The work we’re doing with REDgum for the young people gives them the opportunity to…examine where they’re coming from in the world, what their context is within it and how they want to be seen by the world. So I think it’s a really important piece of work.

Mark Bolton, CEO Ladder.

The New Zealand government showed strength of conviction, layers of integrity and confidence in its national identity when it passed legislation opening the way for same sex marriage this month. Barack Obama showed similar strength of character – and personal conviction – when he chided politicians for failing to pass legislation to restrict access to high-powered firearms in the US. And Adam Scott gave all kudos for his win in the US Masters golf tournament to his Australian sporting predecessors and support crew.

REDgum will note rather than dwell on these examples of personal and team brand in action, preferring to offer our own commitments to community. For the last three years we’ve provided pro-bono coaching in personal brand and communication to young people affected by homelessness, through the AFL and AFL Players Association affiliated charity Ladder. Ladder works with young people aged 16-25 who’ve been affected by the devastating impact of homelessness, and believes that every young person deserves to aspire to a better future.

REDgum and Ladder – which was conceived by an impressive trio of formal AFL players, and which is headed by former Essendon champ Mark Bolton – have now created a formal partnership. As Mark says, Following your dreams takes a lot of courage, particularly if you’re a young person who’s stepping out of extreme disadvantage and our relationship with Ladder has developed to give these young people access to the personal brand and communications coaching and workshops we provide to our corporate clients.

Over a rolling two-year program, we’re offering workshops on Relationships and Rapport Building; Self Awareness; Define your ‘brand’; Communicating your personal brand – how others experience you; Confidence & Presenting skills; and Self Esteem & Teams to Ladder’s Melbourne enrollees and staff, at no charge. We’ve completed the first couple already and with the support of AFL Media gave participants the opportunity to be filmed delivering their own, personal ‘statements to self’ in the magnificent studio facilities at AFL House in Docklands. This was a joyful, challenging and cathartic experience for Ladder staff, the young people and REDgum, and those individual video productions will be referred to repeatedly by the young people as they come to assess and assert their identities and aspirations. We’re very grateful to Cam, Mark, Leanne, Jette, Matt and Brydie from Ladder, all those at AFL Media who gave so generously of their time and expertise, and to the inspiring and courageous young people who stepped out of their comfort zones to be TV stars for a day and challenged themselves to set definite communication goals.

Ladder believes that every young person deserves to aspire to a better future, and it’s a belief shared by REDgum. With the backing of the AFL and the players themselves (every AFL player donates around $25 per game from their match payments), Ladder’s commitment is to provide long term solutions that assist young people to break the cycle of homelessness for themselves. AFL players and professional sportswomen become mentors for Ladder program participants, which is integral to its success. Ladder:

• provides accommodation and ensures the young people can move on to live independently
• reconnects them with their community
• secures their health and wellbeing
• provides them with pathways to education, employment and training

Former Essendon Bombers captain and REDgum client Matthew Lloyd is a Ladder ambassador, as is Cats star Steve Johnson, and as ‘Stevie J’ says: Many of these young people just need a little support and encouragement to build their confidence and get things back on track.

On any given night in Australia 105,000 people are homeless. That’s more than the capacity of the MCG! Nearly half of these people are under the age of 25. A new study from the University of NSW into the cost of homelessness in Australia found that homelessness can cost the community up to $5.5 million per person in police, juvenile justice, welfare, housing, health and legal aid services.

18 year old Sarah (not her real name) joined Ladder in 2011. Since then, her life has changed more than she ever dared hope as she explains in her own words:

My life was a bit crap before coming to Ladder. I was begging people for food which was not much fun and I was either sleeping on the street or at friends’ places.

When I started at Ladder I didn’t know what to expect. I really thought it was just going to be a house. I thought I would just have my own place and people would leave me alone, but it was much more than that!

I started going to school again, attended weekly living skills sessions and was appointed chairperson of the Ladder Leadership Group. I was also matched with a mentor from the Adelaide Thunderbirds netball team which was great. I got involved in boxing and fitness sessions as well as cooking sessions. I quit smoking too. My Mentor is amazing and I have started playing netball again as she has encouraged me to get back into it. The relationships I’ve made have been incredible. 

