Facts or statistics?

I was listening to a Radio 4 programme yesterday (Friday 17 May) that I haven’t heard before, it was all about questioning the many statistics that fill our lives. Among the issues raised were statistics about crime, survey results about knowledge levels among children and economic figures. The conclusion was that you can really make statistics say whatever you want to just by how you cut the data or do the analysis. So it really is true to say there are lies, damn lies and statistics.

So, how do I keep that in mind but still reconcile it with my love for infographics as a method of communicating information?

Infographics work for me because they use facts but they do it in a lively and entertaining way rather than by using the traditional charts found in most businesses. Many people find statistics a really dull thing and we need to provide ways to make the numbers easier to understand. But these are not statistics for me, they are killer facts and stories. While some can deal with percentage points and Gantt charts most people will respond more positively to stories.

Storytelling is something that we learn as a child and stays with us for the rest of our lives. Whether that is talking to friends down the pub, sharing the latest updates with family members or posting what you are doing on Facebook – these are all forms of storytelling. They are interesting because people can relate to them, they are about feelings and responses and outcomes. For me, that is when infographics work when they take a lot of killer facts and turn them into an understandable story or narrative.

I know that statistics do play a part in modern life but they have been abused for so long by people trying to support a particular perspective that 85 per cent of people don’t trust statistics. That is also a problem. Statistics can be made up on the spot just as I did, but if spoken convincingly the figures will be believed. Back to that Radio 4 programme, all the people who had been using the statistics that were brought into question had done it convincingly. Statistics are a part of daily life but perhaps we have to find ways to make them less about the numbers and more about the stories.

A trouble shared

I have been lucky enough to speak at two recent events organised by fire service colleagues. The first was organised by London Fire Brigade and was focused on social media and how different organisations were using it. The second took place a few days ago and was about managing a crisis. I had the opportunity to talk thanks to South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue who had brought partner agencies together.

Reflecting on the two events something was really clear to me. I cannot talk about crisis communication without talking about social media as it is so much a part of day-to-day life. The difficulty for many organisations, and not just those who act as emergency responders, is that they haven’t grasped the daily use of social media. This makes dealing with a crisis even more problematic. I have used the phrase many times ‘you can’t learn about social media when the streets are on fire’ but it is so true.

There are a number of things that I think are essential for organisations to do to prepare for the day when the crisis or emergency appears. They are in no particular order as all are important.

1. Plan, plan, plan

It sounds simple but you need to make sure that you have a crisis communication plan and that you keep it up to date. If it includes roles and responsibilities you have to make sure you update it when the structure changes, when posts are removed or added. The plan needs to reflect how the organisation uses channels of communication including social media. Often developing or updating a crisis plan is not at the top of a to-do list but it is time well spent.

2. Test and test again

Once you have a plan it needs to be put to the test. Exercises are regularly held for emergency responders but not many of these exercises have been able to take social media into account when testing communication plans. It is vital to find a way of including social media as that is where a crisis is likely to break and be played out in a direct way with citizen journalists taking control of information. Communication plans are not just for the communicators. It is important to ensure everyone in the organisation understands what is going to happen, what the priorities are and what part they play when disaster strikes.

3. Share experiences

Thankfully emergencies only come across once in a blue moon, so it is important that we learn from those who have been in the middle of a crisis. We need to understand the dynamics of communication, what worked and more importantly what didn’t work or what went wrong. We have to invest time in learning from others particularly when the day job keeps making demands on our time. Often this can be done through online packages and information or making the most of your connections.

4. Don’t forget the staff

It is very easy to focus on external communication when facing a crisis or emergency situation. However, what you tell your staff and employees is one of the most critical things. It is the front facing staff who will be the ones that will be sharing details of what has happened with customers. Get it right and the way customers discuss what is happening to friends both face-to-face and on social networks will support the communication. Get it wrong and you are likely to have more problems in managing events.

5. Get social now

The final point is that use of social media is something that organisations need to plan and understand when they are not in the middle of a crisis. It is important to understand who is talking about you and where they are doing it. This will help you develop an effective social media strategy. Having conversations and creating networks will be an investment for when the emergency appears. I have said many times that I feel organisations don’t have the luxury of saying they will not engage through social media. The world is moving swiftly and brands can be boosted or damaged on social media the issue is are companies going to be there to see it and act on it?

 

The two events I had the chance of taking part in helped me to reaffirm how important planning and preparation are, and were also a chance for me to gather some learning from others. How are you learning and planning?

Five favourite social apps and tools

I have a real thirst for apps and love being introduced to new ideas and opportunities. The arrival of social into modern life has brought with it a whole range of things that can enhance the day-to-day experience. In essence people originally had the chance to become social online through the networks, and the next stage is for it to become easy to publish yourself. It is these free apps and tools that have brought something new to communication.

