If you want to know what it’s like to run 100 miles in the mountains, here is an abridged version of Peter’s account, written in Peter’s classic understated style. (Nice photo Pete … love the Billy Idol face)

The race started with almost ideal conditions: mid 40s temperatures under a clear starry sky.  The first check point was 13.5 miles in and it took me about 2 hours 25 minutes. 

I kept an easy pace thru the 40 mile mark and felt comfortable as the sun came out.  This check point was critical as the trail went from 9,000 to 12,600 feet in just 3 miles. 

The climb up to Hope Pass was grueling.  I had a hard time gauging my effort and keeping my heart rate at a threshold level.  It was slow moving, and I knew that I was losing valuable time.

I was only 45 minutes ahead of the cutoff at the next checkpoint.  At Leadville, runners have 30 hours to get to the end, but they also must reach checkpoints within certain time limits.  If you fall behind these times, race officials will pull you from the course and your race is over.  This adds an enormous mental burden to the race, and you constantly start to ask, “Am I running fast enough?” 

Mile 50 gave me a boost as I met my pacer Jon.  Jon helped me go right back up the same mountain I had just come down from.  Our pace was much quicker than my solo effort despite tired legs.

I had not eaten much thru these first 60 miles.  I had stayed hydrated and was taking in calories with energy gels, but I knew I was undernourished.  My stomach was starting to really feel bad which, in turn, caused me to eat even less and so began the downward spiral. 

Running slowly morphed into power walking as I picked up my next pacer, Drew, and got ready for the final big climb of the day at Powerline.  Drew stayed incredibly positive and encouraged me to push up that mountain.  I was filled with relief when we reached mile 85 and started heading back down.

The sun was starting to come up and this gave me a bit of a lift as I pulled into the last aid station.  It all came down to this: I had 3 hours and 55 minutes to go 13.5 miles.  I knew it was going to be close.

Drew and I worked hard over the final section.  That next hour of running was the hardest effort of my life.  I dug deeper than I thought possible, and when I emerged from the forest with 4 miles to go, I had about 2 hours to get to the line. Only then did I start to think I was going to make it.

I cruised comfortably toward the finish and was greeted with a hug from a volunteer who said four words I will never forget, “welcome back to Leadville.”  What a feeling to finally finish and get some sleep!

It took me 29 hours and 34 minute to finish the Leadville 100 Trail Run.  The mountains, the altitude, and the overall distance make this a pretty tough event.  I owe so much to my crew, Chris and Matt, as well as my pacers, Jon and Drew.  Without the help of those four people, I could not have completed the run.  Thanks guys!

During those cherished moments, when all electronic devices must be turned off, and just prior to our reaching an acceptable altitude for turning them back on, I revel in the simplicity of scanning the news, page by page, section by section. Despite the convenience and ease of surfing online for news, I still find that I am able to absorb a broader swath of information in a quicker period of time with wonderful, smudgy newsprint in hand.

As we approached cruising altitude, I stumbled upon a story on page A12, the front of the National section. The title was catchy enough: “Good Will to All, With a Side of Soft-Serve.” What followed was one of the more engaging human interest news stories that I’ve read in a while. A heart-warming fish-out-water story about one man, Hamid Chaudhry, who has turned his Dairy Queen in rural Kenhorst, PA into the philanthropic epicenter of his community.

In and of itself, it’s a great read. But for anyone who has ever wished they could get a human interest story in a major newspaper like the Times, I would also recommend that you observe the composite elements of the story: A dynamic central character, a challenge that must be overcome (doesn’t have to be Shackleton-esque), an unexpected juxtaposition (philanthropic hotbed vs. Dairy Queen) and lots of wonderful anecdotes and details to put meat on the bones of the story.

There are many other fine models for a good story to be certain, but this one follows the standard template. And it works well. Thanks to Dan Barry for writing a great piece. Thanks to the NY Times for providing permalinks to stories that are not subject to your new digital subscription mandate. And thanks to Hamid for demonstrating that the act of giving is sometimes enough to merit a story in the New York Times.