The friends I have made with all the staff and people who live at Ladder have helped me a lot. I’ve met so many great people who will be friends for life. 

In a year from now I hope to have a house that I can call my own and I want to hopefully be doing an apprenticeship as an auto electrician. My dream life is to live in a really nice house with a pool and a spa out the back, plus a couple of really nice cars in the driveway. I’d own my own auto electrical business and play netball for Australia too!!

REDgum Communications is proud to be a Ladder partner, helping disadvantaged young people to build self-confidence and create positive futures for themselves. Integrity is important, and the actions of Obama, New Zealand and Aussie golfer Adam Scott this month have confirmed with resonance that goodwill and good fortune need to be selflessly shared.

Please view the first of our REDgum (short) video interview series, with Ladder CEO Mark Bolton. Mark shares his insights on personal brand, leadership brand and the benefits of REDgum’s partnership with Ladder.

Company founder James Freemantle has worked internationally in communications and training for over two decades, helping people to experience dramatic improvement in their abilities to express, influence and inspire. Professional sportspeople, entertainers and executives rely on him to enhance their abilities in presentation techniques, personal branding and media training. Learn More About James

Personal Brand simply means the way you are experienced by others. It’s your promise of a consistent experience. The more people experience you and talk about you in consistently positive ways, the stronger and more effective your personal brand.

Imagine you have just been in a performance review in which you were described as aggressive, petty, judgmental, arrogant, volatile, self-serving, lazy, unfocused, cynical, resistant, intimidating, unassertive or something equally negative. Which description comes closest to describing you at your worst? When has this been true? Think about your attitudes, behaviours or actions you could have changed to improve the ways others experienced you.

During REDgum training and coaching in personal brand we do an activity using the Johari Window model. How would you describe yourself? How would others describe you? Are there any differences? The behaviours or attitudes that others see of you that you can’t see yourself, is called the blind area. This is the area to focus on to understand how you are experienced by others, and how you’re communicating your personal brand. For example, others may see arrogance where you see confidence.

For self-aware people, the blind area is small. It’s sometimes called your blindspot. There are ways to reduce this area and therefore increase the public and/or hidden areas by seeking feedback from others about your behaviour

If you asked your colleagues to describe you, what 3 words would they use? Are they the same 3 words you would use to describe yourself?

Company founder James Freemantle has worked internationally in communications and training for over two decades, helping people to experience dramatic improvement in their abilities to express, influence and inspire. Professional sportspeople, entertainers and executives rely on him to enhance their abilities in presentation techniques, personal branding and media training. Learn More About James

It was days before the 2004 federal election, and opposition leader Mark Latham confirmed in 3-4 seconds what the electorate suspected. The Latham handshake – perceived as aggressive, intimidating and loutish, proved to millions of voters that he was a schoolyard bully. It was inappropriate body language graphically captured by the media, and for it he was hung, drawn and quartered by an electorate that had favoured him strongly in the polls. His problem? Poor awareness of the power of body language to create emotive judgements, and of the power of media to magnify and project.

In 1993 opposition leader and Tony Abbott’s boss John Hewson lost the ‘unlosable election’ to Paul Keating, not long after being branded ‘dead eyes’ when looking creepily uncomfortable attempting a Clintonesque saxophone act on variety TV slot Hey Hey it’s Saturday. Having no ability to play confirmed this as a high-risk media play, and it backfired spectacularly.

Recently we’ve seen the fall from grace of iconic sports people across Australia – the swim team, whole football clubs and individual players and officials. Internationally, strong, hard-won personal brands have been destroyed by extreme behaviour – Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong and Oscar Pistorius are the most obvious examples, following in the wake of Marion Jones, Martha Stewart and Ben Johnson. These though are extreme cases. Whenever we have an opportunity to interact with the media, it’s primarily that – an opportunity to promote your personal brand and that of your business. It’s also – potentially – a trap.

