by W. Blair Meeks
Communication Strategist
Jackson Spalding

When the switch finally flips, it’s an amazing thing to witness. Change is not always dramatic or speedy in the communication coaching world, but there are those instances when someone makes a sudden leap from bumbling to sublime in public speaking, and those instances are truly amazing. In the few years I’ve been a coach, there have been several major challenges. You may have seen some of the symptoms in speakers you’ve watched: the shaking hands, the trembling voice, the sweating or the rambling and restarts, the lost train of thought, the seemingly pointless droning. Sometimes the fix is a simple change in content, and the epiphany you see when someone makes that connection is one of the reasons I enjoy the work I do so much. It feels really good to help people with a challenge that can seem so daunting. The explosion in the number of communication opportunities in recent years has made public speaking and communicating effectively more important than ever. Communication has always been an essential part of the legal profession, and yet even the best speakers can find room to improve.

by W. Blair Meeks Communication Strategist Jackson Spalding Communication is getting harder. That may sound contrary during this time of texting, email, Skype, and Twitter, but hear me out. It’s not the physical act of communicating that’s more difficult. Technology…

by W. Blair Meeks
Communication Strategist
Jackson Spalding

If Facebook stock is any indication, it seems investors are having as hard a time as many others in the business community placing a value on social media. There is no doubt social media are an incredibly important development in the world of communication. They’ve given voice to the voiceless, helped topple governments and put incredibly powerful tools of influence in the hands of everyone who has access to the Internet. But what is the value to business, attorneys and the legal community? Many are struggling with that question. This month’s Raising the Bar will provide some answers.

A consistent challenge in the public relations field has been determining an exact dollar value for the work we do: how much is it worth for everyone in town to know you’re the smartest lawyer in your field? The knowledge itself has no monetary value, but when that knowledge influences action it is extraordinarily valuable. The very existence of PR as a profession centers on the fact that people make business decisions based on reputation, connection and relationships. With social media, you can now build those reputations, connections and relationships without having to go through some other media outlet to reach your audience. Of course, it’s still great to have the Wall Street Journal quote you on its front page as a national expert in your field a few times a year, but now, through social media you can build your own audience by consistently delivering useful, engaging information to people in the subject matter areas where you want to be involved.

by W. Blair Meeks
Communication Strategist
Jackson Spalding

As the trees and flowers of Atlanta burst forth into spring, it’s a great time to reflect on how you and your business are perceived by others. In this time of fleeting attention spans and flickering Internet sensations, now, more than ever, the brand or image you project is critical to building success.

Jackson Spalding just hired Brett Player as its new creative director and I sat down with Brett to discuss what members of the legal community should focus on in this time of spring cleaning. He says, as with many things, the first step is reflection – a long look in the mirror to see how people perceive you or your firm, and a close examination of the tools with which you are communicating your brand.

by W. Blair Meeks
Communication Strategist
Jackson Spalding

I’m beginning to doubt the existence of UFOs. As much as I might believe in life beyond our planet, intelligent life visiting Earth is getting harder to swallow for one simple reason: video. It seems half the people on the planet have a camera or device capable of shooting video in their pockets now. I laughed at a recent “unruly airline passenger” story on the local news. A few years ago, pictures of an incident like this would be extremely rare. On this newscast they used eyewitness video of a drunken guy being escorted off the plane, and in that video I counted at least four other people on the flight who were also shooting the confrontation with their cell phone cameras. With all this access to recording equipment, someone should have captured one of these intergalactic visits, if they’re so common, with a video that stands up to serious scrutiny. And yet no – nothing. So, to me, UFOs are becoming doubtful.

The sheer volume of video being shot, edited and shared is staggering. Forty-eight hours of new video is uploaded to YouTube every single minute! Anyone with a cell phone and a basic computer can produce a moving picture story that can be shared and, through the Internet, can be shared around the world. Great marketing tool, right? Absolutely!

But before (Before? Who am I kidding? Most of you already have!) you jump into the world of video creation, there are many things to consider. Video is a powerful tool and when used wisely can move people to tears, to take action, to start fighting or stop it, to sway opinion, build devoted fans and spark legal or governmental change. The secret, as with most things, is using it wisely.

When most people think about shooting a video about their company or organization the first question they ask is, “who should be in it?” The CEO? The managing partner? Maybe a few department heads and some key supporters? With suggestions like these, in no time you’ll have a long list of talking heads to fill your video to the brim. Great. One of the least compelling images you can have in a video is a talking head. Unless that talking head is a truly compelling speaker or the topic is very interesting, it’s usually boredom city.

The better first question I like to suggest is “what do you want people watching this video to feel?” Excitement? Triumph? Inspiration? Confidence? These questions focus more directly on the type of interaction you want someone to have with you, your firm or organization. Once you establish that, then you can work on the audience you are trying to reach, the stories within your organization that inspire these kinds of emotions and how to best capture these stories on camera. Sure there are internal egos which need to be stroked, but you won’t be doing any favors if you’re showcasing important people in a bad light.

by W. Blair Meeks
Communication Strategist
Jackson Spalding

Communication touches everything we do. Everything we do communicates something. In a world where communication options are changing more rapidly than ever before, it is important to think about the best ways to deliver our messages.

That is the mission of Raising the Bar, a new monthly column I’ll be writing for this newsletter. In it we will explore best practices in internal and external communications. We’ll look at jury communications, presentation skills, social media strategies, branding, relationship building and other topics that can help you succeed.

I’m not an attorney, but do have 19 years as a television reporter documenting communication successes and failures in very public forums, and more than three years as a communications coach and strategist at one of the top marketing and communications firms in the Southeast. My goal for the column is to provide practical, useful and timely information, and you can help keep me on track with suggestions and reactions. I know it’s rare for attorneys to have opinions about things . . . but opinions are encouraged. Please share.