YPpubmedia @yppubmedia - Tumblr Blog

The Move, Part 3: Working Remotely

by Teresa Peltier, Director, Digital Strategy and Organizational Planning, WSKG Public Media

[This is the third post in a three-part series. Read Part 1: Breaking the News here, and Part 2: Preparing to Go here.]

I survived the Oregon Trail!

I did not get dysentery. I did spend 42 hours in the car, alone, except for my dog. It was surprisingly lovely. This is Ernie, enjoying a Nebraska sunrise:

Since settling 3,000 miles from my starting point, I’ve enjoyed two full months of working remotely. Is it too soon to say how great it is? Maybe. Maybe not.

If you’re thinking about working remotely, whether permanently or once a week, consider this:

Productivity Brooke Fuchs of Greater Public works remotely (as does the whole organization, BTW). Before I left, she told me, “I really value my quiet, distraction-less time at home.”

This is the first thing I noticed. It is so, so quiet - in a good way!

Without distractions like hallway conversations, coffee breaks, dance party breaks, etc., I suddenly find myself completing my work faster and more thoroughly. My day zooms past, and I feel less stressed after the 8 hours.

I think is the “flow” thing I keep hearing about…

Interlude! Other things you might like: MARKETPLACE: Can working from home increase productivity? NPR: ‘Drive’ not always explained by rewards TED: Flow, the secret to happiness

However, sometimes it’s harder for me to ignore email chatter. When I was in the office, folks could find me at my desk if they needed immediate help or feedback. Now, when we can’t simply meet in the hallway to answer/ask a quick question, it feels rude to ignore an email.

Staying Connected We have an insane number of ways to connect in an office nowadays. If your org uses Gmail like us, you’ll feel well-prepared - Gchat and Hangouts work well for spontaneous and planned meetings alike, even with folks who use it infrequently.

I do miss the camaraderie spurred by in-person interaction. Despite all that emojis do for us, it’s just not the same to hear great news through email!

In addition, I’ve taken the extra productive time to participate in some long overdue skill-building courses, including this Google Tag Manager course and this course from IDEO.

Joining in the discussion forums and interacting with other participants expands your network and gives you extra social time. So it’s not the same as connecting with coworkers, but you scratch the social itch nonetheless.

Your “Office” When it comes to my office, I’m all about a clean desk, standing as much as possible, and inspirational imagery. And now that I’m an Oregonian, squatches.

Take some time to look at your office space and better understand what you prefer. If you’re in an office now, but plan to work remotely, what do you want to incorporate into your workspace at home? Is there something about your office that bugs you every. single. day?

This is where you spend 8 hours a day; it’s worth the investment to change it!

Once you switch to remote work, you have options other than working from your living room. Fuchs spends one day a week at CoCo - a collaborative working space in the Twin Cities. She hashes to-do lists with a colleague and works alongside people from every industry.

“It’s also almost like going to the library in college,” she says. Sign me up!

Interlude! Other things you might like: THE DIANE REHM SHOW: Designing the modern office space TED RADIO HOUR: Why we collaborate

If you work remotely, what tips do you have? Or maybe you think it’s a horrible way to work? Tell us at @yppubmedia!

I love networking and collaborating! Tweet to me @tpea or shoot me an email at tpeltier[at]wskg.org.

#teresa peltier wskg

The Move, Part 2: Preparing to Go

by Teresa Peltier, Director, Digital Strategy and Organizational Planning, WSKG Public Media

[This is the second post in a three-part series. Read Part 1: Breaking the News, full of all my anxieties and Oregon Trail fears, here. Check back for Part 3 on working remotely, coming soon! Tweet your tips to yppubmedia.]

In Part 1 of this series on my cross-country move, I mentioned that I’ll continue to work for WSKG after embarking on The Oregon Trail.

This post gets into the nuts and bolts of the transition to remote work. But I think many of the steps I’ve taken would apply to any workplace transition.

I’ll also take a 6 sentence detour to discuss preparation I’ve taken in my personal life, starting now...

Personally To be honest, I’m not attached to much here. I stopped by a couple favorite restaurants and hiked a few favorite trails. Other than that, I’ve mostly taken trips to the donation center. Because I’m getting rid of. all. my. stuff.

Literally, almost everything.

Sorry, basil plant, you meant nothing to me.

Professionally I have a lot more attachment to the station, and I put a lot more thought into the preparation for the big change.

Deciding whether to leave or take my zen frog haunted my dreams for weeks. (I took him.)

Set Expectations First, my boss and I talked expectations come August. For the first few months, it’s an experiment; we’re happily non-committal in terms of how long the remote work will last (so millennial).

If it works - great! If not - there’s no crying in public broadcasting.

