Part of the Club
It was with excitement that I received a heavy package in the office mail this week. It contained my certificate that confirmed I am now a Certified Environmental Professional. This is not the highest academic achievement I have attained, but it is one I am very proud of.
The designation recognizes my experience in environmental and stakeholder communications as well as my graduate certificate in sustainability, received from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Seattle in 2010. More than anything it means that I have been evaluated by my peers as meeting a standard of excellence.
According the FSC-certified guidebook that came along with the certificate, “the CEP designation provides Canada with an invaluable tool for developing a highly skilled workforce. Environmental professionals demonstrate their ability to meet the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for environmental employment. “
CEPs work in environmental protection, sustainability and resource management sectors and consist of scientists, researchers, educators and communicators.
In short, the EP certification represents the standard of excellence in environmental employment in Canada. They have done so for more than a decade. It feels great to be part of this ‘club’.
I am now connected to a large network of Canadian peers who are both passionate about the environment and who have demonstrated their expertise as environmental professionals. For me this means that I can connect with project partners and follow front-line research much more readily.
Through the CEP designation clients and employers also have a way of separating self-proclaimed experts from those with years of dedication and experience. When it comes to making decisions about how our activities impact our precious environment – it makes sense to be talking to the right people. And the CEP designation helps us all know who they are.
Not to say that there aren’t plenty of experts doing great work without the recognition of a certifying body. There are. It is just that the certification is a kind of shorthand – it lets you know right away if the person you are consulting has met a national standard of excellence. Kind of like knowing that your doctor passed medical school – except this time the patient is the environment.
And we all have a responsibility to provide the best care possible.
Learn more about Certified Environment Professionals at http://eco.ca/certification/
About: Kate Stebbings
Kate Stebbings is Director, Client Strategy, for Communication Solutions. Email Kate Stebbings
More Posts (2)Take a partner
It’s an ongoing challenge in public health outreach and promotion — reaching as many people as possible in the most effective ways possible. So, as health communicators, what strategies can we use to tackle that mountain?
Over the last few years we’ve spoken several times at conferences and public health events about the benefits of identifying and fostering relationships with stakeholder groups in support of improved personal health.
The rationale – awareness and understanding of a health topic will be more accepted and more likely to be acted upon when it comes from a voice people believe in – a doctor, a therapist, support group leader, or non-profit health organization, etc.
Well planned and executed partnership programs rely on a network of like-minded groups to share health promotion messages through their existing communication channels and tools without heavily impeding on their resources. The benefits of this model include increased credibility, cost effectiveness, consistency of message and expanded reach within a health promotion campaign.
Easy to say, harder to do.
At Communication Solutions, we’ve developed an Integrated Health Promotion outline — a short series of questions for project leaders and managers to consider when planning an outreach initiative, which can help form the basis of a measureable stakeholder partnership model.
These questions include:
- Are there opportunities to align or connect with organizations in support of my program or initiative?
- How could my messages align with those being shared by other groups? Would the messages appeal to their audiences?
- Are there new or additional opportunities to create champions of my program or initiative?
- What communication channels and tools could be created or accessed to maximize increased education and information sharing?
In the end, thoughtful investment in a partner program makes it easier for stakeholders to share information and promote action even after funding dollars run out. What successful public health partnerships have you or your organizations been involved in?
About: Jennifer Muir
Jennifer Muir is Director, Client Service, at Communication Solutions. Email Jennifer Muir
Web | More Posts (4)Social Media in 2012
As is routine, the first half of January bring forth predictions from experts in every realm of life. It’s important to know what these experts project for the coming year while maintaining a balanced view fueled by one’s own experiences and perspectives.
Earlier this week, instead of placing myself in the middle of my family members’ various, swirling activities, I chose escape.
