used to say when I was working for a computer retailer in the 80s – RTFM, read the manual.

If you use any of these or end up trying some of them out, I would love to hear about it. Leave a comment.

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Dr. Marcella LaFever (University of New Mexico, 2005) is an Associate Professor in the Communications Department at the University of the Fraser Valley. She specializes in intercultural communication and brings that expertise to various subjects such as communication for workplace, instruction, social media, team and public speaking contexts.

What it takes to be a freelance writer: Promotion tips with Heidi Turner

Heidi Turner
Heidi Turner
Professional Writer, Heidi Turner

At a recent meeting of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC Fraser Valley chapter) local freelance writer, Heidi Turner shared her top tips on business promotion for professional writers. Here are her top ten:

  1. Create an optimised website. Heidi recommends including all search terms that you think your clients will use in the Search Engine Optimisation area. This will make sure that you target your writing market. A website is also a convenient spot to keep your portfolio, samples and client testimonials.
  2. Write a Business Plan. It may sound painful but Heidi says that this will show you areas where you need to improve and give you an idea of what you can realistically achieve as a freelancer. For example, what to charge for hourly rates. Heidi recommends charging GST so that your clients know that you intend to make at least $30 000 from your professional writing.
  3. Update your CV at least every six months. Heidi is happy when she doesn’t have to drop everything to write a CV for an urgent job proposal.
  4. Develop an elevator pitch. Heidi says that this will help you anywhere where you might meet clients. You need to be able to briefly say: What you do. Who you do it for. How you do it.
  5. Make a decision for how you use social media and stick to it. If you use social media for business then focus it for business. If you use it for personal communication, keep it for that. Heidi says that mixing the two could get you into trouble – or just not help your business.
  6. Write a blog that targets your client base. Heidi says that putting your writing talents towards other people’s platforms rarely works. For example, people will remember an article from the Huffington Post but they won’t remember who wrote it. She recommends writing for yourself. It will take longer to establish your name but it will be your name that readers remember.
  7. Cultivate repeat clients. Heidi loves repeat clients. They know what she can do and they appreciate her talents. She suggests finding out how you can add value to what you are already doing for clients. But she also recommends maintaining your professional boundaries and what you are willing to do for clients
  8. Take courses in writing. Heidi recommends taking writing courses. They are a great way to meet knew clients and keep your skills up to date.
  9. Run your own courses on writing. Heidi says that running your own writing courses in your area of expertise will help you gain exposure – and provide a place to sell your own books if you have them.
  10. Get involved in the industry that you are writing for. Heidi says that this is a must for freelance writers. But she also warns professional writers about doing too much volunteer work. She advises freelances to get something in return for any professional writing you do, such as a testimonial from an industry leader.

As bonus tips, Heidi recommends that freelancers check out Vancouver Writing Jobs to keep up with what employers are looking for. And read books on freelance writing including, Everything You Wanted to Know About Freelance Writing, The Well-Fed Writer, and The Business Side of Creativity.

Good luck!

Communicating Professionally: Asma Farooq

Asma Farooq at the UFV Graduation Ceremony in June.

1. When did you graduate, and what did you study at UFV?

I graduated in December 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Anthropology and a minor in Communications. Along the way I also completed a Liberal Arts Diploma and certificates in Business Administration and Professional Communications Essentials.

2. What is your current role, and what are the main forms of communication required of you?

I am the Communications Coordinator for the Chilliwack Division of Family Practice. This is a local non-profit organization representing family physicians in Chilliwack, Agassiz-Harrison and Hope.

I’m primarily responsible for website content management, publishing our monthly e-newsletter, managing our social media platforms and for specific events. We advertise through new and traditional media, such as newspapers and radio.

3. Why did you decide to complete a minor in Communications?

I took my first Communications classes to complete the Professional Communications Essentials Certificate. It seemed like a useful addition to my portfolio because it offered me tangible workplace skills that I could use in the “real world”.

Within the first few weeks of those Communications classes, I realized that I was learning skills that were not only highly practical but were also transferable to a variety of workplaces.

4. Can you describe a highlight from the courses you took in CMNS?

Perhaps the most daunting and the most rewarding course I took was CMNS 235, Oral Communications. Public speaking may be the one of the most common fears around, but it’s also one of the most essential skills in the workplace.

