Time to rethink communications. It’s summer – at least, in the Southern Hemisphere it is. And the New Year is a good time to prepare for the year ahead.
Are you still on a holiday break? Or perhaps you’re back at work, experiencing the post-festivities lull before everything speeds up again.
Either way, here are 6 cool tips to help you be the ‘hot ticket’ this summer (or any time).
Promise yourself, as you organise your week, to block out some time to plan for 2024. That way, you’ll make sure you’re ready for any opportunities that come your way.
6 cool tips for the hot days ahead
(And if you’re heading into winter where you live, then it’s a case of ‘new year, new start’)
#1. Rethink communications – do an audit
Whether you have a job, or run your own business, it’s always important to send the right messages.
Any time is a good time to rethink communications. The start of a new year happens to be the best time.
Refresh your résumé
Your resume might be your only opportunity to communicate with prospective employers.
If your CV has been languishing in the dark, why not give it an extra summer shine. It’s easier to keep your work history and relevant skills up to date if you revise them regularly.
Your next dream job could be on the horizon, and if your CV is looking good, the process of applying will be less of a hassle.
Rethink communications in your business
Take a fresh look at your website, your blog, your social media presences. Give your printed promotional materials an overhaul and refresh your letter and email templates. Rethink all communications you send to current and potential clients.
- What first impressions do they make?
- Is your message precise, elegant and consistent?
- Are your communications exactly right for your purpose and for your target market?
- Does the style convey what your business is about?
- Does everything you send out say, ‘We are expert professionals’?
Communications matter
You might be looking for employment, promoting your goods and services or producing content. Regardless of what you are communicating, the way you do it really makes a difference.
Clumsy sentences, grammatical and spelling errors, or a poor choice of style can send the wrong message about you.
Get your communications right for 2024.
Don’t forget your personal communication skills, either. There’s nothing worse than undoing the good things you achieve through your other communications by presenting poorly in person or on the phone
Read Public Speaking … Who, Me? for basic tips about face to face communication.
#2. Revisit your career and business goals
When you wrote your 2023 goals at the start of last year, you probably had clear directions in mind. Did you stay on track, though? If you did, given the year we all had, you’re probably way ahead of the pack.
Have you ticked off all your goals? Or did you at least take action that brought you closer to achieving them?
Didn’t write any last January? Never mind. Go straight to Tip #2 and start now.
#3. Set some SMART goals for 2024
Most of us know what SMART goals are. They’ve been around for a long time, but perhaps that’s because they work.
The good thing about Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely goals have process and incentives ‘built-in’. That means added value, in terms of clarity and a greater chance of success.
Contact me for a free visual presentation on SMART Goals.
You might also be interested in my suggestions for SMART Meetings For Smart Managers.
#4. Update your contact list
Now is the perfect time to make sure you have updated contact details for prospects, clients, new introductions, fresh faces you ‘met’ on Zoom and people who gave you their cards at those ‘real life’ networking events that now seem to be in the far distant past.
Find the business cards, the scraps of paper, and the emails, and file all the details in your contact book or on a spreadsheet. Don’t forget to add a brief note about each person’s role and interest areas, and the context of your meeting.
See more about maximising benefits from your contacts in Networking – Let’s Spell It Out.
And now, when you rethink communications with your contacts, consider how their working mode, or location, might have changed during 2022, and adjust the details accordingly.
#5. Talk to me
If you agree it’s time to refresh your approach and you need help in any of these areas, then please get in touch.
- I can offer useful resources and tools to help you set directions and goals for the year ahead, and spruce up your personal or business communications
- You can subscribe to my monthly newsletter (if you haven’t already)
- I offer writing and/or editing services for all your communications material.
And, as for your contact list, don’t forget to add Janette Parr Consulting.
#6. There is no #6
Except to say:
Happy New Year! It’s summer, so break out the cool drinks, and don’t forget the sunscreen.
(And if it’s not yet summer for you, it will be, before you know it)