I sat in my robe in a quiet corner of my kitchen; reading glasses perched on my nose, and immersed myself in The Economist’s The World in 2012 issue, more specifically the article Sharing the Power of 2012. It went beyond the obvious statement about the future of social media – that information sharing via social media is transforming relationships on every level – with an interesting and alternative view to the common held notion that more time online is leading to alienation from the kind of face-to-face community building of the past.
Instead, the article, (without a byline, or I would credit the author), spoke of a new paradigm of relationships strengthened via social media – a paradigm where “sharing” online via social media supports more involvement, engagement and “in person” community action than ever before. The author credits a recent Pew Institute study that sites Facebook users are more than 2X as likely to participate, in person, in a political meeting or community rally. It’s a dynamic that has been demonstrated through recent social movements like The Arab Spring or the Occupy Movement.
In short, it suggests what starts online does not stay online.
For me and my colleagues, it reinforces our perspective on social media as a communication medium. Information and dialogue through these channels should be integrated with other communication mediums to take someone through a process whereby they express interest, increase their understanding, and are motivated to take personal action, both online and offline. Sometimes that requires an opportunity to express your opinion and the comfort of knowing you are not alone – something that online communities, and dialogue, supports so well.
When individuals find a community of like-minded people united by an issue online, they will feel more empowered to transfer their interest, and their actions, offline and in person, to the opportunity or issue at hand.
About: Sharon Stevens
Sharon Stevens is the owner and CEO of Communication Solutions. Email Sharon Stevens
Web | More Posts (6)In case of emergency
Our team finished ClimateSmart training session last week, which is great, but not because it’s over. In three sessions we learned a lot – impacts of green house gases (GHGs), ways to reduce them inhouse as well as ways we could guide our clients interests in GHG reduction and, most recently, a thorough examamination of carbon offsets.
As part of the program, each participant creates a GHG “inventory”, a snapshot of a business’s contribution to GHGs.
Doing our Climate Smart GHG inventory showed us one of our largest emission sources is employee’s commuting to work. We all live relatively close to the office; however, because of family and life commitments many of us feel we need our vehicles daily.
In our last session, we did an exercise on ways we can get our company on board for reducing carbon outputs. An example was shared of an organization that provided an emergency vehicle for employee’s to use if they had to leave work suddenly and, at the same time, they were encouraged to use public transit, cycle and walk to work rather than take their own vehicle. This way, they would have the comfort of knowing instant transportation was there, in case of emergency.
While our company isn’t able to provide an emergency vehicle for employee’s to use this sparked an idea. We’re investigating a plan where one person drives each week and the other team members take public transit, walk or ride their bikes to work. The person who is on driving duty that week or day would agree to let their vehicle become the “emergency vehicle” for the day.
By knowing they have access to a vehicle in case anything comes up with children or personal life, our team will use more sustainable modes of transportation to get to work.
How does your workplace encourage employees to use sustainable modes of transportation?
About: Amber Yake
Amber Yake is an Account Manager at Communication Solutions. Email Amber Yake
More Posts (6)So Much Strategy Behind “I’m Sorry”
I have always driven my family nuts by analyzing the strategy behind various marketing communication programs or products.
I can’t watch TV without devoting too much analysis to the commercials. I often say aloud whether or not I think an ad worked or how it was made or what creative technique was used to get my attention. So basically, I don’t watch TV anymore. And I am in good company because stats suggest less and less people are watching TV and more are searching for both information and entertainment online. Which is why I feel compelled to give huge kudos to the marketing minds behind the Johnson & Johnson “Triple Sorry” campaign for O.B. Tampons.
OK fellas, bear with me. Sometimes, I see something that reminds me of why I love this business. And this week, it was the “Triple Sorry”. But as is my folly, instead of just appreciating it, laughing, and wanting to share it with my women-folk, I analyzed the strategy behind it. I have no inside information on the success, but I do have 25 years of thinking about marketing communication strategies and based on that, I think it’s brilliant.