With my coworkers, I’ve taken much care to clearly communicate that, yes, I’m leaving for Oregon, but, no, I’m not leaving the organization. I still work here! You haven’t escaped me yet!

Establish Role(s) In addition, what I do day-to-day will change somewhat. In my current role, I spend quite a bit of time talking with folks face-to-face, meeting regularly and coaching one-on-one.

After the move, we plan to take the opportunity to buckle down on our digital content and social media after spending a year focused on a website redesign [it launched August 14! Check it out.].

We’re also hoping to set up an NPR Storytelling Lab-esque program to foster innovation and engagement within the station.

Onwards! Finally, I’m expecting a whole new definition of “partnership” to evolve in my work. For some tasks, folks will have to take more ownership in order for the ship to run smoothly without me there in-person. For other items, I’ll have to develop new processes and complete tasks independently.

A couple examples... I updated all our shared how-to documents and added more so folks have the resources they need immediately. I set meetings for new fiscal year projects before my last day in the office and delegated responsibility where needed. I plotted how to keep jam sessions by Skyping and phoning in and changing start times to something after 7am PST.

In Conclusion TLDR: These past few weeks have forced me to relinquish control of some projects, timelines and tasks I hold dear. Time to start practicing that unattached zen attitude I keep reading about.

Honestly, I feel the most stress about staying connected when a couple thousand miles away. If you work remotely, what tips do you have? How do you manage relationships from afar? If you don’t work remotely, do you have great ways to stay connected when you’re out of the office for conferences or otherwise?

Tell us! Tweet to @yppubmedia, and I’ll include some of the best in Part 3.

I love networking and collaborating! Tweet to me @tpea or shoot me an email at tpeltier[at]wskg.org.

#teresa peltier wskg

The Move, Part 1: Breaking the News

by Teresa Peltier, Director, Digital Strategy and Organizational Planning, WSKG Public Media

At the end of July, I’m going on an adventure!

My husband accepted a job on Mt. Hood in Oregon. We’re packing up our lives (let’s be real, mostly just our dog and our DVD collection) and heading west. The potential parallels to The Oregon Trail are not lost on me - like booting up MS DOS, I’m both excited and terrified.

I’ve worked at WSKG for 6 years. Thankfully, I’ve been given the opportunity to work remotely from Oregon. Before then, I’ll write to you, breaking down my journey - from sharing the news to starting the transition to moving (ack!) and finally, working remotely.

So grab your oxen by the horns and join in...

Sharing the News I tend to over-think things. And I just might have with this one. But I appreciate a logical-ish plan of attack when faced with a new experience. I’ve lived in Upstate New York my whole life, and I’ve worked at one place since leaving college - this move is a huge deal!

After worrying and fretting a bit, I made a list because that’s what I do, and now I’ll share with you how I prioritized breaking the news of my big change:

Tell your family. My parents still live Upstate, so I knew they’d be bummed. When I was four, I insisted I was moving to Australia “to be with the mermaids” (?... IDK, kids say stuff), so they should have seen it coming. In addition to my parents, I have four older siblings. Over the past few years, my siblings spread out around the country, so like rollerblades and PG-13 movies and driving, I get to do it last. They’re excited for me. As you might expect, I’m glad I told my family first; their genuine joy and excitement has helped keep my spirits high during a crazy, crazy few weeks.

(Optional: Tell your confidantes, if you need advice/if you are freaking out a little bit like I was.) Because I’ve only worked at WSKG, this is the first time I’ve told a boss I’m packing up and shipping out. I took a few minutes to chat with a mentor and a friend in the system, to hear their experiences, and gleaned the following advice: Do: - Express appreciation. - Clearly state if you’re interested in staying with the organization and working remotely. In the reverse, be honest if you are not. - Give a timeline, even if it’s rough. - Consider your boss might say “thank you for your service, and goodbye.” Don’t: - Share your news before you’re 100% certain. I waited until my husband had his official confirmation of employment before discussing with my boss. - Tell other coworkers before your boss. You might find this hard if you have close work friends, but I personally think it’s the most professional choice.

Tell your boss. If you like your job, like I do, it will be scary. If you don’t, put the champagne on ice beforehand! Before scheduling the time to chat, know your supervisor. I knew having a large block of time to discuss would benefit us both; however, you might have a boss who’d prefer to hear the news briefly and think on it before discussing with you further. Do what’s right for him or her. (See #2 for more dos and don’ts).

Tell your coworkers. If you have close work friends or mentors within the organization, now is the time to tell them. It’s appropriate to ask your supervisor to wait to announce the news to the whole organization until you’ve told these folks. I told a few people via email and a few in person. Once they’re in the loop, your boss will likely make an announcement via email or in a large group meeting. If it’s the latter, smile the whole time even though it’s a little bit awkward, and expect folks to have lots of questions!

