Christina Ragsdale Communications (Consulting)

01/08/2020

If you're a professional communicator in Montana - now's the time to join us!

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09/18/2019

Speed Your Organization’s Path to Goals with Strategic Planning

What is Strategic Planning?
This may be a term you’ve heard bandied about, but do you really know what it means and if it’s a valuable tool for you? Simply, it’s a systematic process for an organization to decide what its current situation is, assess its environment, strengths and weaknesses, and outline a strategy including steps, resources and responsibilities to pursue the strategy through a series of measurable goals.

What are the Benefits?
Imagine you and your family or friends want to plan a trip. First, you need to agree on a destination. Second, how will you travel; car, airplane, train? Third, what route will you take? Where will you stay? What is your budget? What do you need to take with you, etc. There are a number of steps you need to accomplish before you can set out. Now imagine your organization as embarking on a trip almost every day. Do you – and your entire organization – agree on your destination? Does everyone know how you will get there? What is your budget, etc. In most organizations, you will get very different answers to these questions depending on who you ask. You can even have individuals and departments working against each other!

Now imagine the efficiency you will gain – and the success you can achieve – when your goals are clearly in view and everyone in your organization understands their role in achieving them. This is what strategic planning can do for you.

How can I get started?
Gathering data and working with an experienced and objective third party are the first steps. Knowing where you are starting from, including all your businesses “vital statistics” is vital. You can’t determine how to get where you want to go if you don’t know where you are or what you have to begin.

Next, you need commitment throughout the organization, but especially from the top, to follow-through on implementation in the long-term. This means you will be evaluating and updating the plan through multiple business cycles over years, not weeks or months. Like all positive habits, it takes time for this process to work, although some benefits may be seen quickly. A long-term view and consistency with strategic planning will ensure your organization gets where it needs to go, short-term and long.

Christina Ragsdale, MA, APR, is a communications and public relations consultant who has successfully built and reorganized communication departments and systems in large organizations. Along with typical public relations services, she can successfully guide your organization through a strategic planning process and ongoing implementation. View her profile on LinkedIn or contact her at 916-320-1177.

09/10/2019

Communication Skills are the Golden Ticket

Why are Communication Skills So Scarce & So Coveted?
With many years of teaching and coaching communication skills – public speaking, writing, speech writing - behind me, I am still surprised by the way many top performers avoid working on the skills that are most likely to allow them to move to the highest levels of their organizations. This has held true across many fields; in large and small organizations, public and private.

The primary reason, of course, is that studies show that most people fear public speaking almost more than death, and writing skills have continued a downward spiral in the workspace for decades. This has only intensified with the introduction of email and social media.

What Are the Facts on This?
Countless business studies have shown that effective communication is among the most coveted of the “soft skills” employers look for. Also, poor communication by managers has been cited as one of the most common reasons for failure. When we think of the most inspiration and motivational business and organizational leaders, they are almost without exception powerful communicators. This ability extends to success leading teams where it also impacts ability to meet goals and maintain a safe and fair work environment. The ability to communicate in all directions – throughout the organization and to external audiences – reflects well on the organization and builds success.

Organizations have much to gain from excellent communicators, and much to lose from poor ones. The good news is that effective communication can be learned and incentivized.

I’m Convinced – How Can I Get Started?
So how can you distinguish yourself and get noticed by those who will promote or hire you?

First, assess your skills in each area of communication, interpersonal, writing, public speaking, etc. Second, make a plan to improve. When it comes to both speaking and writing, practice makes perfect, but some training is helpful, too. If you are a manager, providing training to your team in these areas can bring many benefits. Finally, if you are in a leadership role, work with HR to make 360-degree Communication Skills part of employee evaluations & promotions. When employees know that their own success, along with that of the organization, is tied to effective communication, you will see improvement.

Christina Ragsdale, MA, APR, is a communication and public relations consultant who has successfully built and reorganized communication departments and systems in large organizations. Along with typical public relations services, she provide planning and training to build communication competency in your organization. View her profile on LinkedIn or contact her at 916-320-1177.

08/26/2019

I'll be speaking on The Power of Research at this upcoming conference in beautiful Kalispell, Montana. There's still time to register. Consider investing in this event for the many professional developing opportunities and terrific networking!

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Save a little money and secure your spot, today!
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11/01/2018

Businesses often know they can do better in how they communicate, but don't know where to begin. We can help - from assessing needs, developing plans, implementation and measuring success. We are your partner in achieving your goals!