Here’s the short of it. Johnson & Johnson failed to provide adequate stock of O.B. tampons, retailers could not stock the shelves, and loyal customers could not find the product for a period of time. What is clearly a marketing and sales crisis that likely resulted in a decrease in sales, frustration and loss of trust among retailers and customers turning to other products, the “Triple Sorry” addresses crisis management, brand loyalty, incentive marketing and will probably result in increased sales — all through an online, personalized apology.
But its not just an apology. It’s everything many women would want — being serenaded by a handsome fellow (wearing white pants no less), showers of rose pedals, white doves and the expression of commitment tattood on your guy’s bicep. This comes all as a way of expressing an authentic apology directly and personally to each and every customer and offering to earn their trust again through a plea to give “O.B.” another try.
It’s the kind of brilliant that makes me wish I could have been part of the team that went through the strategic planning process of knowing what they needed to accomplish, what the customer needed to respond and how to deliver it in a way that is consistent with the company / brand equity. I know once these key questions had answers, the creative brainstorming would have been both free and intense. And to have a client that put the problem on the table and did not restrict the marketing experts from creating a solution — it’s what all of us in this business dream of every day we come to work.
Visit obtampons.ca/apology — type in your name or that of your favorite gal — and be patient while it gets up the nerve to say “I’m sorry”.
About: Sharon Stevens
Sharon Stevens is the owner and CEO of Communication Solutions. Email Sharon Stevens
Web | More Posts (6)Run towards clean air
I consider myself a recreational runner. I lace up my shoes and hit the roads three to four times a week for anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. I never once thought about the air quality until I started working closely with some of our company’s air and health clients. That knowledge instilled a new level of awareness in me when it came to outdoor running and how the air might be affecting my health.
Poor air quality and its impact on athletes is a hot topic in the media with the 2012 Olympics looming and the controversy over London’s air quality.
A topic not addressed as much is what poor air quality means for the recreational athletes – the ones who lace up their sneakers for a run or bike ride four times a week to get some cardiovascular exercise in. Even if their work out is only 30 – 60 minutes a day it has the potential to be detrimental when it comes to long-term health if the air quality is bad.
We breathe more deeply and rapidly than normal when exercising and this allows more air pollution to enter the lungs. Air pollution tends to be higher in the afternoon when there is more traffic and the mixture of heat and air begins to worsen air quality. Therefore, when possible, runners should try to work out in the morning.
But what about those who cannot? Is it better to run through poor air quality than not run at all?
According to this report by the Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC), if the air quality is poor runners are better to reduce the amount of time they work out, take the day off or consider taking their workout inside.
Bottom line is it’s important for recreational athletes to be aware of the air quality in their community by getting in the habit of checking it the way they would check the weather before lacing up for a run.
Their lungs – and health – will thank them.
Do you regularly check the air quality in your community before exercising outdoors?
About: Amber Yake
Amber Yake is an Account Manager at Communication Solutions. Email Amber Yake
More Posts (6)Your attention, please
As a conference presenter, I often speak on the important stages of behaviour-change communication. I’ve shared our approach on getting attention, increasing awareness, supporting engagement and encouraging action, to program and policy planners, health and environment scientists and other communication and outreach professionals in Canada and the US.
The message is basically this – too many social marketing programs start at the end and don’t include enough communication foreplay. And too many get way too detailed way too early.
My focus – especially to highly technical and scientific members of the audience – is a warning, really.
‘Don’t suffer from the curse of knowledge’ – a reference aptly used by Chip and Dan Heath in their book Made to Stick.
The curse leads us to ask people to take action (share info, sign up for something or behave differently) when they haven’t also been given what they need to pay attention in the first place, and better yet, increase their understanding once they are interested.
Imagine a room full of delegates at the Congress of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. This was one of my speaking gigs earlier this year. They had been debating the future of our oceans and atmosphere. I make my entrance – the lone social science speaker who delivers a presentation on health social marketing with lots of simple visuals, compelling audio clips and illustrative examples. It’s my way of getting people’s attention so they are more interested in my story. I’m working to practice what I preach.
