30 Random Great Ideas

1. Name Tags – when attending a conference or other event where name tags are required, wear them on your right side instead of
   your left. The reason? You shake hands with your right hand, and it’s natural for
   one’s eyes to be drawn to a person’s right side.
2. Recording Speakers – when webcasting or recording a speaker or a conference session, don’t forget to zoom in on the
   speaker. Viewers can quickly lose interest if the entire thing is done in wide
   shots from the back of the room.
3. Out of Office messages – use your Out of Office messages to convey key marketing messages or your organization tag line.
4. Control the entire message – write an introduction for your boss or subject matter expert to be used when they are speaking somewhere.
   Write your own when you are speaking.
5. Email – don’t put an addressee in the “to” box until after you’ve finished writing your message and are ready to send it.
   Proof read it before you hit “send” and prevent embarrassment.
6. More email – if you are writing an angry or otherwise emotional message: write it, walk away, calm down, come back to it,
   edit, and then decide if it should really be sent.
7. Interested in freelancing? Start or join a local writing group.
8. Smartphone tags/QR code – Use a smartphone tag in your exhibit booth so booth visitors can scan it to retrieve contact information,
   key messages and other datat about your organization.
9. Website – develop a mobile-friendly version of your public-facing website.
10. Shop your own office – look at all outside signage, entrances, reception areas. Do they convey the right message/image?
11. Standards – randomly check field offices and other locations for standard branding, image and customer service standards.
12. Swag for high-level visitors – a good gift idea is a photo of the city taken by a staff
    photographer. This is ideal for visiting
    elected officials or other high-level visitors from out of town.
13. Twitter – send out live tweets from council meetings, conferences and other events.
14. Give-aways – booth giveaways do not have to be costly and they should have a direct tie to your agency. Be creative! The
    Maryland Department of Natural Resources gave out pine cones in their booth – a
    direct link to the bounties of nature and a conversation-starting business card
    holder for someone’s desk.
15. Closed Captioning – YouTube offers a free service to close-caption videos posted there. Take advantage of it.
16. Style Guide – keep your style guide handy. Most agencies use Associated Press style for press releases, articles and
    publications intended for public release. Get an AP Style Guide and keep it
    right next to your computer.
17. In-House Style Guide – even if you use AP Style for most documents, there are invariably some things that are unique to your
    agency. Also, people outside the communications office are producing all sorts
    of correspondence and documents. Create an in-house style guide to capture
    those things that need to be standardized across the agency.
18. Agency Identity – be consistent in usage of how your agency is represented by its full name, nickname or acronym. Consistency
    assures name recognition, and remember that if you aren’t consistent, no one else will be
    either.
19. Acronyms – some acronyms have been used so much to identify an agency, many people don’t even know what it stands for. Unless
    your agency has an exceptionally established acronym – such as CIA, FBI, or
    NASA, for example –be sure to use your agency’s name rather than the acronym.
20. Translators – as government agencies, we have diverse audiences, many of which primarily communicate in other languages. Use
    translators at public functions and have important documents or webpages
    translated into the principal languages of your communities.
21. Sign language – don’t forget that sign language and braille are also true languages and are primary communications methods for
    some of our audiences.
22. Signs – take a look at how your agency’s name and acronym look together on signage. You’d be surprised how many simply don’t
    work together or convey the wrong message.
23. www.Patch.com – this website is a source of local community news and is quickly spreading to neighborhoods across the
    country. It is an excellent source to find local freelance reporters who are
    starving for things to write about.
24. Internal communications – need to reach your entire workforce? Put messages on their leave and earning statements. Don’t
    overdo it or they’ll begin to lose interest, but it’s a good way to get to them
    with brief, important messages.
25. Many eyes – pass your product around to your coworkers and have them look it over before you go to publish. Different sets
    of eyes will catch different types of errors or problems.
26. Outsider’s opinion – we are frequently too close to our own messages. Have someone outside your agency look at your
    communications products. Do they convey the message you thought they did?
27. PAG – create a Public Affairs Guidance document for major initiatives or crises. This brief document captures a brief
    background on the issue, talking points, action plan, and questions and answers
    that everyone can refer to.
28. Email tag lines – many people put favorite quotes or slogans at the bottom of their emails. Instead, insert links to
    latest press releases, articles, or links to blogs, or social media sites.
29. Follow Me – promote your own social media site with “Follow Me” messages on emails, web pages, and even printed
    communications.
30. Network – get to know others in your field and share knowledge, lessons learned and stories with them. One of the best
    opportunities in our profession is by attending the NAGC Communications
    School!

Now you’re on the clock…you’ve got 30 minutes to share a great idea. Let’s hear some more!

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