1) Entrepreneurs: It’s Not What You Do, It’s Why You Do It, by Chris Cameron / A short post (written over a year ago) that talks about motivational speaker Simon Sinek’s view on the importance of the WHY over the WHAT. This philosophy meshes very closely with my own. In fact, I spend a fair amount of time blabbing about the importance of the WHY.

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. And what you do serves as the proof of what you believe.”

2) Broadcasting Money, by Lucy Bernholz / Great read about a very cool social experiment involving a Starbucks gift card and its implications for philanthropy. OH … and you’ll be able to get free coffee at Starbucks now if you read this (seriously).

“Here are the instructions for using Jonathan Stark’s card. Note, you can get a coffee and give a coffee. Basically, he’s got one loadable card that anyone can use for payment or add funds to for others to use.”

3) We Declare a Moratorium on Butt-Backwards Planning, by Holly Minch / This well-respected nonprofit communications consultant shares a mortifying professional gaffe that she made while interning for the Sierra Club, and the lessons learned from the experience.

“The research for this report turned me into a real dud, full of gloomy facts. Livestock generated 2.7 trillion pounds of poop annually…..”

1) Taking a Risk Is Not Immoral, by Dan Pallotta / A great read about the double standard society has with risk-taking.

“If an organization cannot take risks with donor funds in pursuit of brilliant ideas for increasing the size and scale of the organization and its revenues, then it cannot grow at any meaningful level.”

2) Living Very, Very Narrowly, by Robert Krulwich / Check out what could be the narrowest human living space EVER.

“…a trip from bed to toilet will require crawling down the mattress, over a chair, down a ladder and then sideways through the dining and kitchen area. Opening a refrigerator will require stepping into a different room, but hey, some people might find this charming.“

3) MOVE, Rick Mereki / Not a read … a watch. This is one of the cooler videos I’ve seen in a while. Reminds me of the video with that guy who dances a crazy jig in exotic locales around the world.

“3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage… all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ….into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films…..”

]]> http://communicategood.wordpress.com/2011/08/05/good-friday-reads-august-5-2011/feed/ 0 Rich http://communicategood.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/you%e2%80%99re-doing-what-for-charity/ http://communicategood.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/you%e2%80%99re-doing-what-for-charity/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:13:04 +0000 Rich Polt http://communicategood.wordpress.com/?p=945 ]]> Last Friday, I received an email from my friend Peter Christie. It was one of those pseudo-formulaic charitable appeals that have become ever so common these days. Like an altruistic version of Mad Libs, they all begin the same way: Dear Friends and Family, On (date), I will be (running, biking, hiking, swimming, walking) in the (name of event) to support (cause).

Like so many other email appeals, Peter’s followed the form to a tee. It was splendidly unremarkable. So matter-of-fact in tone, that after just a few words of the note I filed it away in my Things-to-Read-Later folder. “Dear Friends and Family, On Saturday, August 20th, I will be running the…” Had I read the subject line, I would not have been so dismissive.

In retrospect, I should have known this was not going to be the typical fundraising appeal. Peter is an athlete and he is also understated as hell. That’s a lethal combination. For much of 2009 and 2010, Peter and I rode together in the same cycling group. Peter was consistently one of the strongest in the bunch, yet his training was sporadic and undisciplined. With three kids and a demanding job, Peter would still find time for his family and volunteering in the community.

So how was this “weekend warrior” on the bike always able to hang with the seasoned racers? When I finally got around to reading his email, I had my answer. It would seem that Peter is also a bit of a runner. His letter read:

Dear Friends and Family, On Saturday, August 20th, I will be running the Leadville 100 Trail Run to support Epiphany School. I will have 30 hours to complete the 100 mile odyssey which will take me through some of the most beautiful and challenging parts of the Colorado Rockies, at elevations that start at 9,200 and go up to 12,600 feet. To understand why I would try to tackle such a difficult ultra-marathon, you need to understand a bit more about Epiphany School…

That was all his email had to say about his little charity run. The remainder of the note was squarely focused on Boston’s Epiphany School, of which Peter is a board member. To put it in perspective, Peter hopes to run a distance that is just shy of four marathons, while climbing over 15,000 feet (the height of 12.5 Empire State Buildings) in less than 30 hours. It’s an amazing feet of athleticism and mental resolve. But I’m sure Peter would say that it’s nothing when you consider what Epiphany School has been able to accomplish for disadvantaged boys and girls in Boston.