Tell your friends and network. Texting is the best. Really. I sent a couple group texts and soaked up the happiness and good vibes in return. I also whipped up a graphic to share on social media. I used a Tumblr post to share the news on Twitter, and copy and pasted the same description to use with the pic on Facebook and Instagram. Doneski.

Tell yourself. One night, after your husband has already moved and and the dog’s been sleeping in the closet because he’s confused and you realize you still have 60 days of sleeping on a futon before you go and you should probably not buy the bulk size of olive oil because who wants to drive that across country… you will tell yourself it’s really happening and do a happy dance.

After breaking the news, I realized I didn’t die of dysentery, and this little journey posed far fewer challenges than a few weeks on The Trail would have.

But like I said, I’m a newbie, this is my first time moving more than a few hours and my first time leaving an office (though I’ll still be there virtually).

What experiences have you had with moving or big changes? How’d you break the news? Any tips for working remotely? Or fitting your life into a hatchback for a week on the road? Tweet to us at @yppubmedia!

And stay tuned for Parts 2 - 4, coming soon!

I love networking and collaborating! Tweet to me @tpea or shoot me an email at tpeltier[at]wskg.org.

#teresa peltier wskg

YPpubmedia is thrilled to announce the winners of the Nate Shaw and SheKnows Media PMDMC Scholarships!

Nate Shaw Memorial Scholarship

(pictured on left) Jessica Frantz, Membership Associate at WCQS (Asheville, NC)

SheKnows Media Scholarships

(center) Emma Schneider, Public Relations Manager at KMFA (Austin, TX)

(right) Ashley Rammelsberg, Multimedia Assistant at New Mexico PBS

Jessica, Emma, and Ashley will receive full registration to the conference, airfare, and hotel accommodations paid for by generous donors to the two funds. Congratulations to our winners and thanks to everyone who applied!

Keeping It Fresh: Spring Cleaning Your Social Media Accounts

by Teresa Peltier, Director, Digital Strategy and Organizational Planning, WSKG Public Media

The other day, I began to list my digital activities, beginning with the first 20 minutes after I woke up... I checked Snapchat, Instagram, work email and personal email.

By lunch, the list took up a whole page.

I’m tethered to the computer from 9-5, and I use the internet, email and social media, professionally and personally, almost the entire workday. I also try to keep screen time to a minimal before and after work.

But what is “minimal” nowadays? For most of us, the internet is a regular and pretty constant part of any day. I mean, who doesn’t peek at Instagram while waiting in the grocery line?

So this all got me thinking - considering how often I use social media and digital technology to interact with my peeps, how current are the profiles and accounts underneath it all?

Do I have tons of email waiting in my inbox that I know I’ll never open? Should that really be my Instagram profile pic? What does my LinkedIn background photo say about “me”?

Instead of mindlessly scrolling through my feeds during lunch, I invested in a spring cleaning of my profiles. Here’s a rundown:

Snapchat

This is an easy one: clean up your friends list (approve requests, unfollow accounts, etc.), and pat yourself on the back!

Instagram

My Instagram profile is private, and I keep my followers list small and personal. That way, I can post 10 pics of my dog in a row and not feel bad.

I reviewed who I follow, changed my profile pic and decided, because the account is personal, that I’d keep my description:

Twitter

Twitter is the primary way I interact with the industry, and I tweet professional/personal in a 75/25 ratio (but I am always “work appropriate”). I feel comfortable having a little fun with my profile description, but I make sure to mention my place of employment there, and I decided my headshot and background image still hold up professionally.

Next time I clean up, I’m going to tackle who I follow and update my lists. But that seemed like too big a task this time.

Facebook

I deactivated my Facebook account over a year ago. At the time, when I saw my news feed, I felt anxious, bored and annoyed. I recently re-joined, primarily to participate in professional groups I missed.

When I hopped back aboard, I reviewed my privacy settings... because you just should. Then I pared down my friends list and kept only close friends and family. Sound scary? Try this: have you talked to this person in the past year? If you saw them right now in a grocery store, would you go out of your way to say hello? No? Unfriend.

If you’re considering this approach, know that I’d never go back to a mega-list; after spring cleaning, my news feed is a pleasant garden of family and friends.

I also removed a bunch of things I “liked” back in college. Yes, I still like foosball and will beat you any day of the week, but no, it doesn’t really define who I am.

Facebook cleaning took the longest, but it was time well spent. I actually enjoy scrolling through my news feed now that there’s less muck surrounding pictures of my adorable nephews, and I feel less of that awkward professional/personal pull when commenting in groups.

