Corporateinklings

Teaching Yoga

 Why it’s so important to do things you’ve never done before:

I decided to take a part-time job. Not exactly a job. More of a passion, and a little bit of a test, of myself.

 I started teaching yoga, mostly because I said I would, and perhaps, to prove something to myself, after a 24-day yoga training intensive, which also was my sabbatical. It was easy to be a student, but as a teacher, I was a raw newbie, filled with the nerves and inevitable mistakes that novices make.

It’s been a once-a-week gig for about a year now, at my local Y, which I happen to think is one of the best institutions going. It’s open, it’s accessible, and it’s about a broad a cross-section of a city as you’ll find; at the same time, this means I never know who will show up. In my first few months, one student told me he’d just had a double-bypass surgery the year before; another woman had had a significant accident, and couldn’t stand for very long. I didn’t remember everyone’s names, or how to help them heal their injuries; though at least I knew how not make them worse. Quite honestly, I was over my head. Yet they swam along with me, even as I mixed up directions to move to their right leg, when I really meant their left.

It’s been a humbling experience.  As the week winds down, I rush out on Friday afternoon, shedding one role for this other one, where rapid decision-making and analysis doesn’t count for much. When the room is 85 degrees; emotional openness does, along with learning how to encourage people to feel successful even when they’re barely able to bend into a pose, or touch their back, much less clasp their arms behind them. The sweetest moment is when people go upside down; everyone always thinks they can’t do it, and of course, they can.

This last week, I had 9 students, three of whom had never set foot in a yoga class before. One made me concerned. He was older, overweight, not used to moving his body, and half-way through the class, was working so hard his legs were shaking, even though I encouraged easier options. Still, I couldn’t easily help him do one thing while the class did another, because I am, in effect, still a beginner myself.

I’ve never been a big fan of the philosophical readings or inspiration that some yoga teachers like to share at the end of every class. This time, though, it was clear to me that these three gave at least as much as they received, because just by walking into that room, they defied the self-imposed ‘nos’ that keep us in place, doing the same things over and over, and avoiding what’s new – to not take risks, not expose ourselves, not try for fear of failing.

There’s a phrase for it: the beginner’s mind.

 

- By Amy Bermar

Bravo for Trying

In a small firm, we know a lot about each other’s lives. Who got a dog, who likes their in-laws, who just bought a house and learned that the plumbing isn’t working as expected. This past weekend was a first: one of ours staffers is in a play.

Without talking a lot about it, she’s been rehearsing for months, learning an English accent, and staying up till who knows when for tech rehearsals. It’s a tiny theatre – the kind that probably exists all over the country – and one I’d never heard of.

Then she invited all of us. Of course I went. I didn’t know what to expect, and at the last minute, wondered if I might have made a mistake. It was raining, and the tiny awning in the tinier street gave me pause, but we were already there, and committed. It turned out to be a great play – Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing.” There were only about 30 of us in the audience, and playbill included a flier in case we wanted to buy any of the furniture after the run closed. The snacks at intermission were $1, and at each show, the director picks a non-profit to receive the concession money; this time, it’s the ASPCA.

Our staffer, of course, was fantastic.  I wanted to give her a standing ovation, but it wasn’t that kind of place.  Big bravos, anyhow, for pursuing your passion outside of work.

- By Amy Bermar

Know Your Audience

Before I joined Corporate Ink, I thought PR was just about pushing out news-- creating a steady drumbeat of announcements, advisories, and releases.

Boy, was I wrong. The first lesson I learned here: PR is about audiences.  Know your audience when you write releases. Know an editor’s audience when you pitch a story.  Know who cares, why they care, and why your story matters to them. And know how, when and which channel is best for reaching them.

As soon as I embraced these guidelines, engaging with audiences became easier. I see where our clients’ stories and news fit and how it could make an impact. 

Just last week I had a perfect opportunity to test my new found skills. One of my clients has a flight tracking application for the Palm Pre, and I found a little chatter online about Palm’s migration from free to paid applications. Working with client, and keeping consumers’ needs in mind, we crafted a few brief communications – straight from the client to the thread. Giving the customer what they wanted – straight talk on how to manage the transition – resulted in a round of thanks and even one customer wondering out loud why the apps were ever free – that’s how valuable he found them.

It’s not easy – crafting communications with media, colleagues and even friends – with their views top in my mind. But I’m learning is that it’s the only way to communicate effectively, to keep a conversation alive, move things forward and ultimately achieve the goal for my clients and myself.

- By Kate Greenough

Part of the Pitch

Has anyone else been inundated with email from ‘Facebook’ or ‘The Facebook Team’ for the past week?

Over the past 4 days I’ve received 20 Facebook phishing emails – taking a variety of approaches to try to get me to open a file or click on a link to reset my password or update my account (I’m still getting them now as I write this blog post – increase the tally to 22). 

The first one that I got was late on the October 26^th.  By about mid-day on the 27^th I started to get really annoyed until I realized…this is a pitch!

I did a quick search online and sure enough, this was a story that was a perfect fit for one of our clients. Our team huddled and got a quick breaking news pitch out the door.

You never know where an opportunity will come from. Usually, we’re scouring the news morning, noon and night for the latest breach – but in this case it was right in front of my face. We take an incredibly aggressive approach to media relations, and finding creative ways to tie our clients into breaking news stories is one of our biggest differentiators.  Being a part of the pitch gave me a jumpstart on the news and at the end of the day we had some nice wins for the client.

  - By Dan Brennan

Trust Your Gut. It Works. Really.

Are you quick to make a decision?

On a daily basis, I pick up the phone and go to toe-to-toe with the industry’s best to talk technology and information security.  I have to think on my feet and engage quickly with the next question to find the perfect fit.  Sometimes these conversations lead to a surprising opportunity, where I need to decide in real-time if it’s something worth my client’s time and resources.

As a result, I’m learning to rely more and more on my gut than on analysis. My tried and true pros-and-cons approach doesn’t always account for the unknown:  an opportunity of great value that evolves through dialogue.

Tackling tasks that I’m unsure of no longer frightens me.  And at the end of day, I feel empowered – like I actually changed someone’s mind or found something no one else thought of.

Take it from me: Next time you find yourself holding back – take that leap of faith. You might surprise yourself and find something new, exciting and valuable.

  - By Amelia DeCesare