Deft Communications

The Scourge of the Twitter Auto-DM

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Here’s a photo of an exchange I had on Twitter with a recent follower, who I kindly followed back. I’ve blocked out his name and photo to save any potential embarrassment.

Twitter Auto-DMs are tacky and awful.

For those of you unfamiliar with this phenomenon (and who may be questioning my seeming unprovoked bitchiness), some people have their Twitter accounts set to automatically send you a direct message once the two of you follow each other. As people attempt to grow their networks, they’ll cast a huge net and follow a bunch of random people hoping for a few followbacks. (I ain’t no followback girl! – Gwen Stefani, as a hacky jokewriter)

Quick aside: I choose to followback more often than not even though I know these craven social climbers are probably immediately muting me as soon as they’ve got the connection, but hey, I’m trying to grow something, too. Granted, I’m not willing to do the social media equivalent of just dragging my net along the bottom of the river to see what gets caught in there, but a little follower bump barter is generally okay with me.

The thinking behind this type of transaction is that if what you’re getting is a followback, whoever you’ve just connected with probably didn’t bother to look at whatever you’re peddling with any great detail. A direct message is a lesser used channel that is almost guaranteed to get a look from your newest connection, so why not send a pre-written message to all your new followers?

I’ll reiterate here what I said to Mr. Auto-DM above. Because automated direct messages are tacky and awful. Instead of inspiring people to check out your work, I’d argue they have the opposite effect. I will never click a link sent to me in an Auto-DM because I want nothing to do with a product, an artist, or a project that mercenary.

Hey, new follower I’ve never met and have been connected with for five seconds… I bet you’ll love this thing I’m working on!

Ohmygod it’s like you know me better than I know myself! I was hoping someone would cold pitch me something I’ve never heard of up until this very moment via form text!

I like Twitter and defend it to the doubters, the scoffers and the non-believers. The reason I defend it is because I curate my own stream. It’s an opt-in service, and like most things in life, you get out of it what you put in.

The exception to that rule: Auto-DMs. No one opts in to the Twitter Auto-DM. It’s the door-to-door salesman of the social media world. Uninvited. Unwelcome. Tactless.

Do not send a Twitter Auto-DM.

Jon of All Trades Podcast Featured in Denver Post Article

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Naturally, as the show goes on hiatus, a bunch of cool stuff happens to the Jon of All Trades Podcast. Three separate people reached out to me and introduced me to fascinating potential guests, a handful of people I’ve thought about pitching for a while come out of the woodwork to reconnect with me, and the Denver Post interviews me as part of their story this week about Denver podcasts.

John Wenzel, Denver Post entertainment reporter, called me earlier this week and asked me if he could talk to me about Jon of All Trades. He was writing about the 150th episode anniversary of the These Things Matter Podcast, and he expanded the piece to include other notable Denver podcasts. I was flattered he reached out at all, and then thrilled when he told me my podcast stood out from others in Denver because it was a thematic departure from the typical “comedians interviewing other comedians” format of many others.

I love the way the piece turned out, and I’ve got three grafs right in the middle. The real kick in the pants is at the bottom, where John provides a local podcast sampler. Here’s what he wrote about me:

“Jon of All Trades”

On this rare business-oriented podcast, Jon Ekstrom indulges his professional curiosity with the oddly compelling minutia of wildly random jobs. jonofalltrades.us

Dammit, that’s a better description of my show than I’ve ever written. I hate it when people know my stuff better than I do.

No I don’t. That’s a gift. Thanks, John! And thanks for including me in your article.

 

Presentation Tip #1: Be aware of your time limit

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Deft Communications specializes in helping our clients prepare for all manner of presentations, whether it’s going on camera as a spokesperson, delivering a keynote speech to a large auditorium, or simply conducting a small team meeting. This blog series will periodically provide best practices for any type of presentation you do. This week’s Presentation Tip #1 is about being aware of your time limits.

Presentation Tip #1: Be aware of your time limit
Presentation Tip #1: Be aware of your time limit

As a public speaking instructor for college students, one of the most frequent complaints I receive – at least once a semester – regarded the seemingly draconian penalties I handed out for exceeding the time limit on any given speech assignment. The common argument was that a time limit was arbitrary, and that a speech should be allowed to go as long as the topic warranted, and then judged on the merit of its content.

What I end up explaining time and again is that adhering to the time limit is a key indicator of the merit of a speech’s content. When schooling functions at its highest level, it serves as preparation for real world conditions. And in the real world, we deal with seemingly arbitrary limitations all the time. Learning to navigate those limitations effectively is what breeds nimble, successful professionals.

In terms of public speaking opportunities, only in the very rarest of circumstances will you be given a blank slate on what to speak, and for how long. Virtually no one is given that kind of free reign. You will almost certainly be given time constraints, and while staying within them can be challenging, I think time limits are better viewed as a gift.

A time limit is an opportunity to hone and tailor your presentation to its most optimal. Do you have five minutes to present? You’d better make those five minutes count. That means distilling your material to its most impactful elements and focusing on that which you want your audience to think, do or feel. Understanding your presentation from the point of view of your audience might also help you understand it better as the presenter.

On a more practical note, adhering to the allotted time also demonstrates respect for your fellow presenters. If you’re participating on a panel during a day featuring multiple presentations, when you don’t adhere to the time limit, you’ve just taken time from someone else. Let’s say there’s three panelists, each given 20 minutes. If you go 25, you’ve forced your fellow presenters to shave five minutes from one (or from a combination of both) of their presentations. That can be viewed as careless at best, and disrespectful at worst.