When Stephen Duckett, Australian CEO of Alberta Health Services in Canada was asked for comment in 2010 about budget cuts to the province’s emergency departments, he repeatedly declined to comment on the basis that he was ‘eating a cookie’. His media performance was laughable – amateurish, petulant and childish – and he was subsequently fired. His reality though, was that he’d felt uncomfortable commenting and had been asked not to do so by the office of the Premier. But there are ways of not making a comment that don’t go viral, and this wasn’t one! There’s even an excellent mashup of Duckett and the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.

Again in 2010 – a great year for media gaffes – BP’s CEO Tony Heywood said five words that cost him his job, and the respect of a large chunk of the world’s population. In the midst of the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon disaster when 11 men were killed and 17 injured; and 5 million barrels of crude oil were flooding the ocean and beaches causing massive environmental impacts, he was asked about BP’s response. His answer: There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do. You know, I’d like my life back.

It’s amazing how little you need to know about media to avoid such traps and maximise the opportunities the media presents. A little knowledge, practice and coaching can make all the difference, and that, of course, is where REDgum Communications can be your greatest ally!

Company founder James Freemantle has worked internationally in communications and training for over two decades, helping people to experience dramatic improvement in their abilities to express, influence and inspire. Professional sportspeople, entertainers and executives rely on him to enhance their abilities in presentation techniques, personal branding and media training. Learn More About James

In order to make your messages relevant and appropriate, you need to define and know your audience. Your audience may have many stakeholders or stakeholder groups in it – who are they? Decision makers, retailers, students, clients, consumers, children, pensioners, members of the local community? What effect are you likely to have on each of these stakeholders? What are the differences between each stakeholder group’s messages?

If speaking to the media, remember that the media is like a lens through which you have the opportunity to deliver different messages to different stakeholders, demographics and even individuals who have an interest in your story. You need to identify to which specific audiences you are talking; which messages you have for each of them, and how to deliver each audience’s message ‘personally’.

You might not use the same tone, volume and body language when speaking with your Grandmother as you would when speaking with the Prime Minister, a 3-year old or your best mate.

So make sure there is something in your interaction to which everyone you want to influence can relate.

Brainstorm your audience stakeholders by identifying as many distinct audience groups as possible.

Company founder James Freemantle has worked internationally in communications and training for over two decades, helping people to experience dramatic improvement in their abilities to express, influence and inspire. Professional sportspeople, entertainers and executives rely on him to enhance their abilities in presentation techniques, personal branding and media training. Learn More About James

Every now and then we need to re-focus, revisit our goals and strategise afresh upon how to achieve them. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? That old interview question can be a tough nut to crack – just like the hoary ‘Who are you?’ We want to live in and enjoy the present moment, as well as being clear about  direction and the purpose we’ve chosen for ourselves – that which makes us feel useful.

What you are trying to achieve? Sometimes the mundane parts of work and life need to be re-assessed. Are you stuck on the ‘stuff’ – the mindless detail that’s not important in the overall scheme of things, but seems to be necessary? Regain perspective, and start the work year with clarity.

Our Project Manager and Camaldulensis editor Bec George, often says to me ‘Are you laying bricks or building a cathedral?’ when I’m too bogged in detail. Your cathedral might be your vision for your business, a seat on the board or simply a happy family life. You can probably think of many tasks you do at home or at work that are repetitive or boring in themselves, but if you can see those boring tasks as being part of the foundations of your cathedral rather than just laying bricks, it might make them easier to do.

Once you’ve defined where you want to go, it’s easier to work out how to get there. You might be a hard worker and produce fantastic results without receiving credit for the successes which bear your name. A business may produce the best products, but unless the products are marketed – so that other get to know about them – they won’t sell.  In any team, it’s not how hard you work that determines where you get to, but the impact you have on others along the way. How do you communicate and interact with others? How do other people feel in your presence? (inspired, intimidated, fearful, encouraged…?)

Defining and communicating your personal brand isn’t about bragging. It’s about making sure people see you, hear you and feel your presence – all in a positive light. How will you get to where you want to go?

