CSR: Alice’s journey into the world of listening

Alice

Chantal’s focus on volunteering for CSR (corporate social responsibility) was to find a project or placement that would help or work with specific areas of her staff’s personalities. With Dianne it was about bringing her out of her shell, and her placement with the Newbury Volunteer Centre, going out into the town to recruit retailers to participate in a charity event, allowed her to explore skills she didn’t realised she had: persuasion, patience, perseverance, pertinence and the ability to think on her feet.

Chantal was adamant that I should concentrate on my listening skills. I suppose this arose from when I first started working at Appletree over a year ago I was brimming with ideas and I couldn’t wait my turn to present them.  Anyway listening is a good trait, not only to follow the discussion closely to make sure you don’t miss anything important, but to find the correct point in which you can safely interject without risking interruption or to allow the speaker to finish presenting their story. And listening is vital when researching what needs your customers have, so you can provide the correct solutions for them.

So a staff meeting decision decided the best place for me would be an Old People’s Home so I could listen to the stories of the residents there. The Day Centre in Compton seemed the best bet, so I made enquiries and arranged an appointment with Mrs Paul, the organiser of the Centre. After a nice chat Mrs Paul agreed I could do volunteering work listening to the old people’s stories about what life was like in Compton in years past, but I would need to be investigated by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB checked) as procedure before I could start.

So the next step was to drive down to Newbury (twice) to pick up the forms and then submit them later once they were filled in. A wait of several weeks resulted in a clear CRB record (as I expected, I’ve had three successful applications in the past when I worked in schools as a Clerk to the Governors, in which a lot of listening is required) and after Christmas I contacted Mrs Paul again to say I was in the clear and could start my CSR duties in January.

Unfortunately Mrs Paul had to announce that, due to Governmental cuts, the Day Centre would be closing in April and she and all her staff will be made redundant. I went down to see her anyway, and she agreed I could start my CSR placement there until the Centre closed. I still had a few weeks’ worth of listening to accomplish before the inevitable.

So, I had my first ‘session’ on Wednesday 19 January and I will tell you all about it in my next post.

Using radio to promote your business – part one

Chantal

I recently was invited to give a radio interview, so I thought I’d share with you my tips for getting on air and how you can use the radio to promote your business or your favourite good cause.

In September I ran a charity event, so a couple of months beforehand I sent out a press release to a number of local magazines and papers. I live in Berkshire and the event was being held just over the border in Oxfordshire, so I put together a targeted list of journals that cover each area, which are read by the sort of people I wanted to tell about the event. One of the magazines sent my details to a freelance journalist who asked me if he could come to the event and interview me and take photos – I jumped at the chance!

After the event, a two page spread, including photos, appeared in the magazine – a great result in itself. A week later I received an email from BBC Radio Oxford, asking if I would go into the studio to give an interview – another chance I jumped at. I was asked to send some background information and then the interview was booked for 30 November.

I arrived early so I could have a chat with the presenter and talk to her producer. This was definitely worth doing, as I discovered some common ground with the presenter. Afterwards, both she and her producer asked me to keep in touch with news of the project – something I will definitely do, as it may result in more air time. I have also invited the journalist who wrote the article to next year’s event and who knows what that will result in!

So, in summary:

1. Compile a targeted list of journalists and radio stations that can give you coverage
2. Send a press release and follow it up if you have time
3. Agree to any interviews you’re offered and send plenty of background information
4. Spend time getting to know your interviewer and keep in touch with them!

Sounds simple, doesn’t it! It can take a bit of persistence and it will pay off.

In part two, coming soon, I’ll share with you some tips on how to give a great interview.

Di’s CSR: the final countdown

Dianne

Week 4 started really well with Boots the Chemist joining our Charity Volunteer Recruitment Day. I spent the remainder of my 20 hours voluntary work on the Newbury High Street obtaining further contact details from the participants and ensuring they had all the details about the event.

On the 5^th June 2010 the Volunteer Recruitment day was finally held in Newbury. In total, there were eighteen shops and banks each hosting a different local charity looking to promote themselves and recruit volunteers.  Local MP Richard Benyon was the star attraction and kicked off the event outside a branch of HSBC Bank.  I felt so proud to be a part of this event.  Knowing that as a result of my efforts, 25 new volunteers where recruited on the day made all the hard work worthwhile.

At the end of my 20 hours I asked myself what I had gained from this experience what can I take back to the workplace that will benefit my employer?

I believe this experience has built my confidence and improved my communication skills.  It also increased my determination and commitment to a project.  There were times out on the Newbury High Street that I just felt like giving up!  There were plenty of rejections, along the way, but with determination, perseverance and a positive attitude I was able to see a fruitful end result.  It is this positive attitude I will take back to my work place, and apply to any projects that I undertake in the future.