In fact, before leaving Boston last year, I had the privilege of meeting the school’s founder and Head, John Finley, along with some of his accomplished students. I understand why Peter is doing what he’s doing. Epiphany School is an independent, tuition-free middle school for boys and girls from economically disadvantaged families. New students are admitted using a lottery system that is blind to academic ability and promotes a school community that reflects the diversity of faiths, races and cultures of the surrounding Boston neighborhoods. In each new class, 20% of seats are reserved for children who are involved with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families as a result of parental abuse or neglect. Once enrolled, students take on a 12-hour school day that includes meals, athletics and study time to support a strong academic program designed to prepare them for admission to competitive high schools. Epiphany receives almost no federal, state or local funding and instead relies on private, foundation and corporate support.

This year, I wasn’t in a position to support Peter with a donation, but I told him I would spread the word about the school and his epic undertaking, because I firmly believe in the school’s mission and have seen firsthand the difference it is making in these students’ lives.

If you want to help spread the word, please tweet this blog post or forward the link to others. Or, feel free to support Peter’s run directly here. One hundred percent of all funds donated will go directly to the School to support the 2011-2012 Annual Fund. Peter will be absorbing all expenses related to his run in Colorado, as well as any handling charges on the donation web site.

Good luck Peter! We’ll be thinking about you on August 20-21 and know you’ll cross the finish line.

That is the very question that inspired me to register for yesterday’s Future of Marketing webinar, a whirlwind event during which 30 of today’s top marketers gave their tips to Sarah DeLash, the fictitious client who wants to transform her company from an outdated, industrial-era corp. to a modern, relevant, socially conscious brand.

At 12:59 am ET, I sat in front of my computer with bated breath, awaiting the orgy of thought leadership that was about to ensue. This was going to be like TED on speed. Like 2-minute dating with some of the most interesting minds in the business: Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogan, Brian Solis, Greg Cangialosi and 26 others. What strategic and tactical nuggets would I learn? Would there be any “aha” moments?

And the answer (drum roll please) was no. Well, not exactly. Okay … it was actually quite insightful, but not in the way the organizers were intending. Or maybe it was exactly what they intended. Oh hell, it was great! Let me just tell you about it.

Here was the big takeaway for me: good marketing is not equal to good communicating.

In other words, just because the 30 presenters are each successful professionals and are known to be experts in their respective niche areas (social media, paid search, branding, etc.), it doesn’t mean they can deliver the goods in two minutes.

On the surface, you would expect good marketers to be good communicators. And I would agree that the marketing industry probably claims a higher percentage of good communicators than say chemical engineering. But whenever you bring together a critical mass of people, even if they are all relatively strong communicators, you will see a bell curve effect. A few will be fantastic presenters, most will be mediocre, and several will appear to suck, at least relative to one another.

And that is exactly what happened. With only two minutes to deliver real value, presenters did not have much time to 1) get their points across and 2) be  memorable. Here are the three things that separated the best from the rest:

1) Quantity of points: Many of the presenters tried to jam 10 minutes worth of know-how into a two minute speech. It simply didn’t work. It kind of reminded me of those old FedEx commercials. The folks who left an indelible impression made one or two points max.

2) Nature of the points: Too many of the presenters played in the strategic and tactical realm. “You’ve got to have a good mobile strategy.” “Here’s why you need a smart search strategy. “Here’s why you should stay away from search.” “Social media is key.” “Facebook this.” “Twitter that.” After a while, it all became background noise.

The 4 presenters that really stood out for me, avoided the strategic talk and instead gave profound life lessons. That was it. 20 seconds to make one meaningful point and another 100 seconds of adornment. Consider my picks for the top presentations.

• Chris Brogan: “Make your buyer the hero!”
• Michael Margolis: “Be truthful, empathetic, and vulnerable.”
• Guy Kawasaki: “Don’t do a post-mortem after you fail. Do a pre-mortem before you succeed.”
• Brian Solis: “Start with a story that aligns values – people need to know why they should care.”