Company founder James Freemantle has worked internationally in communications and training for over two decades, helping people to experience dramatic improvement in their abilities to express, influence and inspire. Professional sportspeople, entertainers and executives rely on him to enhance their abilities in presentation techniques, personal branding and media training. Learn More About James

Every time I meet Jason I feel like he’s pleased to see me. He asks what I’m looking for and in what context (something to go with Thai duck salad for instance) and I spend more than I meant to on a bottle of wine at his boutique cellars. My ten year-old son and I have our hair cut at Uncle Rocco’s Barbershop in Port Melbourne. Fab the barber offers me a beer and my son skate stickers and cuts our hair in an old fashioned chair surrounded by skater paraphernalia. He’s friendly, open – with groovy tats and clothes and great hair – and my son and I come out feeling cool too, with sharp, reasonably priced, slightly 50′s haircuts.

These are small, successful businesses where I know what I’ll get every time. I’ll get a good product – which I could get in many other places – but more critically I know how the experience of my interaction will make me feel.

What do the people who work in your organisation do habitually when they interact with others? How does this impact the interactive experience? Your brand is your promise of a consistent and particular experience to your client. The word experience implies that it’s more than a series of observations – how that person looks and sounds and what he/she says -experience alludes to an emotive response.

For larger organisations it’s just as critical to identify how their clients should feel in each interaction, and it’s a far greater challenge to guarantee consistency across a geographically and socially diverse workforce. One of the great truths of human behaviour is that people will only take action if they feel something – our preferred state is to ‘carry on as usual’. If in every interaction you have with clients they feel trust, or feel inspired, or feel fear-then-reassurance (You are under-insured and could lose everything, but thankfully we have the perfect solution), you’re likely to move your clients towards the action you’d like them to take. Virgin, for instance, deliberately asks its staff to make customers feel liked, attractive and happy. A good funeral home employee should display genuine empathy to help clients feel cared for and completely trusting.

Unfortunately, people being what they are, many potential and existing clients leave interactions influenced simply by what you (or your employees) are feeling at the time.

Here are some of the personalities we’ve encountered in large companies: the insurance team leader who rubbed his hands together every time he mentioned the phrase ‘higher premiums’, thus semaphoring his glee – to prospective clients – at the prospect of his own bonus; the bank executive who tried to sell an overdraft facility without knowing anything about her client’s business goals or interests; and the risk-management professional who wanted to be known as an individual, so gave up personal grooming and wearing ties and added brightly coloured odd socks to his daily wardrobe. The first example caused clients to feel anger, the second disappointment and the third alarm, and each one induced a lack of trust. (These are all real cases, by the way!) Each of these people is exercising ‘personal brand’, but it’s the way that brand interacts with your business brand and the objectives of your business that counts.

Interactions build relationships, and every business needs consistently strong relationships at every level to succeed. The presence you create influences all those around you. (Ever seen someone having a bad day bring the whole team down?)

So, questions for your business:

1. Are you clear about what you want your clients to feel so that they will take the actions you’d like them to take (buy from you, refer you to others, give you business…)?
2. Have you articulated this goal – and how to achieve it – to your team?
3. Does everyone in your team genuinely strive to create this consistent experience of themselves and the business to your clients?

That’s what Fab the barber, Jason the sommelier and the flight attendants on Virgin do, and it’s one of the cultural challenges of our larger clients. Brand leadership means taking a step beyond your action focus towards personal leadership brand.

Company founder James Freemantle has worked internationally in communications and training for over two decades, helping people to experience dramatic improvement in their abilities to express, influence and inspire. Professional sportspeople, entertainers and executives rely on him to enhance their abilities in presentation techniques, personal branding and media training. Learn More About James

How do you behave when you’re communicating well? Think about a night out with your friends. There’s always stuff to talk about and the time flies. You probably seem confident, intelligent, witty…even mellifluous (at least in your own mind)!

Sometimes you meet someone and you just get along. You can’t explain why, but you seem to be on the same wavelength. Sometimes the opposite is true and the meeting is awkward and conversation is stilted. Sometimes you know within seconds of meeting someone that (s)he is untrustworthy, arrogant, lazy or disrespectful. Have you ever wondered why speed dating is so popular? It’s because it doesn’t take a whole evening to find out that you really don’t get on with your date – a few seconds is usually enough.