I update my LinkedIn profile regularly, so there wasn’t much to do here. I added a new volunteering role, and I (finally) added a background image.

If you’ve been lax, think about your accomplishments over the past six months. Start by updating your work history, and consider uploading files or links to your work. Then update your skills, and endorse the skills of someone you connected with. Also, follow or join groups and people of interest to you.

I have a love-hate relationship with email. Some days, it’s a blessing from the digital tech gods I can’t imagine life without.

Other days, I want to smash the laptop with my tiny fists.

After a long week helping with our radio fundraiser, resulting in severe inbox neglect, I decided to be bold - I deleted every email not sent to me personally. Every newsletter, listserve, automatic notification, etc. went to the trash. I banked on the important things resurfacing via email or elsewhere.

Voila! The backlog of emails from my coworkers seems much more manageable.

As for personal email, I peeked at my inbox and saw a bunch of newsletters I hadn’t opened in weeks. Unsubscribe, delete. I saw emails featuring sales looong since passed. Unsubscribe, delete. I saw emails from my mom asking me to change my mailing address. Unsubscribe, delete. (JK JK JK!!)

The Result?

Though it wasn’t the goal at the beginning, I now feel much calmer when I open an inbox or app. Trying to keep tabs on ev-er-y-thing in ev-er-y platform is like constant FOMO + emotional hoarding. Taking a few minutes to clean up reminded me that I’m in control of what I see when I log in and what others see when they pass by.

At the very least, I think I’m less likely to feel the need to deactivate/delete/smash an account.

How do you keep your accounts fresh? Any cool tricks? Tweet to us at @YPpubmedia or #yppubmedia!

I love networking and collaborating! Tweet to me @tpea or shoot me an email at tpeltier[at]wskg.org.

#teresa peltier wskg

The Perks of Wearing Many Hats

by Teresa Peltier, Director, Digital Strategy and Organizational Planning, WSKG Public Media

Here’s my go-to when forced to play the ‘Two Truths and a Lie’ icebreaker:

“I’m related to a pope, one time I met John Stamos on a plane and he told me I was pretty, and I once had to make multiple trips to a Mexican restaurant because the band playing on our music show insisted they have guacamole.”

The last one is a truth. (Did you really think I’d tell you the other one?! Psh…)

In my experience, pubmedia stations generally agree on one thing - they use the “other duties as assigned” disclaimer on your job description freely. Whether you work at a big shop or a small one, you’ll probably run into a situation where you record audio/write a Facebook post/fill water pitchers at a station event, all in one day.

Let TPT’s Andi McDaniel tell you more about it:

“Busy” isn’t inherently a good quality to describe your day during small talk. Especially if it’s always (1) the first thing you say, and (2) the only thing you say before you sprint off.

But there are perks to dabbling in all trades.

The most obvious? You build your resume - coordinating volunteers for a big event most certainly counts as people management. And you become an asset to multiple teams, thereby increasing your office cred and increasing your ability to adapt to new job requirements. And generally, you demonstrate your reliability in a variety of situations.

Here are two less obvious reasons to say “Yes!” when asked to perform ‘other duties as assigned’, such as cleaning up the donor database:

The more you know about a coworker’s job, the more understanding you have for his or her day-to-day responsibilities and stresses. Knowing the demands of a job increases your compassion and fairness when asking for help in the future. You’ll judge less when someone says they’re just too busy to help with a web project, when you know how demanding it can be to schedule 10 new business sponsors.

It’s fun! Let’s be real: some days in the office are boring. If you find yourself infinitely scrolling through Instagram, take a walk around the office. Ask who needs a hand, and offer up an hour of your time. I can guarantee you won’t feel guilty about that, but you will feel guilty about pricing out a new car you can’t afford anyways.

Not buying it?

That’s okay! All the hats can start to weigh you down, and the quality of your work can suffer when spread too thin.

If you start to feel like there’s lead in your shoes, take a course of action to refocus:

Prioritize. The original meaning of “priority” is singular - the one most important thing. What is it? Start with that, and align the rest of your work accordingly. For more on prioritizing, check out Essentialism by Greg McKeown (hat tip to Melanie Coulson for recommending this to our YPpubmedia Lean In group; he was a keynote speaker at the 2014 PMDMC).

Ask your boss for help. Seems simple, but you might worry about appearing weak or unorganized by going to your supervisor. Guess what? That’s what your boss is there for! Go in with a positive attitude and an elevator pitch for your problem, and suggest a solution. Just thinking this through in your head might help you see things in a new light.

Learn to say “no”. I’m definitely still working on this. This Forbes article keeps it simple.