There are some personal favourites that I have within the world of apps but I also asked through Twitter for people to mention their favourites. Among those that came back were Twitter as a great way to be social and Hootsuite as a way to support using networks. But I have five top apps or social tools that I want to share.

1. Audioboo – an audio network that allows you to record audio and share it. There are channels so you can find what you might want to listen to and you can build up followers who want to listen to your regular audio updates. It is incredibly easy to use and is widely used by the BBC to share clips from radio shows.

2. Snapguide – is such a simple idea that is beautiful when it helps to bring items to life. It is a way to share ‘how-to’ guides about a vast range of things. Again, you can follow people or develop your own followers. It is extremely simple to use and just needs some good quality photographs and some thought. You can find everything from ‘how to make tea dyed paper flowers’ to ‘how to make candy sushi’.

3. Storify – is a way of collecting all the elements of a story, issue or subject and putting it in one place for publication and sharing. It is a great way to gather social discussions and information on an issue and put them all in one place. Again, it is so simple to use and is an easy way to share social elements.

4. Tactilize – a relatively new one for me but very enticing. It is billed as a way ‘to create and share interactive content for the iPad and the social web’. The look is very slick and it has the feel of many online magazines but allows images and text to come together in a interesting and creative way. I think there is definitely more to come from this app.

5.Photosynth – is a way of developing wraparound panoramas whether that is of an outdoor or indoor location. You start taking photographs with your device and it tells you when to take another then it brings them together in your 360 degree representation. It is easy to share your image through networks including Twitter and Facebook. 

There are lots of others that I like to be able to test out and consider the opportunities they bring as well as the ways I could use them both personally and professionally. It is exciting to think that there are more apps that are being developed and more ideas about how people can make the most of the technology that is available.

So what is your favourite social tool or app?

What next for police and social media?

The question ‘what next for police and social media?’ was an interesting one posed to a group at the Bluelightcamp unconference that took place this weekend in Manchester. In the past three years there have been some significant developments by police forces in the UK using Twitter and Facebook. Some have branched out further into other networks such as Google+, Pinterest, YouTube and Flickr.

Many police forces have moved from using social networks to just broadcast information, to look to engage and develop conversations with people. In lots of cases there is less concern about controlling social networks and more investment in supporting frontline officers and staff to use social networks.

The police have been able to use social media at times of crisis and during emergencies, and many have developed a more relaxed less formal tone. It has provided a way to promote activity and also to share key information and crime prevention messages.

So, what next for police and how they are using social media?

There are a number of developments that I think  are likely to have an impact in the coming months.

Firstly, there are growing opportunities for people to be able to publish themselves in increasingly slick and impressive ways. For this you can see a number of apps that have developed to help people do more than just post on Facebook or Twitter. If you look at Tactilize as an example or Snapguide you can see the sorts of things that people can achieve. Another element of this for Greater Manchester Police is the initiative to take members of the community out on patrol. They are then encouraged to post, write or photograph about their experience. This isn’t how we use social media but how we encourage others to.

Secondly, we will see social networks starting to go 24/7 and become more of an operational tool than just for engagement. This could mean that forces start to accept crime reports through social networks. At the moment this is not being encouraged because the system is not in place behind the scenes to manage crime reports on social networks. However, this is the natural progression particularly  for Twitter and Facebook.

Thirdly, the social approach needs to be brought inside the organisation so that we find ways to develop collaborative platforms for staff to use. It requires appropriate technology to support such a move but more importantly it requires an appropriate culture. The time is now right for such a development. I have seen a lessening of the grip of the hierarchy and moves to harness the knowledge and experience of the frontline that has been supported by the external use of social networks.

Finally, we need to keep up to date with changes and events. This means continually checking who wants to speak to us and through what networks, knowing what we are doing and what we want to achieve. But also it is about knowing how networks are developing, what is new and how apps might be able to support your work.

The police have come a long way in the past three years and have achieved a lot. This is not a time to rest on our laurels, it is a time to keep striding forward and developing. Most importantly it is a time to involve people in what the future looks like.

Bringing people together

I felt compelled to write a short blog after the terrible events in Boston on Monday night. This is not discussing what happened, which was absolutely horrific, and it isn’t going to comment about the ongoing investigation. It is a quick reflection on the impact of social media and how people learnt about and understood events.

To start with a large number of people will have heard about the events through social media. I was preparing to take part in a Google+  hangout on air with communication colleagues based in America. I was able to have a discussion about what was unfolding through G+. Within seconds photographs, audio, video and commentary about what had happened were circulating across all social networks.

