Over the years, the Georgia Association of REALTORS (GAR) has worked with Hayslett Group on a number of projects including a public affairs campaign featuring eminent domain rights and annual media training sessions for GAR leadership. This year, GAR turned to Hayslett Group again for help in developing and producing a membership benefits video.
For more information on the Georgia Association of REALTORS, visit www.garealtor.com.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Hayslett Group associate Ann Collins. Ann’s combination of corporate and community experience, from BellSouth to real estate and after school arts programming, helped land Ann at Hayslett Group in a tale of “being in the right place at the right time.”
Ten years ago, Ann stood on her employer’s loading dock sorting through furniture that the newly bankrupt company was selling. It was at that moment that Ann came across Kackie Gilbert, who inquired about the furniture and situation. After sharing the story of the company and leading Kackie to the office to view the remaining furniture, the two got to talking. It turned out Kackie was the vice president of a local public relations firm, Hayslett Sorrell, and they were looking for a receptionist. That introduction led to an interview with Charlie and Judy Hayslett and onto a career at Hayslett Group. A true story of fate.
Over the past decade, Ann has been an instrumental member of Hayslett Group and has assisted with a number of outreach projects, proving time and time again to be an indispensible part of our firm family. As we look to the next decade of success at Hayslett Group, we look forward to the continued involvement and dedication of our employees, like Ann, of whom we’re thankful to have in the right place at the right time.
Creative Director Michelle Fry spent last Thursday evening on the No-No Deck at Roswell’s North of NOLA restaurant for a steamy evening of networking with members of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber hosts several networking opportunities for members and non-members each month, and most are hosted by a Chamber member. Michelle had a great time meeting other local business folk, sippin’ a Purple Haze and nibbling on deep fried jalapenos!
Since 1994, the Georgia Association of Community Service Boards (GACSB) has lead the development and operation of cost effective, high quality, mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease services in Georgia. With 27 member organizations providing community based care across the state, the GACSB is dedicated to its mission of promoting the exchange of information, representing its members on legislative and administrative matters, and campaigning for the highest quality of life for consumers of mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease services. Hayslett Group will work with the GACSB and its members on media relations, social media and other communications strategy development in an effort to increase GACSB and CSB brand awareness statewide.
To learn more, please visit http://www.gacsb.org/.
Improvisation, or “to invent, compose, or perform with little or no preparation”, may seem a little artsy for a lot of companies, but I think some of the basic principles of improv can easily be incorporated in our workplace attitudes, even if we don’t go so far as to stand in a circle and shout out ideas. The following are just a few concepts or “commandments of improv” that were shared with us, and I think they are great concepts to keep near our hearts when we are problem-solving at work:
Trust
Trust your co-workers, boss, whomever you are discussing your problem with. Believe that they are interested in solving the problem too, and that they are interested in your ideas.
Agree on Stage: Don’t Argue
When brainstorming, or thinking through problems, saying “No, that won’t work.” immediately kills any creative juices. Negative comments make individuals feel uncomfortable – that their ideas are “not right”, thereby causing them to clam up and not share. There is plenty of time later to sort out the best ideas and approaches. This is where the “Yes, and…” comes into play as a segue to other ideas.
Listen
In improv, if you are not listening to your fellow actors, it just doesn’t work. You can’t build ideas off each other if you are not listening.
Mistakes Are Good
Know that out of 10 ideas, nine might not be so hot. Who cares? Mistakes come from trying to come up with great ideas. If you don’t try -- no ideas.
Make the Other Person Look Good
This ties into listening. Listen to others and their ideas. Recognize something good in their ideas, and compliment them about it. Build off it. This fosters trust, engagement and confidence, not just in your brainstorming session, but in the workplace in general.
While the presentation was brief, we had a refreshing glimpse of how we could rekindle the creative fires (and interpersonal relationships) at the office. I hope you can use some of these ideas yourself. If you want to learn more about improv for business, the speakers, or the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, check out:
Blank Stage Productions, www.blankstageproductions.com
Speaker and Author of “Improv to Improve Your Business,” Vanessa Lowry, LinkedIn, www.connect4leverage.wordpress.com
Speaker and Author of “Improv to Improve Your Business, ”Jim Hogan, LinkedIn
Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, www.gnfcc.com
The fundraiser event, held at a local Sandy Springs bar, Three Sheets Atlanta, featured a number of silent auction items and raffle tickets ranging from a signed CSI NY Script to private cooking lessons and custom jewelry. Overall, the event pulled in $1,000 in donations for CIS of Atlanta. The money raised will go directly to the organization and assist with special programs such as CIS attendance rewards.
“We all use our networking in everyday life for business pursuits, so I thought, why not leverage our collective connections for a greater cause,” said Mendel. “The turnout and donations from the event exceeded my expectations and underscored the generous and powerful nature of networking.”
CIS of Atlanta was established in 1972, and over the last three decades, it has helped thousands of young people earn high school diplomas and go on to become productive members of their communities. Currently, CIS of Atlanta supports 62 schools in Atlanta and DeKalb County, including 20 elementary schools, 19 middle schools, 22 high schools and one nontraditional school. In Georgia, there are 48 local CIS organizations, serving students in 52 counties and 59 school systems. To find out more about CIS in Georgia, go to www.cisga.org.
Governor Deal recently addressed the Georgia Public Health Association on April 13, 2011, at its 82nd Annual Meeting & Conference. More than 400 public health advocates attended the conference held at the Crowne Plaza off of Powers Ferry Road.Gov. Deal's speech came right after the recent General Assembly's passage of House Bill 214, which would establish a standalone Department of Public Health.
The Governor praised the work of GPHA and their efforts in protecting the health of Georgia's citizens. In addition, he shed light on one of Georgia's most pressing public health issues - childhood obesity.
gerald, Georgia's new Director of Public Health, also addressed the more than 400 attendees. Dr. Fitzgerald was appointed by Gov. Deal in February 2011 to run the state's Division of Public Health, currently part of the Department of Community Health.Media coverage appeared the very next day in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Health News, the Augusta Chronicle, and CBS Atlanta.
In addition to helping with conference planning and implementation, Hayslett Group's Partner Up! for Public Health campaign played an integral role in the three-day event. Campaign representatives hosted an exhibitor booth, inviting public health officials, advocates, students and others to view campaign press materials and ask questions about the campaign. Visitors were invited to explore the campaign's County-by-County Health Data and Rankings Report, sign up to receive news updates about the campaign and sign an e-petition stating they would support additional funding for public health.