In the end, stay open-minded to requests that stretch your job description.

Even if only to be the coolest (or weirdest) person in the icebreaker.

I love networking and collaborating! Tweet to me @tpea or shoot me an email at tpeltier[at]wskg.org.

#teresa peltier wskg

Conference Season: Three Things to Do Without Getting Up

by Teresa Peltier, Director, Digital Strategy and Organizational Planning, WSKG Public Media

It’s conference season.

When you’re just starting at a station - and, let’s be real, in many cases even when you’ve been there awhile - you can face a real struggle in justifying funding for an expensive trip. Conferences provide great opportunities to meet colleagues in the system, think bigger than your station, and bring killer ideas home.

The business cards rain like confetti.

Sometimes, though, the budget won’t budge.*

Never fear: we have the internet! And the internet means we can connect with one another all year round, without expensive flights and shoving 4 days of business and casual clothes in a suitcase (seriously, who knows how to do this? please email me).

Here are 3 things I do to feel involved and participate in #pubmedia outside the conference circuit:

Twitter One of the best ways you can spend five minutes? Create a “public media” list of folks from the system, and make a point to peruse their tweets each morning. Or, get outside the collective brain, and make a list of non-pubmedia professionals who inspire you. Creating a list that is just The Walking Dead is also acceptable.

#pubmedia Chats A few months ago, Andi McDaniel and good folks all around the public media system revived the very useful weekly(ish) #pubmedia Twitter chat. Back in 2009, when I first started at WSKG, the #pubmedia chats gave me an introductory course in the power of collaboration, idea-sharing and general camaraderie. Sitting on the couch in a coworker’s house, I learned how to use Tweetchat and “met” several of the people I still turn to for advice and inspiration (looking at you, Teresa Gorman - best name in pubmedia). Today, many of those same folks participate and several new voices chime in on topics like inclusiveness, innovation and diversity. Put the chat in your work calendar - most Wednesdays at 5pm EST!

Facebook Groups My relationship with Facebook is very love/hate. I recently re-joined. The impetus? I really missed the insight and collaboration found in industry Facebook groups. Here are a few I frequent:

YPpubmedia

NPR Member Station Marketers

PBS, Producers & Local Stations Social Media Marketing & Communications

PBS Digital Entrepreneurs

Public Media Women in Leadership

Public Media Innovators

This list is not a complete sample of what’s out there, and it most definitely reflects my discipline. Peek around, and you’ll find the right ones for you! Also, many Facebook groups are private, so don’t be shy and ask for access. And it’s totally acceptable to quietly lurk during a Twitter chat before joining in.

How do you stay involved when you can’t get out of your zipcode?

* Don’t give up on attending conferences :). Most offer scholarships, like these to the PMDMC (open until late April/early May - don’t procrastinate)!

I love networking and collaborating! Tweet to me @tpea or shoot me an email at tpeltier[at]wskg.org.

#twitter #facebook #conferences #teresa peltier wskg

Tell us your ideas for pubmedia!

How would you change the way public media works if you were the boss? What’s missing in the status quo? Have you tried something new at your station that worked wonders? Or have lessons to share from your flops?

We want to hear about it at the 2015 PMDMC!

Get all the deets now and submit your idea before May 8.

Q: Dear AQC, I. Hate. The. Phone. I know it’s a standard means of communication in almost any job, but I dread using it. Most of the people I work with are baby boomers and when they want to talk to me they don’t consider it an imposition to make that big box on my desk scream at me. In most cases the phone calls I receive could just as well be a simple email or text. I also find that most phone calls end up being a time suck because you begin chatting about unrelated topics. I keep hinting that I prefer email but they don’t seem to get the message. Is there any way to get the point across that the phone is the worst way to talk to me? Sincerely, #Email4Life

Dear #Email4Life,

For people who work in broadcast it seems ironic to hate the phone but you are not alone, especially among millennials.

Personally, it doesn’t bother me to schedule a phone interview by email and call at the specified time, but when it comes time to reach out to someone I reach first for the keyboard, not the phone. On top of that I get irrationally irritated when MY phone rings: who are these crazy people interrupting me and wanting my attention?! Oh right, my colleagues.

There are many advantages of email: you have a record of your communication, it helps keep the conversation on track and to the point, it’s asynchronous so it doesn’t interrupt a task in process, and you can share information with an entire group at once. As an email lover I use all of these as justification for why my communication preference should be universal, but in reality it’s not universal and it’s not objective, it’s a preference.

I have come to recognize that email has drawbacks too. Beyond common complaints of endless carbon copies of emails that have nothing to do with your work and those people who have not yet gotten the memo that “reply all” is a bad idea there are also the problems of emails getting lost in the deluge of press releases and other flotsam in your colleagues’ inboxes, or not seeming time sensitive to phone adapted baby boomers. Plus you lose the nuance of vocal tone and inflection.