Boston Police did a fantastic job on Twitter as they tried to make themselves the trusted voice providing updates as events unfolded. (Follow @Boston_Police) In such challenging circumstances they attempted to tackle the rumours by providing as much information as they could. This is never easy when dealing with an ‘act of terror’. Those behind the account deserve praise for their regular updates.  From a very early stage they were also encouraging people to send them the photographs, video, audio or anything else that they had from around the event. The difficult is going to be maintaining the level of communication and engagement as the investigation progresses.

The events unfolded thousands of miles away but yet they felt so close to home. Twenty-four hour news channels have brought events from all around the globe right into our homes. But this was more personal than that. Through social media I have developed friendships with people at home and abroad. Actually knowing people who have been caught up events is really sobering and makes the events more real than even rolling news can make it.

This week we have seen social media being able to make a really positive impact, from those sharing information to those offering places for people to stay. There was also an outpouring of emotion and messages of support from across the globe. Social networks really can bring people together to unit in times of crisis.

My thoughts are with all those affected.

Watch out for infographics

Every week there are new things to uncover that can support communication. In the modern era with social media there is so much happening that it can be hard to keep up-to-date with what is out there. There are new applications, new channels and new methods of communication. We might not have heard about them now, but we have to keep in touch with developments. These new methods of communications provide more opportunities to reach people whether inside or outside the organisation.

I have written many times about the importance of visual elements to communication. Social networks are brought alive by photographs and video, and there are many ways to make the most of communication through the visual medium. This week I started to consider something that is starting  to capture people’s imagination – infographics. It isn’t something I have been aware of until one of my colleagues highlighted it as a possible solution to a problem under discussion.

Infographics, when done well, provide a visual representation of key data in a simple format hopefully on just one piece of paper. Simply, it is a way to present data in an organised and visual way which makes it easy for the viewer to digest. It is the kind of thing that is great for representing plans, statistics, annual reports and things that are usually lengthy and slightly dull documents that rarely get read by the intended audience. I don’t think these large documents were ever really read by the majority of staff or customers and yet they are still produced and circulated.

Social media has made information more direct and instant than ever before. Twitter, for example, provides bite sized chunks of information in just 140 characters. So, why then would the Twitter generation want to absorb pages and pages of text with a few graphs or charts? There has to be some way of connecting with them in a more engaging and interesting way. In some cases the use of infographics is going to help.

I don’t think infographics are new, the concept of graphics to display information has been around for a long time. But what is new is the way it can be developed and more importantly distributed through social networks both inside and outside the business. Given that working in communication is primarily about problem-solving it is essential to be aware of the solutions that exist and that you may be able to use. Keep looking out for good examples of infographics that might be able to inspire you in the future.

To measure or not to measure

It is the last day of March and I am trying to quantify what I have achieved during the first quarter of 2013. I have to say it is quite a scary thing to do as you realise that although you may have done a lot there is also a lot that has not been done. Those things that you had hoped to do but keep putting off until tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that.

Measuring things can be really valuable as it helps to tell you where you are and how that compares to previous days, weeks, months or years. And at work it is essential to know whether things are going in the right direction, whether you are providing a quality service, and whether you are providing value for money.

However, I was reminded when taking part in the latest #swchat on Google+ (check it out here http://www.stopthinksocial.com/live-show-swchat/) that we have to be careful that the focus remains on what the data is telling us and not on measuring things. The discussion was around change management and the governance of change. Not my favourite subject but I know that on every journey there has to be milestones that we can measure progress against. That doesn’t mean that we may change or deviate on the road we have taken, and we should if feedback requires it. 

For many working in the public sector measuring things has become a way of life. I can understand why, it has been due to the need to demonstrate what is being achieved for the public money that is being spent. But in recent years we have lost sight of the reason why things are measured and have become sidetracked into the task of measuring. In doing that we risk losing what should always be in mind, and that is the people and the service they receive often in traumatic or challenging circumstances.

So what can we do to redress the balance and continue to measure but make sure that we don’t just become collectors of statistics?

It is as important to have the stories about your business that can illustrate what customers feel or think about your service or product. As always it cannot just be about quantity it has to be about quality and how we understand what people are finding when they use the business. These stories can be difficult to uncover when we don’t have money to spend on market research and questionnaires. But then do we need to? There are ways of using what is around us on a daily basis and listening to people’s feedback a little harder. This isn’t just using social media but the day-to-day response from interactions between staff and customers.

The new financial year looms tomorrow and with it there will be more statistics and data. All of which is fine provided we balance it with the stories that will help our organisations to move forward on the journey.