I used to think that the correct approach in organising an event is to sit behind a computer and dash off a series of emails and expect action.  I am now aware that there is no better form of communication than getting out and away from my desk and making contact with people, face to face.  I discovered that if you take the time to do this, you gain so much more. 

One particular business I approached felt that they were unable to participate because of lack of space on their shop floor, so instead, they offered to make a monetary donation to the Volunteer Centre.  It must have been the look of disappointment on my face when they told me they were not participating that compelled them to offer to help in different way.

At times, I found that my approach had to be modified according to each Manager I met, in terms of understanding their expectations about the event and their appreciation of time factors involved.  I would often check if it was convenient to speak to them and if not, I would offer to return at a more convenient time. 

Some Managers wanted to know in depth about the Volunteer Centre and others were interested in gleaning the bare essentials.  I am sure I couldn’t have established this level of rapport via email.  By varying my approach and bringing my own unique style and enthusiasm to the project, I feel I was able to help make this event a success.

I hope my success has inspired my colleagues at Appletree to engage in a project of their own.

CSR – My different approach

Dianne

The following week, I was back pounding the streets of Newbury town centre again. My task was to recruit local shops and banking halls to host a local charity event for the day in order to raise awareness of local charitable work and to recruit more volunteers. I would need to speak to Managers face to face and win them over to the concept, getting as many as possible on board for the event taking place on the 5 June 2010.

I had a plan; I decided to divide my time between revisiting those businesses that had shown an interest and were waiting for their respective Head Offices to give approval and visiting new businesses in order to win them over to the idea. 

Some of the Managers I revisited remembered me from the previous week. On this occasion, I was able to create some sort of rapport.  They asked how my campaign was coming along and wanted to know more about the Volunteer Centre.  At this stage, I was beginning to feel more confident.  I was able to make a note of first names and request email addresses so that I could update everyone about the campaign as the weeks progressed. 

The rest of my time was devoted convincing managers to get onboard, informing them about the forthcoming charity event and the publicity that was planned.  The event is being covered by West Berkshires own radio station – Newbury Sound and by the Newbury Weekly News.

When talking to Managers about the event, I no longer stood in the doorway looking awkward and uncomfortable, but walked boldly into premises, with an optimistic approach, a smile and head held high, I spent some time browsing their stock and complimented individuals on the quality, layout and goods on display. 

At one stage I was invited into the offices of one particular business owner, in order to meet her staff and inform them about what I was trying to achieve and the progress I had made so far.  This Manager was keen to be included on my list of participants. Her team were very encouraging and wished me well as I left.  It was all about my approach, I felt that I didn’t need to be quite as forceful as before.  I would impart information and wait for a response.  I didn’t feel that I had a 5 minute slot and had to blurt every fact out as quickly as possible.  This more relaxed approach might just work, I thought to myself.

The following day I phoned the Volunteer Centre and spoke to Garry, I needed to know if we had any more positive feedback.  The response was good; gradually one by one business owners were contacting Garry and requesting that they be included.

Dianne’s next CSR step: a positive attitude

Dianne

I work as an Administrator and Customer Services Assistant for Appletree based in Compton.  When my boss Chantal gave me the opportunity to go out and help Garry Poulson, Director of the Newbury Volunteer Centre, to organise a charity event, I was really keen to get involved, giving 20 hours (my working week) of my time to help launch a project. 

This would be a worthwhile thing to do and would involve me giving something back to the community.  It was good also to have a specific project with a beginning, middle and an end.  I could almost picture myself celebrating success.  Perhaps there would be a write-up in the local paper, my name would be mentioned and the name of my company.  I was very excited and proud to be linked to a company who felt so strongly about CSR and the benefits for all involved.

My task was to recruit local shops and banking halls to host a local charity event for the day in order to raise awareness of local charitable work and to recruit more volunteers. I would need to speak to managers face to face and win them over to the concept, getting as many as possible on board for the event taking place on 5 June 2010. 

I am used to sitting behind my desk writing emails or phoning customers who approach me for my help. I felt nervous and unsure about the task and how I would manage going out onto the High Street in Newbury and using my powers of persuasion to convince managers to participate in this event.  I armed myself with lots of information about the Volunteer Centre and the work that they do.  Garry gave me a letter of introduction to leave if I could not speak directly to individual managers. On my first contact my aim was to come away with a firm ‘Yes’ plus an email address or telephone number.

I had decided that I would need a positive attitude and approach if this was going to work.  It was not just about imparting information, it was the way the information was delivered that would win through.  I was acting as a representative of the Volunteer Centre; managers would make a judgement on my appearance and voice and then content of the information given to them.

So it was with a positive attitude that I stepped out onto the High Street of Newbury town centre.  How did I fair?  I will update you next week.