Unlike dates, when you can choose to never see the other person again, with work you often have no choice. You need to communicate effectively with colleagues, clients, politicians and the public whether you get on with them well or not. Luckily, there’s a way to improve things.

Think of someone with whom you find it difficult to communicate. Identify the differences between your communication behaviour preferences and theirs, and consciously build rapport by moving closer to the way the other person behaves. For example if the other person exhibits closed body language and you give everyone you meet a big hug, consider next time pulling back on the body contact!

In REDgum’s Professional Presence & Impact Personal Brand workshops, we go through a building rapport exercise in more detail to enable you to consciously think about how others communicate and how your communication style may be experienced by others. We take out the emotion and focus solely on the skills – the building blocks without judgement. What works for you in one interaction may not work in another and you can start to understand why that might be so.

REDgum workshops

Company founder James Freemantle has worked internationally in communications and training for over two decades, helping people to experience dramatic improvement in their abilities to express, influence and inspire. Professional sportspeople, entertainers and executives rely on him to enhance their abilities in presentation techniques, personal branding and media training. Learn More About James

This is one of my favourite work photographs. It was taken two years ago, and I’ve since worked with other teams of coaches at the AIS-AFL Academy. With respect to each of the others, this was the best, and I’ll explain why. Each of these sporting champions – Michael O’Loughlin, Brett Kirk, Tom Harley and Matthew Lloyd – was a coach and mentor to some of the best 16 and 17 year-old footballers in the nation. I’m the little bloke in the middle, and my job is to work with the young players on communication – personal brand, public speaking and preparing them for interacting with the media.

For some reason, this team of coaches gelled more than any I’ve seen since. Mick O and Matt Lloyd are fantastic on the techniques, skills and physical toughness that players need to have. They are direct, critical, blunt even; with very high expectations of technical excellence. There’s not a lot of the ‘soft stuff’ with these two, and their focus is squarely on making the players better at what they do on the ground. And with 573 games, 2 premierships and 1347 goals between them, they’re brilliantly qualified to analyze and improve player techniques!

‘Captain’ Kirk and Tom are very different kettles of fish. Brett’s a Buddhist, known for his alternative views on all sorts of things and nicknamed ‘Hippy’ – even when captaining the Swans, playing 200 consecutive games, winning the 2005 premiership and being named the AFLPA’s best captain of 2010. If you have the kicking yips or can’t get the ball, Brett’s answer is to meditate. His work with the Academy players was all about being their best as people first, so they could be their best as players.

Tom Harley’s the most exuberant of the quartet. Outgoing and open, Tom’s focus is on attitude and the psychology of the player. the team and the game. As captain of the rampaging Cats in 2007-2009, he presided over what was regarded as the most positive club culture in the AFL. It’s a perception that’s continued long after his departure. Tom’s view is that if you’re happy and confident and play to your strengths, you’ll play better.

And me? I introduce skills that many of the young players haven’t worked on before. I ask them to look into themselves and define how they want to be experienced by others, then to work out how to create an emotional response that enables them to achieve their communication objectives. I don’t have the AFL pedigree that these blokes have – a king hit during a Western Border seconds game that put me in hospital with my 3rd concussion in six weeks saw to that (coupled with a lack of talent!). But I always focus on the whole person, and that helps me to help the players – and indeed all our clients – to be their best.

Make sure when you’re choosing your team, you have a broad range of personality types and behavioural styles. A CEO appointing clones of him/herself is a recipe for disaster.

This team is so memorable because it’s balanced. At the highest level in Australian football it’s a group of coaches who together enhance every aspect of the players’ potential: the skills, the heart and the mind.

Company founder James Freemantle has worked internationally in communications and training for over two decades, helping people to experience dramatic improvement in their abilities to express, influence and inspire. Professional sportspeople, entertainers and executives rely on him to enhance their abilities in presentation techniques, personal branding and media training. Learn More About James