That one course not only made me a better speaker (at least I hope it did) but it helped me recognize the value of pushing boundaries and stepping out of my comfort zone for the sake of my personal as well as professional growth. It became the starting point for me to take courses that I knew were going to particularly challenge me.

That experience helped me tackle learning design for print and online medi,a and I also collaborated with a UFV section to produce communication plans for a project they were working on.

5. With the wisdom of hindsight and experience, what communication-related advice would you offer current UFV students as they prepare for graduation and/or employment?

Diversify your skill set. Whether you’re majoring in Sciences, Business or Arts, learning how to communicate gives you the ability to highlight your strengths. Related to that—networking is key. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason.

Networking is often made out to be a set of abstract and elusive skills, but it’s really not. Talk to your professors, attend job fairs and ask friends and family. I was lucky enough to get my first break from a professor’s recommendation. My experience provides a case in point example of the power of others vouching for your abilities.

6. Is there an aspect of communication you would like to see added or covered in greater depth at UFV?

I would love to see more of the technical courses being offered, especially in video production and website management.

I also think integrating work experience through practicum courses more fully into the Communications program would be valuable. It’s a way for students to obtain work experience that fresh graduates need to make themselves attractive candidates for employment.

7. What is the one communications-related skill you feel is most valuable to you in the workplace?

Strategic planning is essential—along with everyday communication. We need to step back and ask “How does this particular communication activity fit into what our overall goals and objectives are?”

It’s easy to get mired in the minute details so it’s a question of striking the balance between getting through the daily checklist but also evaluating what we’re doing and how this contributes to the bigger picture. The evaluative work then feeds back into fine-tuning the strategic communications plans.

 

Many thanks, Asma, for taking the time to respond to our questions. We’re happy to see that you have found success, and that your career path has kept you with us in the Fraser Valley.

 

 

 

Talia Wiebe – Recipient of the Communications Undergraduate Research Excellence Award for 2014

URE Award Winner 2014Each year the Communications Department chooses one student to receive the Undergraduate Research Excellence Award, sponsored by the UFV Research Office

For the 2013/14 academic year the award went to Talia Wiebe for her Directed Studies project on social media as a vehicle for promoting independent artists and musicians. Talia looked at existing technologies available to independent musicians including iTunes, Bandcamp, Facebook and Twitter. Her project began by investigating best practices for musicians looking to build online communities for their existing followers and new fans.  Applying these principles, Talia put in place a comprehensive social media strategy for her husband, an independent ambient music composer and performer. The report on best practices for independent musicians can be found here, while some examples of the online presence she developed can be found here and here.

Talia appreciated the flexibility of the Directed Studies course, CMNS 412 . It allowed her to earn upper-level credits towards her degree while learning about an essential, emerging area of marketing and communications. In addition, she was able to design a project that gave her valuable hands-on experience to take with her to the job market.

Bump up your retweets: Add some audio/visual

Guest blog by: Jordain Perreault Joyce

You wouldn’t be able to build a box without a bucket of nails and a hammer. Even with that, it would be a pretty boring box and probably look the same as everyone else’. Now, if you had a drill, saw, lathe and a woodworking shop you would be able to create a very elaborate box and it would stand out from the others.retweets(2) People would pay attention.

This works for social meddia too. You can stick to the basics and know that you will get the job done OR you can get the right tools to create images that make your posts pop.

As demonstrated in the simple graph shown here from a study done by Buffer, tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than those with none.

There are plenty of great free audio visual tools online, too many to count! I have created a list for you of my three favorite free online tools.

 

PicMonkey:

picmonkey

PicMonkey is a great photo editing tool that is simple and easy to use. It has an elegant interface and it’s fun to use! PicMonkey allows you to upload your own photos, implement custom filters, and add custom text and custom editing.

 

 

 

Social Image Resizer Tool:social

Social Image Resizer Tool is a basic tool that crops your photos to conform to social media picture dimensions. Its minimalistic design makes it one of my preferred tools from this list. You can upload a picture and select your crop size and re-save it on your computer. Social Image resizer tool also displays image dimensions.

