CRANK THE 3RD: Exploring the entrepreneurial + creative side of life post 50 - 134 How Helen Blunden stays professionally relevant through digital experimentation

134 How Helen Blunden stays professionally relevant through digital experimentation

12/02/18 • 36 min

CRANK THE 3RD: Exploring the entrepreneurial + creative side of life post 50

Helen Blunden is a modern learning practitioner with over 24 years experience in the corporate world.

She helps professionals build their digital skills, capabilities and networks so they stay up to date in their field, industry or profession especially when the world and our workplaces are changing around us.

Helen says her "unique super power" is that she practises what she preaches when it comes to social media for networked learning.

A self-confessed introvert, Helen explains how she experiments with social media and digital tools as a way of staying professionally relevant, even though putting herself out there on the web gives her the "heeby jeebies".

In this conversation with Trevor Young, Helen touches on a variety of topics, including:

the early days of blogging and Twitter
Snapchat, vlogging and learning through experimentation
showing and sharing the process of your work, and the opportunities that come from that, including exposure to new thinking and connections made with like-minded people around the world
documenting your professional journey: "the purpose will come out somehow"
meta-learning: "learning how to learn"
capturing a body of work: how Helen archives her daily Snapchat videos so she can "understand what I'm doing"
sideline projects: balancing the personal and the professional

Helen also takes us behind-the-scenes of her social media alter-ego, Shazza Breaknews, Foreign Correspondent for fake news channel, CNT News.

CONNECT WITH HELEN:

Helen Blunden is a modern learning practitioner with over 24 years experience in the corporate world.

Helen says her "unique super power" is that she practises what she preaches when it comes to social media for networked learning.

In this conversation with Trevor Young, Helen touches on a variety of topics, including:

the early days of blogging and Twitter
Snapchat, vlogging and learning through experimentation
showing and sharing the process of your work, and the opportunities that come from that, including exposure to new thinking and connections made with like-minded people around the world
documenting your professional journey: "the purpose will come out somehow"
meta-learning: "learning how to learn"
capturing a body of work: how Helen archives her daily Snapchat videos so she can "understand what I'm doing"
sideline projects: balancing the personal and the professional

Helen also takes us behind-the-scenes of her social media alter-ego, Shazza Breaknews, Foreign Correspondent for fake news channel, CNT News.

CONNECT WITH HELEN:

Previous Episode

133 How to boost your expert profile in the media with Nic Hayes

Nic Hayes runs Media Stable, a company that connects thought leaders with traditional media outlets wanting experts to comment on topical issues.

Given his company represents 450 professional experts, Nic is well placed to see both sides of the media exposure coin: (a) what does the media want in an expert commentator, and (b) what can experts do to make themselves a more appealing interview subject for journalists and broadcast media hosts.

Add value

In this wide-ranging chat with Trevor Young, Nic explains how journalists, editors and producers are constantly on the lookout for expert talent, thought leaders who can add value to the stories they're pulling together for their audience.

He says understanding the media outlet you're pitching too is crucial, so too is having a strong news hook that will grab the journalist or producer straight away.

Other tips from Nic:

Make yourself available! Professional experts are very busy people but they still make the effort to take the media's calls at a moment's notice. Journalists are often on a tight deadline: if you can help them with their story in a timely fashion, that gets noticed!
Deliver the best possible interview that you can - "that will get you asked back", says Nic.
Provide great quotes and soundbites that will help bring the media's stories come to life.

Importantly, there are opportunities at the lower end of the media scale that over time can help professional experts gain experience and confidence so when a more prestigious media outlet comes calling, the expert is ready to deliver a high standard of commentary.

Nic also provides examples of some of Media Stable experts who are generating valuable editorial exposure by providing the media exactly what they're after.

Next Episode

135 Recapping all things social media + blogging, online video and podcasting

In this, the second last episode for the year, host of the Reputation Revolution podcast, Trevor Young, sweeps across the key social media channels - Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc - plus looks at the state of blogging, online video and podcasting.

If you're a professional expert or leader looking to gain an edge in the reputation-building stakes in 2019, this episode is for you!