My Weekly Experiment...Notetaking

Cornell Notes is a method that was birthed in the 1950s by, of course, a professor at Cornell University. This method has caught my eye, and while concepted for college, it seems perfect! The idea is simple, take your notes on the right of the page, and later add key words or questions to the left. Not only does this bring your eyes back to where you started, it forces your mind to forge these key items out of what you composed in a relatively fast pace.

Check out http://eleven21.com/notetaker/ to download user specific .pdfs. I will follow up next week with a review. I am anxious to know what you think also.

Book Mark This...

Lifehacker.com is an incredible site with an enormous amount of tools to get you, at the very least, motivate to organize. Time after time I see a kitschy product or tool meant to help us clean up the clutter, only to make it worse. Search this site before you purchase or waste your time on the latest "Organized Movement".

In fact, its pretty interesting even if you are not as passionate as I am about the absence of clutter. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Incredible Resource for Resourcing

In June of 2007 I had the opportunity to travel to Nashville to attend a seminar on Resourcing (term for coordinating). This seminar was hosted by David C. Baker of ReCourses, a marketing management consulting company based in Nashville. I recommend checking out www.recourses.com for further information on this proven expert and his company.

The majority of the attendees were principals of their firms. The goal was to convince them of the importance of a separate coordinator. My reason for attending was to simply soak up enough knowledge of this position from both Baker and peers. The seminar consisted of a considerable amount of direct presentation by Baker himself, followed by a round table discussion with several topics to choose from. The round table that I was a part of dealt with the relationship of Delivery (account exec.) and Resourcing. The two main take aways from this discussion were:

  • Never compromise on either of these two positions.
  • Never combine these two positions.
Our group principle, Chad Crouch, has not only accepted the information passed to him from this seminar, but has since adopted it as company policy.

The next seminar is Nov. 10 & 11th. I suggest using the money you save with adding this position to your firm to register today.

"While resourcing isn’t taught in preparation for a career in the creative services field, it’s a critical foundation for doing work that is effective and profitable, and this seminar is meant to bridge that gap. " David C. Baker, ReCourses.

Introduction

As I embark on the task of joining the rest of the bloggers, I ask myself "What is the first thing I would like to share about what I do?". This is a tough question and my answers often cause people to tilt their head as a dog would in trying to understand our language. So as it is, I will piece together simply, although my career is rather complex.

I work at the Cre8tive Group located in Wilmore, Kentucky. The Cre8tive Group is a 12 year old marketing/design firm specializing in cause communication. Basically we partner with our clients and provide them with the tools and insight they need to tell their story. Actually, we don't want our clients to simply tell a good story, we want their story to inspire others into action. Our clients have an unapologetic cause that they wish to communicate emotionally and most importantly, effectively. It is for this reason that I hang my coat up every morning at Cre8tive Group, and I am blessed to be part of this group of proven industry leaders.

That is where I work, now to explain what I do. My official title is Coordinator, aka Traffic Manager, Traffic Coordinator, etc. This is not as glamorous as Media Developer, Art Director or even Account Executive, however it is just as important to the health of the group, if not more. To sum up my duties, I am accountable for time and money. Its only two words, its seems simple enough, however it is more complex than I could have ever imagined. I am tested daily and given numerous opportunities to improve our company's efficiency, all the while enjoying the benefits of a creative environment. For me, this is the best fit for me and it gets me out of bed everyday. The irony of this is that I went to college to be a graphic designer, you know, to be "artsy" and "captivating" through my designs. I soon found out that my attention to detail and my desire to organize everything was far more important (and more successful) than my ability to do great design. Bottom line, I do not have the back bone to stand up straight in a subjective world. However my knack for research and my concern for money and time management have given me a strong and secure stage to stand on.

So, no, coordination is not a degree that you can obtain at an accredited university, nor does anyone wake up and say "I sure would like to grow up and be a coordinator some day". It seems though, that resourcing (a term for coordination) is one of the most vital parts of a successful firm.

Through this blog I will be bringing together the most important information and tools that a Coordinator should have available. In my posts I will be reviewing industry happenings, literature and tools needed to succeed in this field. Also, I will be linking sites and blogs that most directly relate to coordination and also cause marketing. I urge you to take a moment and visit www.cre8tivegroup.com to see for yourself what a remarkable company I am part of.