So as a fellow phone-phobic, here’s some advice to finding a middle ground:

Consider the desired outcome of your communication and choose email or phone as the task requires-- like I said, each one has their advantages and disadvantages.

If you are busy and someone calls you, don’t take the call irritably, act like it’s your mom. By that I mean answer and acknowledge the call with kindness and tell the caller you’re busy and will get back to them asap-- then do it.

When you call a colleague ask if they have a moment and, if they say yes, get straight to the point. Make sure you know exactly what you want to discuss because no one wants to get numerous follow-up phone calls in a row.

Make a script and use it. If you have to make outward facing calls as part of your job smile and use a script to make sure you cover exactly what you want to discuss. Have something else prepared for leaving a voicemail (including your email address if you’d prefer a response that way).

On my voicemail I also give my email address so callers have the option of emailing me in the interim of my receiving their message.

We all have colleagues who love to talk, on the phone or otherwise, if you find yourself with a chronic talker feel to answer by saying, “Hi so-and-so, what can I do for you?” which forces them to get right to the point.

Part of any job involves relationships and nurturing those relationships are important. If a colleague has a different communication preference it’s respectful not to choose YOUR preference every time. I hope you wouldn’t insist on a steakhouse lunch every time you dined with a vegetarian colleague!

And for those who get fed up by the extraneous conversation and small talk on the phone, it’s a good reminder that these are the niceties that build relationships and respect.

Yours truly,

AQC

Do you have any helpful tips or tricks to managing communication preferences at your station? We want to hear them! Share with us on Twitter or Facebook #AllQuestionsConsidered

Have a question of your own for AQC? Ask now.

#AllQuestionsConsidered

The Coolest Thing Coming to Your Work Calendar: Jam Sessions

by Teresa Peltier, Director, Digital Strategy and Organizational Planning, WSKG Public Media

Okay, a headline should deliver what it promises, so don’t be mad… but this is not about blasting tunes and throwing a dance party in your cube. (But seriously, please do that; tweet me for playlist suggestions.)

It’s more about creating room (in your calendar) for activities.

Each week, I carve out time to meet with colleagues for “jam sessions” -freeform meetings with the sole intention of getting great minds in the same space with no distractions.

These sessions supplement “regular” meetings, like department team meetings, managers’ meetings and project meetings. Those all serve well-established structural, production or grant-based needs. Jam sessions break you out of those traditional silos and, through a fluid system that I describe below, let new creative groups rally and disperse around common interests and passion projects.

Like the name suggests, jam sessions don’t have a hierarchical or obligatory nature; they go where their hearts tell them!

I provide support to five teams at WSKG, and everyone approaches these jam seshes differently - sometimes I meet with an entire team, sometimes I meet with team leaders, sometimes I meet with individuals, sometimes I meet with cross-genre groups. And the content of each meeting varies - sometimes we brainstorm project ideas, sometimes we have digital training, sometimes we catch up on to-do’s…

…sometimes we just hang out for 10 minutes and watch puppy videos.

Want to coordinate some creative time in your office? Here are some tips to get you started:

WORKING IT OUT Agree on a focus for your jam session. This could change periodically, but you do want to see results over time, and a loose agenda or project idea will start things running.

Maybe you or a colleague has a great idea, like how to incorporate NPR Generation Listen at your station, that you can work on immediately. Maybe you want the jam session “just because we need it”. In that case, I recommend watching Start With Why (a great TED Talk and quick read recommended to me by Lesli Rotenberg from PBS) to get the brain power going and find your focal point.

After the meeting, it’s up to you to keep the ball rolling.

Try to commit 1 hour per week to follow up on ideas or do research for the group. Consider not making it a priority - that way it won’t feel like work! It will become a productive, creative treat.

For example, if you want to develop a podcast, keep a running list of notable series and chose a few episodes per week to listen to. Or make a point to read an informative blog each day, like the NPR social media desk. Simple, fun tasks will keep you motivated and moving forwards.

THE “RIGHT” MINDS When convening a jam sesh, get the right people in the room, and try to include all perspectives that will help you and your teammates meet your goals. Know what skills you already have in the group; have a humblebrag to identify your strengths and how to use them.

Afterwards, identify your opportunities for growth.

Have you heard of the 80/20 rule? (Hat tip to Jack Brighton from Illinois Public Media who shared this on Twitter last week.) In a nutshell, Katie Kovalcin says 80/20 practitioners “[focus] 80 percent of our time on our own respective strengths while distributing the remaining 20 percent across other disciplines to benefit the entire project.” As you meet, be open to learning new skills. Learn from one another or ask other colleagues to come share their skills! #FreeTraining.