 

Canva:

Canva

Canva is a new tool(still in beta) and the process to create designs is very interesting. You are able to do a wide variety of designs using this tool. Canva allows you to choose different designs and then edit them using a variety of themes/images that Canva provides. Canva has a very unique search tool that allows you to search for specific images to put on your design. Higher quality images cost normally a dollar and you are charged for them as soon as you export your design.

Attract and keep your social media audience: Tell your story

Guest Blog by: Beth Scholes

Corporate storytelling is an important part of a social media strategy. Storytelling conveys the culture of the company, captures the heart of the organization, and highlights products just to name a few whatsyourstorybenefits of this tried and true classic method.

In her Blog How to Use Digital Storytelling as your Social Media “Secret Sauce” author Shanna Mallon shares five key points:

Show the human side
Share your Brand’s story
Work narrative into updates
Consecutive posts can tell the broader story
Use elements of storytelling

The power of storytelling is linked to Psychology; in fact human brains are wired to organize information into story form. Screenwriting coach Robert McKee, in Storytelling That Moves People, explains two persuasive methods: rhetoric and emotion. Rhetoric is the conventional method of using facts, stats, and quotes to persuade the audience. Yawn! While rhetoric engages the brain, it leaves the heart untouched. The most powerful method of persuasion is emotion. Storytelling requires skill that weaves information, arouses emotion, and heightens energy, all of which persuade the audience to take action.

Corporate storytelling must be authentic, including the grittiness of real life struggle. For storytelling principles refer to Storytelling That Moves People; McKee discusses:

Compassion
Skepticism
Acknowledging the dark side
Authenticity
Key questions
And much more

 

In the comments below, please share your experience with responding to an emotional corporate story.

 

Blog and Tweet says Penny Park to Canadian Scientists

Dr Penny Park presenting at UFV Abbotsford Campus. Photograph by Betsy Terpsma.
Dr Penny Park presenting at UFV Abbotsford Campus. Photograph by Betsy Terpsma.

Last week, the University of the Fraser Valley brought one of their honourary doctorate recipients, Dr Penny Park from the Science Media Centre of Canada, back to campus to speak about the urgent need to communicate science in Canada.

Penny called for scientists to “step up”and correct misinformation when they saw it. She spoke about instances where public misinformation in Canada had exponentially grown; citing recent examples of climate change, genetic engineering, and vaccinations.

“Scientists want to weigh things up, to take their time to think about things; but communication is speeding up,” Penny said.

“You [scientists] have an obligation to reach out to the public beyond your organisation’s boundaries. We need you,” she added.

Penny referred to an EKOS research poll from 2011 showing that Canadians trust scientists more than they trust a lot of other groups, including politicians.

“Be terrier like. If you see something that is inaccurate, do something about it.”

She also answered audience questions about the practicalities of engaging with the public. Rather than “dumbing down” research for the public, she essentially called on researchers to challenge people with their ideas rather than their language.

“Consider how your work might enter a conversation that is already happening,” she urged.

In an earlier blog post, I referred to a talk by Jim Hoggan, from Hoggan and Associates, who warned that researchers were in danger of contributing negatively to already polarised public debates. I asked Penny if researchers might be contributing more noise to already noisy issues. Her response was for scientists to use trusted channels of communication, such as the Science Media Centre of Canada or start their own blog or Twitter site where they could establish credibility with a following before an issue became a problem.

Penny Park receiving her honorary doctorate from UFV in 2013.
Penny Park receiving an honorary doctorate from UFV in 2013.

Penny also responded to questions about what “sells” science to the public. She advised scientists to consume the media where they would like to publish so that they could appreciate what that community of viewers or readers needs to know. This also serves to get to know what the editors like.  She cited what she referred to as the “NASA School of Journalism”, which has brought space to the world through images and animations

“Canadians love weather and sex,” she said. “Animal sex always makes a great story.”

UFV President, Mark Evered, asked Penny about communicating research before peer review. He was concerned that communicating too early could damage the reputation of scientists and science in general. Penny responded that it is the duty of scientists not to oversell what they’ve got.

She also called for journalists as well as public readers and viewers, to look critically at the information they are presented with.

“Critical thinking is the key,” she emphasized.

Penny ended the President’s 2014 Leadership Lecture with a call to for UFV to engage students in critical thinking around numeracy and statistics.

“Make it attractive and they’ll want to learn more,” she said.