Know your time limit ahead of time, tailor your presentation to fit the allotted time and focus on the key takeaway for your audience. Then deliver your material confidently. You’ll portray yourself as knowledgeable, poised, and respectful of your audience.

Opening Day

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rockies logo

Today is Opening Day, and Kristin, Grace and I are headed down to 20th and Blake. We treat Opening Day like a holiday, and look forward to it every year. And when you think about it, Opening Day is like a holiday.

What holiday is it? I like to think of it as the Sneak Preview to Summer. It’s like getting an advance screening of what your life will be like once the weather gods decide to stop messing with everyone. The sun shines, you’re gathered around friends, maybe drinking a few beers, and passing the afternoon with a ballgame. It’s fantastic, and it’s easy to forget that it will probably snow at least two more times before summer officially arrives.

I was having lunch recently with Reed Saunders, who is the Public Address Announcer for the Rockies (he’s also the groom in this classic Rockies commercial), and he confirmed the same thing to me. We’ve had a remarkable run of luck weather-wise for Opening Day. It will be good to hear his voice boom over the P.A. once again. I missed it last year because I was trapped on conference calls all day and into the afternoon, which made me unhappy in ways I don’t think are healthy.

This year’s Opening Day is also special because it’s the first one for Grace. When we found out Kristin was pregnant, this is how we announced it on social media:

birth announcement

So it’s cool to sort of bring it full circle with her. I hope she enjoys the experience, even though she won’t remember it.

So, if you’re headed down to Coors Field today, hit us up. We’ll be happy to share a beer or some peanuts with you. And hey, the Rockies are off to a promising start. Even better!

Happy Opening Day, everyone!

Filed Under: Fun

Tennis

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One of my mentors was Jeff Julin, President of MGA Communications. He imparted on me wisdom that I use to this day, which guides much of my thinking when it comes to all manner of communications.

When he conducted media trainings, he likened interviews to games of tennis. A question asked is analogous to your opponent hitting the ball to a part of the court to which they want you to run. Granted, interviews shouldn’t be viewed as adversarial, and the word “opponent” is imprecise, but bear with me.

Once the question is asked, it’s then your job to run to that part of the court and receive the ball, or, in the context of an interview, answer the question. While it’s imperative to answer the question (lest you look like this), you, as the interviewee, are then presented with an opportunity. You don’t have to hit the ball back to the interviewer directly. Doing so would be an opportunity wasted.

Once you’ve answered the question, you can steer the conversation where you want it to go. To continue this extended metaphor, you can hit the ball back to anyplace on the court you wish. It’s then incumbent upon your opponent to respond accordingly. Of course, then they have an opportunity, and so on. The conversation continues to unfold in this manner until it reaches its natural conclusion.

In an interview, we don’t always know what questions are going to be asked or how they’re going to be phrased. No one can predict this with 100% accuracy. What matters is how we react to the questions that are asked, and how we achieve whatever positive outcome we desire. We do this by reacting nimbly and confidently, but also by asserting control and seizing opportunities when they arise.

This is the philosophy of our business, and why we fancy ourselves Deft. Tennis players are swift, resourceful and improvisational. They’ve honed these skills through years of practice.

So have we. We quickly assess the situation, respond appropriately, then look for opportunity. Whether this is in an interview, or in planning strategically for the next growth phase of your business, it’s the approach we bring to every project we undertake, big or small. Good communications tactics are only worth doing if they’re serving and enhancing your core business needs.

We’re nimble. We’re savvy. We’re Deft.

And we look forward to working with you.

Deft Communications: Official Launch Announcement

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Laid Off From Noble Energy, Former Public Relations Representative Launches New Communications and Training Firm

DENVER (April 8, 2015) – Jonathan Ekstrom, recently let go from Noble Energy, Inc. after serving as their Denver-based Public Relations Representative for the past 4+ years, has launched Deft Communications, a communications counseling firm specializing in communications training, content creation, employee engagement and employee activation.

“There’s a famous quote from Winston Churchill,” said Ekstrom. “It goes: ‘A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.’ As Noble Energy restructures in response to the collapse in commodity prices, I could either feel sorry for myself about losing my job, or look at this as an opportunity to try something new and be my own boss. I chose the latter. It’s exciting!”

While at Noble Energy, Ekstrom served in a variety of roles. He previously served as the on-the-record spokesman for the Colorado region, managed the company’s regional charitable giving portfolio and served on a variety of boards and committees for trade groups and other organizations. Most recently, Ekstrom worked extensively on Noble Energy’s effort to further enhance the public’s understanding of the oil and gas development process – most notably “fracking” – through the company’s internal training program and community outreach events.

Deft Communications will have a similar focus, but will look to expand this philosophical approach to other industries, while continuing work in oil and gas. “What I’ve found in my time in this industry is that sometimes companies take for granted their most important stakeholders – their employees. Your employees are your ambassadors. Are you getting the most out of them you can?” asked Ekstrom. “That’s what I specialize in.”

Before working at Noble Energy, Ekstrom worked at MGA Communications, Policy Communications, and the Colorado Oil & Gas Association. He received both his Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees in Speech Communication from Colorado State University. He is a Colorado native.

In March 2014, Ekstrom launched the Jon of All Trades Podcast, where he serves as host and executive producer.

“Noble Energy wished me the best in future endeavors,” said Ekstrom. “I offer the same wish for them. I appreciate the opportunities they afforded me and I adore those I worked with in the Denver and Greeley offices, but I’m ready for the next phase of my professional life.”

# # #

Jonathan Ekstrom
Principal
Deft Communications
720.936.2393
Jon@deftcom.us
https://www.deftcom.us