Generally, I find it helpful to include one of these three types of people in a group, but know we all fit into these buckets in different ways, and none is better than the other:

The “Creative One” For lack of a better cliche, this person thinks outside the box. They use “yes, and…” sentences to help ideas grow. “Pivoting” is his or her middle name.

The “Task Master” If your jam sesh partner makes to-do lists, look no further. This person will keep you on task during your precious window together without killing the good, free-wheeling vibe.

The “Man” Again, lack of a better cliche… You might find it helpful to include an authority figure, someone who can speak to your station’s strategic plans, resources, planning and (ack! sorry about this one) budget, to help you prepare for any obstacles your pitch might have in the future. Ideally, this person won’t ruin all your fun; if you’re worried about that, just invite your higher-up every few sessions!

HAVING EXPECTATIONS (OR NOT)

“To serve you is my only pleasure… I do not need to write things down!”

When you bring a group together, set an expectation of minimal expectations.

I can be super regimented, so these meetings offer me a great way to let go and practice patience. Prioritize the goal of the gathering over details, and let it come together (or not) as needed.

In general:

Put the jam session in your calendar, but don’t worry yourselves over cancellations, even last minute ones.

Don’t make due dates. Once you’re ready to pitch an idea or launch a project, due dates will matter, but I’ve had great success keeping them on the bench during the brainstorming phase.

If you’d like to assign action items, keep ‘em low-key. This strategy will help you and your partners approach the jam sessions as “fun”, not “work”.

Don’t stay longer than you need to at the meeting. Especially if you’re just watching puppy videos.

I know meetings get a bad rap, but when set strategically and with a common sense of purpose (and when you give it a cool name), a meeting offers the perfect and original kind of social technology - real-time, face-to-face interaction. You can’t beat it, in my book. And seriously, who doesn’t like seeing “Arts Jam Sesh with Alex” on her calendar on a Friday morning?!

How do you collaborate at your station? Do you set aside creative time each week, and what do you work on?

I love networking and collaborating! Tweet to me @tpea or shoot me an email at tpeltier[at]wskg.org.

#teresa peltier wskg

YPpubmedia will be back at #PMDMC this year, and it's going to be off the chain #partyhornnoise

This is the feeling we get after each #pubmedia chat.

Don’t miss this week’s. The great Kristin Calhoun co-hosts a discussion of women and public media leadership. #Pubmedia Chat wrangler Andi McDaniel said it best: “Pantyhose not required.”

Things kick off tomorrow, April 1 at 5pm EST.

#pubmedia #women in leadership #women leaders

Nice to see the @currentpubmedia podcast address the brain drain of young digital talent in our industry.

Will You Be My Mentor?

by Teresa Peltier, Director, Digital Strategy and Organizational Planning, WSKG Public Media

In December, I landed a promotion. Promotions are great! You buy a computer bag/tequila flight/gym membership and increase your 403(b) contribution! All in all, you cozy up to general feelings of awesomeness.

Of course, despite all you to do “lean in” or “lean out” or humblebrag or exert confidence, the little voice says, “You could very well fail at this. Like really bad.” This is a seriously terrible thing to ponder. This scenario falls under Know When to Ask For Help.

When I started to feel this insecurity, I sent an email to a trusted mentor and asked what advice she could give me. I received a heartfelt response with a boatload of great insight. Like sipping hot cocoa, an instant calmness overtook me. Her advice relieved me, and so did the simple act of reaching out to her.

How does one “get” a mentor, you ask?

First and foremost, consider this: you probably already have a mentor! This person (or group of people) helps you when you panic and celebrates your success. She lends an ear and gives you advice. You trust her opinion because she’s already experienced and mastered the same situation. She’s patient and honest.

Don’t believe me? Try to think of someone in your life who falls into one of these categories; I bet you can.

Someone You Respect Professionally Outside Your Office

This person likely offers you the best of both worlds - a sounding board for your big, crazy ideas; a helping hand when you’re pulling out your hair; and insight into the industry free from office politics. This mentor might not know you super well on a day-to-day level, but his or her experience is so great or inspiring, you trust the advice you receive. This person probably helps you informally, encouraging you from afar to implement ideas independently.

Someone You Respect Personally

This person could be a friend or family member, but he or she goes the extra mile like few others. Not only does he listen to you complain, he also helps you turn the situation around. This person cheerleads your accomplishments, while also keeping you humble.

For me, this person is my dad because he knows me so well and because he has decades of business experience. He always congratulates a success, and he asks what’s next on the journey, too. If a tough situation arises, he talks me through it and follows up later. He’s the kind of person who turns “blame” into “accountability”, and helps me see when I need to own up.

