Twenty years in the workforce have resulted in many useful skills; the most valuable skill is the ability to listen and understand, then act.
I love to listen; my two favourite questions are:
- What do you love doing most?
- What frustrates you the most?
You can learn a lot from these two simple questions.
Then it’s time for action.
I co-design resources, mentor teams, and produce emotive digital content.
How I like to work
When humans use time and energy to create, there’s a simple process to follow:
- Baseline: Where are we now?
- Goal: Where do we want to get to?
- Strategy: What do we need to do to get there?
I am equally analytical and creative; a thinker and a doer.
Skills used to get the job done
According to peers I’m a jack of all trades and a master of many. Skills used in a professional capacity, include:
Resource developer and team leader
Strategist Description Based on your objective and available resources, designs a strategy and business/project, which includes discover, design, deliver stages. Why I develop this skill For your team to score you need a goal, a clear strategy, and knowing how to use available resources to reach your goal. Recruitment Officer Description Finds the right team to get the job done; a mix of skills, intuition, values and attitude. Why I develop this skill An agile team with complementing skills and a conducive culture will help you reach your goal sooner and produce better quality product. Team Leader / Mentor Description Inspires and coordinates the team to collaborate and work to the best of their abilities. Why I develop this skill A positive culture with clear direction and celebrating milestones will keep your team motivated. Project Planner / Designer Description Co-designs and plans programs, products, services, resources, events and experiences… Why I develop this skill To develop resources that contribute to a richer quality of life for humans. Project Manager Description Makes sure the team hits project milestones, stays on budget, and tracks the impact of their work. Why I develop this skill To keep the project rolling towards the goal. Automation Officer Description Uses technology to design and automate processes. Why I develop this skill Automation frees up human resources to work on the next stage of business development. Market Research Officer Description Researches the market to discover valuable data and evidence. Why I develop this skill Helps with decision-making when engaging an audience, designing and delivering products, service, systems, events. Collaborator Description Partnering with different stakeholders to achieve outcomes. Why I develop this skill Sometimes valuable skills can be contributed by working with external teams. Supplier / Distributor Manager Description Manages relationships with suppliers and distributors. Why I develop this skill Useful when acquiring resources and streamlining delivery for reaching specific target markets. Accountant / Line Producer Description Manages the budget and cash flow of project(s). Why I develop this skill Utilising cash resources efficiently to achieve a goal. I use these skills to provide and facilitate human centred design workshops. Discover workshops Description Workshops that provoke and inspire. Why I develop this skill To discover people’s values, world views, loves and challenges in life; to identify and define psychographic and demographic groups; to reveal market needs. Design workshops Description Workshops that co-design solutions and/or explore opportunities. Often follows a discover workshop. Why I develop this skill To co-design valuable products, services, processes, systems and events that will enrich people’s lives. Deliver workshops Description Workshops that teach how to effectively engage with target audiences and motivate desired behaviours. Why I develop this skill To help deliver your products, services, systems or events. Keynote presenter Description Engages groups of people about specific topics. Why I develop this skill Introduces new ideas and inspires people to act. I use both online and on-the-ground workshops to engage participants, which includes experiential marketing activities. Each workshop includes preparation time, resource acquisition, tracking impact and a digital component. Yes, I’m excited about this workshop and feel the need to jump. I use these skills to produce valuable content. Master Storyteller Description Complex information can be succinctly delivered through a good story. The master storyteller helps to develop concepts. Why I develop this skill People are motivated and influenced by stories; information travels best via a story; stories with good characters, themes and emotions are memorable. Producer Description Pulls together resources to successfully tell a story/produce content. Why I develop this skill You need resources and a clear plan to produce content. Director Description Directs a production team to successfully tell a story/produce content. Why I develop this skill The director helps makes the concept or idea a reality. Writer Description Designs the original story/content, based on the concept, including theme and tone. Why I develop this skill Every good story or concept starts with words on a page and can end up in many forms including copy on a website, character’s words in a video, etc. Scriptwriter Description The concept is developed into a narrative that will help the director to tell a good story and produce quality content. Why I develop this skill A strong script engages the audience and creates memorable content. Storyboard Artist Description Based on the script, designs a series of images to help visualise the story/content. Why I develop this skill Helps the content team coordinate their production. Animatic Artist (pre-vis) Description Adds sound and movement to the storyboard. Why I develop this skill Helps the content production team visualise the script concept and workshop pacing of the story. Videographer (DoP) Description Operates the camera. Why I develop this skill Well composed visual narratives engage the audience. Sound Recordist Description Operates the audio recording equipment. Why I develop this skill Clean, clear sound helps deliver a clear message. Editor Description Puts the raw footage together into a concise story/content. Why I develop this skill Targeted audience are engaged by the editing style of a story/content that resonates with their values. Composer Description Produces