3) Don’t be overly self-serving: Yes, this was a great platform for each of the presenters to advance their own agendas. We get it. We play in the marketing world after all. But please don’t rub our faces in it. For example, was it really an “aha” moment when Roger Keating, SVP for Hearst Television, delivered this gem o’ thought-leadership: “Consider broadcast because it’s still the most powerful medium.” What Mr. Keating said might absolutely be true, but the manner in which he presented the message rang hollow because it was SOOOO expected.

This is not meant to be a critique of any one presenter (apologies Roger Keating), but instead a commentary on what made for the most effective two-minute presentations.

Overall, I think the organizers achieved a great deal and I commend them for a job well done. They created a unique, buzz-worthy event. They secured exposure for themselves (it was organized by the Lenox, Massachusetts marketing firm ThoughtLead), and each of  the 30 presenters. They prompted a ton of social media activity (search on the hashtag #FutureMktg) with real time tweeting, Facebook posting, and after-the-fact blogging (like this one). And most importantly, they got people talking about the myriad elements and channels that go into a successful re-branding.

Thanks for giving me good blog fodder fellas.

My good friend Neil Leifer, a teacher, philanthropist, and former attorney, helped to spearhead a remarkable program in Boston this summer. Partnering with the nonprofit Bikes Not Bombs and Body by Brandy Fitness Center, the “On My Way, On My Bike” program offers inner-city youth an opportunity to learn about bikes and bike maintenance, and earn their own bike at the end of the program. But the program is about so much more than just bicycling.

From yesterday’s story in the Boston Globe: The new summer program emphasizes fitness, self-esteem, and self-confidence, and the children are encouraged to participate in year-round activities of Bikes Not Bombs, which is dedicated to peace and social change. In fact, the youth instructors at On My Way are alumni of Bikes Not Bombs, and they will speak to the participants about guns and violence and how to avoid them.

Kudos to Neil and the many others who dedicated themselves to making this pilot program a reality. Much continued success!! (and let me know when it’s ready to expand into the Baltimore market)

By Dan Cohen

August 1 is the 30^th Anniversary of the launch of MTV.  Prior to MTV’s arrival, music was an auditory experience.  A distant thing heard on records, cassettes and on scratchy AM radio.  There was no way to connect a face to an artist unless it was on an album cover or you saw the artist live.

Fast-forwarding three decades, the modern artist IS the image.  Can you really imagine Beyonce, Lady GaGa or even CeeLo Green without seeing their faces or remembering their music videos?

Like any child of the 1980s, MTV was a formative part of my adolescence, but reflecting on it now, I see lessons from the seismic shift begun in the 1980s that still resonate for us all as communicators.

Video mattered then.  Now even more so.

Today, the video is the undisputed king of communications – in every possible way.  Need proof?  Internet traffic is dominated by Netflix and YouTube.  Cell phones are built worldwide to carry live and streaming video.  Third graders now create video projects in lieu of book reports.

Some questions to ask yourself or your organization are,

•   Am I using video in a transformative way to reach my target audiences?
•   Am I using video to present my organization in a new way or to change opinions about us?

If the answer is no, pick up your Smartphone or your Flip camera and start looking at the work you do through those lenses – and see what looks different.  Think of a way you might transform what you do to make it more appealing to viewers.

Did you know you own your own TV network?

Today, all of us struggle to create consistency, or even near permanence, in the eyes of our key audiences.  Social media tools (YouTube and others) and our own organizational websites now give us the ability to broadcast directly to folks that opt-in to receive our messages.  We now own our own TV network, just like MTV, and have a window to climb into our audience’s minds.

Need proof?  I randomly selected Sierra Club. It has its own YouTube channel with 1.5 million views and 1,800 subscribers. These 1,800 comprise an audience that has “subscribed” and Sierra Club knows they can reach each time they post a video.  The viewers can then take the video and repost it on Sierra Club’s behalf across social media. Sierra Club has their own broadcast network…and you can too.

Tap into something universal

Successful pop music taps into universal themes like love and loss.  So too, does powerful storytelling.  To successfully engage our target audiences, we can tap into these universal themes.