The intent is to compel others to reconsider how they share information – especially if they’re hoping laypeople will pay attention and perhaps someday do something different – like change their behaviour – in a way that protects our air, oceans, land and water.
Behaviour change communication is an approach that starts with the assumption that you have to gain people’s attention before you can ask them to learn or do something in support of a personal or universal benefit.
And it is one that’s entrenched in almost every communication program or initiative our firm leads. We’ve developed a webinar, which you can view above, that speaks to the important elements of behaviour change communication and uses recent examples from some of our social marketing work to illustrate the process.
Tell us about the strategies you’ve employed focusing on the stages of behaviour change communication – especially on that most important step — getting attention.
About: Sharon Stevens
Sharon Stevens is the owner and CEO of Communication Solutions. Email Sharon Stevens
Web | More Posts (6)Where Will Santa Live – Brilliant campaign by the David Suzuki Foundation
As a marketing and communication firm focused on health and environment initiatives, we know how hard it can sometimes be to get people to stop, understand and act in ways that benefit personal health and the health of the planet. This is especially true during the holidays when we may have our minds on other things like shopping lists, meal planning and events.
Despite distractions, the David Suzuki Foundation’s recent ‘Where will Santa Live’ campaign has cleverly inserted itself into the merriment. It’s asking Canadians to make charitable donations by purchasing symbolic gifts such as reindeer water wings, elf-sized hockey sticks or a dri-fit Santa suit. Donations go toward developing a clean, renewable energy plan for Canada.
What unique marketing programs addressing health and the environment during the holiday season have you noticed or admired?
About: Amber Yake
Amber Yake is an Account Manager at Communication Solutions. Email Amber Yake
More Posts (6)Our Company’s Sustainability Headline
We work with a number of clients across the country with health and environment goals, but know it’s as important to spend time focusing the lens on our own organization’s contributions to sustainability. One action we’ve taken recently as a company in that regard is identifying, measuring and reducing our carbon footprint through the Climate Smart program.
This week we attended the second of three training sessions focused on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. We started the session off with a fun, brainstorming exercise. We were asked to create a news headline that encompassed our company’s big goal or vision for the future; something to shoot for five, 10, or even 20 years out. Vancouver’s vision to be the greenest city in the world by 2020 was one example.
We came up with two headlines that encompassed some of our organization’s sustainability goals. Our first headline – Marketing Company Brings Rooftop Produce to Market – focuses on a vision we’ve had for rooftop herb gardening and composting.
The second headline – Communication Solutions Finds its Place in the Sun – is a play on words regarding our “Place in the Sun” video for the City of Kamloops. It refers to a much larger and long term vision where our company would be based out of a solar-powered office space.
This exercise was just what we needed to get the ball rolling for the remainder of the session where we brainstormed ways all participants in the session could reduce GHG emissions. Who knows, one day in the future updates on this blog may be coming to you from a solar-powered office. And the timing for our brainstorming couldn’t be better. We also just learned our local city council just voted to make it mandatory for all new homes to have solar hot water “readiness”, joining 36 other BC municipalities who have made similar commitments.
What is your company’s sustainability vision? What would your “headline” be?
About: Amber Yake
Amber Yake is an Account Manager at Communication Solutions. Email Amber Yake
More Posts (6)Our total business review
It’s amazing how the Total Business Review we participated in more than a year ago — through internationally renowned agency management guru David Baker of ReCourses – benefits our day to day work, our decision making and direction. Baker’s advice helped us to recognize the benefits of narrowed expertise, improve our definition of roles, and create focused positioning related to our experience. It’s been quite a transformational process at Communication Solutions, and even in our “infancy” of implementation, the advantages are felt. If you manage anything, we recommend you read David’s newest book, Managing Right for the First Time.
About: Jennifer Muir
Jennifer Muir is Director, Client Service, at Communication Solutions. Email Jennifer Muir
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