original music to help tell the story/content. Why I develop this skill Music adds additional emotion and helps story/content flow. Sound Designer / Re-Mixer Description Adds foley/effects and mixes the audio of the story/content. Why I develop this skill Clean, clear audio mixes help deliver the message. Journalist Description Interviews people and asks effective questions to gain valuable information. Why I develop this skill Great questions = great answers. Useful when producing talent driven content. Radio / Podcast Producer Description Produces audio driven content. Why I develop this skill Useful to reach the listening audience. Talent Scout / Manager Description Sources and looks after talent featuring in content. Why I develop this skill Great/authentic talent helps sell the story. Colourist Description Balances colour of the visuals to create a visual tone. Why I develop this skill Target audiences respond to the visual tone of the content/story; cool, calm vs warm, passionate, etc. Visual effects / animator Description Embellishes the story/content with non-real visual elements. Why I develop this skill Helps tell the story using visual elements that can’t be done in camera. Photographer Description Still images that tell a story/content. Why I develop this skill A great photo grabs the attention of the target audience. User Generated Content Manager Description Content that is produced and contributed from target audiences. Why I develop this skill Great for understanding and developing relationships with your target audience. Content Distributor Description Distributes content via multiple platforms. Why I develop this skill Knowing which channels your audiences use, influences the content style and distribution method to get great return on investment. CMS and Database Developer Description Develops and maintains websites and content platforms. Why I develop this skill Your businesses online presence and, along with social media, the first contact point of customers. WordPress Specialist Description Develops and maintains WordPress platform. Why I develop this skill Agile CMS for website design – great for testing ideas/concepts. Social Media Manager Description Manages content platforms; nurtures and grows audiences. Why I develop this skill Builds relationships with customers and contributors. Adobe Products Operator Description Creative Suite used for content design. Why I develop this skill Helps you make great content. I mostly use Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects. ProTools Operator Description Music composition and post-production for video/audio. Why I develop this skill Used in 80% of professional audio production studios. I’ve used these skills to work with teams to produce valuable content, whether a quick-turn-around video made with a phone to high-quality documentary or feature films. https://vimeo.com/141507642 Go pro camera on a stick… ends up in the croc’s mouth, but we get it back with some great vision. More about content production. Mini documentary or short film (30s – 15 minutes) Description/Example Content that explores a specific topic. Why is this content useful? Inform your target audience; document work that is being done. Provoke/Inform video Description/Example Creative / unique video content that inspires people to think and respond to a topic or issue. Often content that is designed to attract attention. Why is this content useful? Decision-making; discover and design stages. Attracts new audiences to your business; confirms the values of your business. News/media event Description/Example Content that covers a newsworthy event. Why is this content useful? Informs the target audience about something that is newsworthy and produces a record of accountability. How to… video Description/Example How to… video! Why is this content useful? Instructs your audience; helps them achieve something. Advertising (including TV ads) Description/Example Content that promotes a product, service or event. Why is this content useful? Informs/reminds your target audience about your business and something you offer. Is character driven Description/Example Character(s) takes the audience on a journey. Why is this content useful? People remember and relate to characters; they can easily help spread a story about a character(s) journey. Has an emotional story or narrative arc (hopefully both) Description/Example Beginning: introduce the character/theme/topic; Why is this content useful? People understand life in narrative arcs; this is how stories are told and spread. Has a clear theme and topic Description/Example Staying focused on a single theme or topic per piece of content will deliver a succinct message. i.e. Pet Registration. Why is this content useful? People digest information layer by layer; a clear theme or topic will attract and engage audiences. Informs (or provokes), entertains and inspires Description/Example Provide information; Why is this content useful? People always seek information; engage if the information is delivered in an entertaining way; and share if they are inspired. Discover stage Content used to engage and provoke response from your target audience; great for human centred design. Why is this stage useful? To find out what your target audience cares about. What’s important; what do they love doing; what challenges do they need help with? Design stage Combine data obtained from the discover stage to produce content which provides your team with clarity and focus during the design stage. Why is this stage useful? Collate, filter and deliver the data in a way that is easily understood by your target audience to help them co-design useful products, services and events. Deliver Content Content used to deliver your key messages to your target audiences. Why is this stage useful? Use storytelling and marketing techniques to effectively inform, entertain and inspire your target audience to engage with the product, service or event you’ve designed.
Life experience is the best way to develop skills and knowledge; when traditional qualifications are required, I hold…
Workshop facilitator: Discover, Design, Deliver.
Emotive storyteller (digital content)
5 types of content I am often requested to produce.
Content that is most effective.
Middle: challenge/issue;
End: Resolution/call to action.
influence the audience to feel something;
motivate the audience to act.Content is utilised in each stage of business development.
Qualifications