What are the universal themes of your work?

•   Do you help the little person take on the big challenge?
•   Do you identify new ways to solve old problems?
•   Are you bringing forth old wisdoms to solve modern-day problems?
•   Do you have heroes and villains?

Once you have identified these themes, help your target audiences visualize them.  It is not enough to tell them anymore, you need to show them.

One of the great modern day practitioners of this is The Story of Stuff Project.  They take problems that seem impersonal or distant, and make them real and immediate through tapping into a universal desire to “do something” even when it seems like we cannot.  They tell these stories in highly compelling ways and provide opportunities for their target audiences to get engaged.  Seeking and telling these stories is simply part of the organization’s DNA.

Is it part of yours?

If you’re like most individuals, you’re favorite part is the previews. I know, right! I love seeing movies on the big screen, and I love the popcorn, particularly when the butter is real, but nothing is more enjoyable than a quality mix of 4-5 trailers.

Ever wondered why we love our movie trailers so much? Upon quick reflection, it’s not so surprising.  For one, previews take the most compelling scenes from a two-hour feature film and boil them down to two-minute, bite-sized nuggets of cinematic goodness. Secondly, trailers are often how we first learn of a new movie, or even better, that a long-awaited movie is close to release (is The Hobbit trailer ever going to come out!?).

But these are the obvious reasons. Push further. What fundamental attributes of movie trailers make them so darn enticing? What grabs us by the psyches and demands “you must see this movie!” What was it about this trailer and this trailer that convinced me to waste my money and my time? I assure you, there is a science to making good sneak previews and it results in millions of dollars in consumer spending each year.

The power of movie trailers is built around the idea of CONTEXT. Trailers will almost never begin by showing you a movie star or explaining the main plot thrust of the story. No. Instead, they set the stage by providing context and letting you the viewer get transported, if only for an instant, into the realm of the movie. It’s an absolutely essential part of the trailer because it primes the viewer for what follows next.

How does the stereotypical movie trailer always begin? In a world where …” or “In a land before time …” or “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away …” Trailers always lead with context. It’s only once the context has been provided that the narrator can deliver part two of his one-two punch and say, “one man lived to tell the tale.” Don’t believe me? Check out this hysterical and utterly appropriate trailer on YouTube.

If there is a lesson to be learned here it’s that context is a key aspect of effective communication. Yet so many of us neglect to utilize it. We speak as if everyone is already quite knowledgeable about that which we ourselves are passionate. We assume audiences understand the intricacies of our worlds, as if the complex plot thrust of our day-to-day professional lives hold meaning for others

Said bluntly, assume that the audience knows nothing about you or your organization. When a person asks you what you do at your next networking event or cocktail party, don’t start by answering with the “one man…” part of the trailer, which is what we normally do. Begin with the “in a world where…” part. Not only will you find that your listener is more engaged in what you have to say, they will more readily understand why you do what you do.

Here is an example of a person who does not provide context when asked about what he does (it begins at second 23 in the video). It’s a shame because the Acumen Fund is a really cool organization and does amazing work. They have a compelling story to tell, but their value proposition is meaningless without context. The speaker in the video begins to address context at around the 60 second mark. But by that point, he’s lost his audience. Basically, he does a backwards movie trailer (“One man _____, in a world where ______.”)

Contrast that video with this one – also from Acumen Fund – in which CEO Jacqueline Novogratz provides over a minute of context (albeit with the help of music and compelling footage) before talking about Acumen Fund (**note the title of the video**). What a difference!

At the beginning of this blog, I mentioned that I had recently seen an example of something I’ve been talking about for a long time. What I saw was a nonprofit, in this case Davidson College, produce this full-on movie trailer as a way of saying thank you to its donors. The video is campy and awkward. It’s not even the best example of how to effectively use context. But when I saw it, it put a smile on my face and inspired me to write this post.

It’s time for organizations to take a cue from Hollywood trailers, and to incorporate the power of context into presentations, interviews, elevator pitches, and cocktail party dialogue. Also … more buttered popcorn at board meetings.

How would your organization’s movie trailer begin? “In a world where ____________, one organization dared to _____________!”