The power of collaboration

This quarter I have learned the power of collaboration. While I have worked with many student organizations in the past and still do, my organizations have never done a large-scale collaboration with another organization.

This spring was different. My ImPRessions team and our client, Backdrop Magazine, decided to produce a huge outdoor event to celebrate the release of Backdrop’s latest issue. We couldn’t fund it ourselves, so we looked to two major student organizations on campus, University Programs Council and the Black Student Cultural Programming Board, got funding from Vision Ohio, and the rest is history.

Collaborating is such a unique experience because it allows everyone to bring their most valuable talents to the table to produce something amazing. It also proves difficult at times trying to make sure everyone’s goals are met and that communication is optimal.

Through this event I also learned a lesson or two in crisis communication. The artist canceled 16 days before the event, which is arguably the worst problem that could come up in planning and implementing a huge concert. However, we were not daunted. The team was incredible and acted quickly in searching for a new artist. I was very impressed with UPC and BSCPB in their experience and poise in such a difficult situation, and am very grateful Backdrop and ImPRessions (the rookies in implementing huge concerts), had “seasoned professionals” working with us.

We were very nervous about publicly disclosing the fact that we had no artist two weeks before the event, but we made a statement on our Facebook group and, to my amazement, received nearly zero criticism from students. In fact, many tried to offer solutions to us. This to me is a testament to the power and importance of being open and honest and communicating effectively 100 percent.

Once we found a new artist (two actually: Clipse and Consequence), everything else came together seamlessly. There was not a cloud in the sky on the day of the event and I think people really enjoyed the concert.

I have learned so much from working on this event and throughout the year with my client in general, and I’m actually going to miss it all next year, but I have the utmost confidence in my successors and look forward to seeing what they come up with for 2010-2011.

Get it write

As I progress in my education and subsequent jobs and activities, I’ve found that I only get busier. While I have become more adept to managing my time, I’ve realized that one area where I’m lacking is paying close attention to detail.

In our fast-paced world today, it seems that we are more often apt to lean toward quantity over quality. To-do lists get longer and longer by the minute and with texting and social media it is nearly impossible to escape from work, school or any other commitment we have. We are now reachable 24 hours a day, and while this may have its advantages, it tempts us to work around the clock.

After failing to catch some basic editing errors in some of my recent work, I got a major wake-up call: I need to slow down.

It is not uncommon for me to have to pump out a story for the Web or a press release in a relatively small amount of time, but sometimes the pressure of deadlines makes us forget to take the time to really get back to the basics, that is the target audience, key messages and readability.

Having said all this, I’ve come up with some tips for writing well—ones that I will work on following consistently and hopefully they will help you out as well!

1. Slow down. Don’t write in a rush—it will only end poorly.
   
   
2. Step away from the computer. Leave your work, literally walk away from the computer and take a break before you do a final edit.
   
   
3. Get a little help from your friends. Ask someone else to read over your work. You may know what you mean, but does it make sense to the general public?
   
   
4. Use your AP Stylebook. There are stylistic things such as states and addresses that I cannot seem to remember offhand, so it is important to keep your stylebook by your side at all times.

I'd love to hear some of your best practices for writing!

Time flies

As the time for me to schedule quickly approaches, I cannot believe how fast my time in college is going by. It is impossible for me to comprehend that, in a little over a year I will be graduating and going out into the “real world.” This is probably the scariest and most exciting time of my life.

I’m beginning to realize how little time I have left at Ohio University, and it’s bittersweet. Part of me wants to graduate and start working and doing what I love, but I’ve found a whole other family here that I’m simply not going to be ready to leave next year.

I feel like I’ve finally found my footing in college, finally figured out the balance between classes, work, extracurricular and fun, and now that I’ve figured it all out it seems that my life is in fast forward.

So, after coming to that realization, I’ve made a conscious effort to experience new things while I’m here. For my online journalism class I am working on a blog about the arts at Ohio University, and that has pushed me to talk with people I wouldn’t normally and to attend events and performances that I might not otherwise make time for. I’ve started playing the piano again (I hadn’t really learned a new song for years before now), and have taken up running, which I previously despised.

If anyone has ideas of things I need to accomplish before leaving college, I’d be more than happy to hear them!