How to be Known As an Expert

Improve your chances for promotion and attract outside job offers by displaying expertise and calling attention to yourself.

Some ways to do it:

• Write an article for a key trade journal.

• Join an association of peer professionals. Get to know your counterparts and their superiors in other companies. Run for office in the association.

• Develop a speech about your work and offer to talk to local groups and service clubs.

• Teach a course at a community college.

• Write letters to the editors of trade journals, commenting on or criticizing articles that they publish in your field.

• Have lunch with your company’s public relations people. Let them know what your department is doing, and see if they know of some good speaking platforms for you.

• Use vacation time to attend conferences and seminars.

• Write to experts, complimenting them (when appropriate) on their work and their articles, Whether or not they reply, they’ll be flattered and they’ll probably remember your name.

Source: Errol D. Alexander, president, Profiles, Inc, Venon,CT.

Putting Yourself on TV

Public access (PA), a noncommercial form of cable television established expressly for amateur programming, is now available in hundreds of communities nationwide. And if your community has cable, chances are it also has PA facilities just waiting to be used.

• Contact the local PA coordinator first. Although most PA programs are administered by the cable company that will cablecast them, in some cities the public , school distinct or some municipal government office coordinates things.

• Ask around to find out exactly how PA works in your community. Don’t get started with specific plans until you have let the appropriate people know exactly what you would like to do.

• Plan carefully in advance. Deciding upon a suitable topic is the first step toward creating a successful PA program. Other issues that need settling: How long will the program be? Will it be an ongoing series, or merely a one-shot deal? Who’s going to operate the camera and the editing equipment? Will you need to film on location, or can all the necessary footage be shot in the studio? Will you need furniture and props for a set?

• Keep in mind that t takes much longer to produce a program than you’ve probably need to devote a couple of weeks, at least, to learning the television ropes before even beginning to produce your program. Usually, however, it takes much longer.

• Set specific goals. Decide if you simply want to convey information, to educate or to entertain. Don’t try to do too much in a single show,

• Polish your program. Decide before you go into the studio exactly what you hope to accomplish. Rehearse your program carefully and then time it.

• Learn production techniques. Most PA organizations require that you demonstrate proficiency in the use of equipment before they turn you loose in the studio. Don’t try to get around this requirement. Technical knowledge is crucial, even if you plan on leaving the nuts-and-bolts end of things to someone else. You can’t be an effective director or producer if you’re not sure what the equipment can cannot do. Besides, the instruction s usually free.

• Secure sponsorship. Most of your expenses will be assumed by the cable operator-but not all. Particularly for more ambitious projects, you may want to secure outside funding from a local business or philanthropic group to help with production costs and publicly. Although PA guidelines prohibits advertising per se, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to list sponsors on the air. Before approaching potential sponsors, find out exactly what you can promise them.

• Get the message out. Many PA users concentrate so singlemindedlyon getting their programs finished that they neglect one of the most important things: Getting people to tune in. So tell your friends to watch and have them tell their friends. Ask the cable operator to include your program, along with its air date and time , in the monthly schedule it distributes to its viewers. Call your local newspaper and radio stations, and even take out ads if you want to reach as many people as possible. (Of course, you’ll have to foot the bill for this yourself.)

Source: Sue Buskes, ExevutiveDirectorm National Federation of Local Cable Programmers, Washington, DC, and James McElveen, Director of Public Affairs, National Cable Television Association, Washington, DC.

Who gets promoted first

The four most important factors in determining how fast you are promoted:

• How top management feels about the person who recommended your promotion.

• Your exposure and visibility to those in higher management.

• Your background, education, work experience.

• How well you perform in your present job.