Kem Meyer's Blog, page 22

Creative, visual and inspiring…numbers?

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To continue my rant encouragement about "up-ing our game" and doing the work to paint a picture and tell stories with numbers, I thought I'd share another example.  We worked with teams at Pursuant Group and RSI to keep people in our church up to date during our recent campaign.

The pledge totals and testimonials were constantly updating–real time. It created a sense of urgency, ownership and shared a narrative all along the way. It took work to figure it out how to pull it off technically (a combination of manual and automated behind the scenes processes), but was worth it. The end result was a BIG win.

"If you tell me, it's an essay. If you show me, it's a story." —Barbara Greene

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Why stop at calculate when you can actually motivate?

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There's a lot of joking that happens about me around the topic of budgets and numbers. All the good-natured digs circulate around this general theme: "Kem hates numbers and spreadsheets…she only likes pretty pictures." Well, it's about time I went on record to set the story straight. I don't hate numbers or spreadsheets. I hate BORING numbers and spreadsheets. As with ANY type of communication, the proper context and presentation can take information to new levels of inspiration. Why settle for calculations when you can deliver motivation? THAT'S my point.

Fact is, I'm a huge reporting advocate. I am a big time champion for data metrics and measurements. Skip this step  and you  risk making decisions on incomplete information. Good data (read: numbers) can provide significant insight not only about finances but also about audience behaviors, patterns, content responsiveness, social trends, etc. I get it. You get it. But, what is just as important as the data is that we present that data so it's clear and  usable to all stakeholders (the left brains AND the right brains). The more people you have acting on the data, the better. Am I right?

You have a choice. Simply hand me a spreadsheet and tell me to manage my numbers. (Yawn.) Or, add a few simple visuals to help bring the data to life. (Now, I'm leaning in.) Need a quick sample? Compare this to this. See what I mean?

"Everybody experiences far more than he understands. Yet it is experience, rather than understanding, that influences behavior." Marshall McLuhan

If you're not paying attention to data, you need to. Start reporting to keep watch on numbers, trends and stories to make sure what you're doing is actually delivering what you think it is.

If you're already committed to data, metrics and reporting, you have the opportunity to take it up a notch. Just a few simple adjustments can make the data come to life for a broader audience.

Include sparklines, arrows and percentage changes to show trends and context.
Add a summary page to a report packet that bullets out the points of interest highlights.
Track not only stats and trends via numbers, but stories as well. One of our team leaders started a "Weekly Chatter Report" that summarizes everything people are saying in social media we should be aware of (good, bad, neutral). It's real-time user feedback.
Introduce scorecards. They highlight smaller snapshots of a bigger picture (where one number alone doesn't cover all of the touchpoints). (HT: Jon Edmiston for the inspiration)
Use a few colors to increase scanability (e.g., red bad, green good, yellow neutral,etc.).

It feels good to get this off my chest. I don't hate numbers. Let's just stop being boring about it. You in?

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Why I'm flying across the country for Cultivate…

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As much as I love the West Coast, I don't get there very often. It's a long way from home and I've got a job, family and budget I'm trying to juggle here. Trips to California rarely, if ever, make the final cut when I'm trying to balance my personal relational, physical and financial budget. You get it–we can have everything we want, we just can't have it all at once. Am I right?

Well, this year, a trip to California actually made the cut. Why? Because the Cultivate Conference is a unique event with an original line-up. The ultimate value-add comes when this event flattens the conference hierarchy to a conversational experience. It's an interactive environment where you get to collaborate directly with the people making things happen in ministry and social justice. I love it. [More here, here and here.]

The mornings are conversations between audience & speakers and the afternoons are smaller discussions around specific topics (e.g., multi-site communications, texting, leveraging social media, etc). Can you get to Huntington Beach, CA on May 4-5? If so, you'll be in good company with:

Erik Qualman , author of Socialnomics and producer of the "Social Media Revolution" videos
Mark Horvath ,  Activist for Invisible People
Shelene Bryan , movie producer, speaker and the founder of Skip1.org.
Phil Cooke , Filmmaker, producer and author
Charles Lee , CEO of Ideation
Mel McGowan , president and founder of Visioneering Studios
Danny Yount , film and television title designer

 

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I've got a lot of work to do…

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Over the next two weeks, I've got more presentations to prepare for at once than I can ever remember. It's going to be a busy couple of weeks–it sure would help if I could kick this cold while I'm at it. Here's a summary of the schedule…

Next week (April 26-29), I'll be in Orlando, Florida at the Exponential Conference.

Wednesday, 9AM-noon

Less Clutter. Less Noise. Are people letting you in or shutting you out?

Pre-Conference Intensive with Tim Schraeder & Justin Wise
Wednesday, 3-4 PM

Communication that fosters buy-in & teamwork
Wednesday, 4:15-5:15 PM

Digital alternatives to traditional communication
Thursday, 10:30-11:30 AM

Staffing with Mark Beeson, Tim Stevens and Rob Wegner
Thursday, 2:45-3:45 PM

Less Clutter. Less Noise.

The following week, May 4-5, I'll be in Southern California at the Cultivate Conference.

And, then onto Ft. Wayne, Indiana on May 7 for the Digital Gospel Conference (my father-in-law's alma mater).

Less Clutter. Less Noise.
Social Media & Ministry

Whew! Maybe I'll see you in Florida, California or Indiana over the next couple of weeks.

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If you are the parent of challenging teen, this is worth a look…

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A friend of mine shared a link to a blog written by a single mom of 3 teens. Identities are anonymous to protect the relationships involved, but the authenticity is loud even in the absence of names and places.

I was moved.

I appreciate the struggle of trying to parent in the face of challenging circumstances and preconceived notions. I relate with the emotions of mistakes made and attempts to get it right (even if I didn't start right).

If you've ever had trouble reconciling parenting "advice" with a unique kid who isn't responding well…I encourage you to check this out. The author brings a fresh voice outside cliche answers and gets to what love looks like; Jesus.

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If you're looking for a worship production director job…

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I heard Ginger Creek is looking for one.  I know a cool cat that works there, too. Just passing along the info, folks. And, now you know.

 

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The best stories are from the people who were there…

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I am jazzed about this "ripped from the headlines" experience that starts April 30.

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Believe it or not, the mob boss is a friend of mine.

Get the rest of the schedule at GCCwired.com

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It's been awhile since I've blogged on the go…

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I haven't blogged from my phone since I switched to WordPress a few months ago. This post is just a test to see if everything is working so I can start blogging on the go again.

Plus, I had a very important meeting yesterday.

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My slides from the Texas Ministry Conference…

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I've gotten a few requests from people asking me to upload my breakout slides from The Texas Ministry Conference. Probably won't make much sense unless you were there. But, for those who were… enjoy.

Less Clutter. Less Noise.
Social Media & Ministry.

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I've got a new favorite song…

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Yep, it's true. My friend Seth was once in a brutal throw down. Trust me…you've never seen a sing-off this brutal.

Don't cry for Seth. He bounced back and has a new CD releasing March 22! I got an advance copy and am telling you "No One Else" is my new favorite song. I've had it on repeat all day. Great job, Seth. I'm proud of you.

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