A Group of People You Network With

Do you participate in a Lean In circle (like YPpubmedia’s), a professional development club or even a Facebook group (awesomeness shoutout to the Public Media Women in Leadership group!)? Consider how often you receive advice from these folks and how often you learn from what others share. Even if you’re a fly on the wall, you can glean a lot from the support shared amongst others.

Maybe you don’t have one of these glorious givers of goodness on your team (but I don’t believe you :] ). If so, here are some tips to engage a potential mentor:

Don’t force it. As Brooke Fuchs of Greater Public points out, many mentor/mentee relationships happen naturally - they “just flow and become established on their own, and don’t necessarily need that official title.” There isn’t always a need for the title...

...but maybe you want it! So just ask. You might have someone in mind who you already know pretty well, who could help you learn and grow, but you’re uncertain of his or her other obligations and expectations of the relationship. Do you have his or her email/phone number/Snapchat username? Reach out! Send a note that says, “Will you be my mentor? Check yes [ ] or no [ ].”

Make a point to stop by your supervisor’s desk or schedule periodic 15-minute chats. Ask him or her a specific question that’s bothering you, and hear how he or she would handle it.

Did you just hear a very cool person speak at a conference or present during a webinar? Those things always end with an open call for feedback - use the opportunity to get in touch right then in person, or by email later. Connect to the presentation, and suggest how you could collaborate, formally or informally, to establish a relationship.

The relationship you build with a mentor could last for years or just a few days. If you don’t feel supported, seek advice elsewhere. But don’t shortchange yourself - discomfort can be a sign of personal growth.

If you’re doubting the success of a relationship, check what I consider baseline necessities for a fruitful partnership:

Be respectful of a mentor’s time. This person is busy, just like you, making awesomeness happen! Schedule time to talk, and don’t take it personally if your mentor needs to reschedule.

Ask a specific question, and give a specific answer. This goes back to respecting time, but also helps you receive support where it’s most needed.

Keep things positive, especially if your question involves a heated situation, and embrace an honest response.

Everyone should contribute to the relationship. It’s not up to the mentor to solve all the problems (especially if you work in the same building), and the mentee shouldn’t have to give several reminders to submit a letter of recommendation. Set expectations with one another, and follow through.

Since I started in #pubmedia, some amazing women and men have helped me grow professionally and personally. Their honest insights bring me to the next level, and they model by example.

This is just one gal’s experience. What have your experiences with mentors been like? How have they differed from mine? Tweet to us at @yppubmedia and #yppubmedia!

I love networking and collaborating! Tweet to me @tpea or shoot me an email at tpeltier[at]wskg.org.

#teresa peltier wskg

Becoming a seasoned professional.

Tell us about what you do: In a nutshell, I oversee all of our education, outreach, and community engagement initiatives which focus on every age from birth through adult education, or as we call it here cradle to career. One day I might be providing professional development workshops for educators, and the next I could be dressed up as “Thing 1” for an early childhood outreach event using The Cat in the Hat. There is never a dull moment! What's the best thing happening at your station right now? By far, our efforts with American Graduate. We are working to move the needle on high school graduation rates and college and career readiness. Allowing our teens to have a voice in combatting the dropout crisis is rewarding in so many ways. We are able to mentor them, teach them how to produce mini-documentaries, and afford them the opportunity to learn about various careers, especially in public broadcasting. Who has been a mentor or supporter during your career so far? Bobbi English with Sesame Workshop has definitely been an inspiration and supporter to me. My mom told me I always dreamed of growing up and interviewing Big Bird. I don’t remember saying that, but I did have a desire to work with public broadcasting. Who knew that after all these years I would be doing it? I did not interview Big Bird, but I did get the opportunity to take a picture with Elmo on set. Yay! I've heard you are quite the goal setter. Will you tell us how you set goals and why? Goals provide a target for our future. Without setting them, we are sure to either remain where we are or get off track. I set various types of goals from my daily to-do lists to my longer-term 5 yr. plan so that I don’t get overwhelmed or feel like a failure. I use something I call “the rollover effect.” What I achieve gets scratched off the list. However, what I don’t rolls over allowing me to re-set my goals and start fresh again. :) What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your job? Being a change agent and making a difference are the two things I value most about my job. It is self-fulfilling to know that you are brightening someone else’s day and impacting their future. Outside of your job, how do you grow professionally? Read, read, read. Network, network…did I say network?! Oh, and attend national conferences – I have met a lot of people in the system this way. Get in touch with Maggie: @mesonly1 Linkedin [email protected]

#ypspotlight

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

YPpubmedia