"Less Clutter. Less Noise" Giveaway

And the winner is……

Libby, whose least favorite font is PAPYRUS. “Especially in logos.”

Hmmmm….

Libby, I think I agree with you.

I must confess that David Brawley did NOT draw Libby’s name – he is fast asleep. And I must apologize for the fact that it took me so dang long to get this done. But Sydni did the drawing, and better late than never!

It’s a great book, Libby. I know you’ll enjoy it. Direct message me on Twitter or email me (beth{at}powhatancc{dot}org with a mailing address and it’ll be on it’s way!

Book Giveaway!

Today we’re welcoming Kem Meyer to Grace, Every Day as part of her world-wide blog tour! Kem is the Communications Director at Granger Community Church and has written a terrific and inspiring book.  Less Clutter. Less Noise is well-worth your time if you are interested in streamlining and improving communications within any organization – non-profit, for-profit or in between.  

Just to prove my point, I’m going to GIVE AWAY a copy of Kem’s book to one of you lucky blog readers!  Check out the fine print at the bottom of this post to find out how YOU can get your hands on Less Clutter. Less Noise for free!

I had the chance to ask Kem not one but THREE questions, and she answered each one.

BB: Kem, I loved your book. Hope you don’t mind that I’m asking THREE questions.  

KM:  Beth, because you were so kind and gave me the easiest questions out of everyone—I’ll answer ALL of your questions. This stop is a refreshing change of pace. Who had the crazy idea to visit all these blogs in one day, anyway?

BB:  Hmmm….okay, first question.  It’s obvious that you are passionate about all things communication.  Is there any one font that you really don’t like – one that makes you recoil in disgust?

KM:  “Too many fonts” make me recoil in disgust.

BB:  Desert island.  You, on it.  Choice of three books and three cds.  What would they be?

KM:  I would leave the three books and three cds at home and take one iPhone to the desert island.

BB:  (I wish I had an iPhone….)  Okay, next question:  What’s been the most intersting change in your life after moving from corporate/secular to corporate/church work?

KM: The most interesting change in my life after leaving the corporate world for full-time ministry is that the overactive extrovert stepped down to reveal I’m ½ introvert. What? In the past, the only way I could recharge was to be around people. I couldn’t get enough. Now, I need equal parts of solitude and social time to keep my tank full. Too much of either one makes me cranky. Who knew?

Thanks to Kem for stopping by to visit Grace, Every Day.  If you’re intrigued by her answers or the idea of reducing clutter in communications, you need this book.

And I’ll give it to you!

Here’s the deal:  Choose one of the questions that I asked Kem and answer it yourself in the comments here.  Heck, if you want, answer all three – just make it three separate comments. On Monday morning, I’ll print out the comments, cut them up into separate names, drop them in a hat and let David Brawley choose the winner!

Less Clutter, For Free!

On my recent study break, I wrote about Less Clutter. Less Noise, a great book on communications by Kem Meyer.

Well, Kem’s on a blog tour and she’ll be visiting HERE in just a few days, answering some riveting questions and providing a shot of glamour for Grace, Every Day.  

Be sure to check back here in a few days for YOUR chance to win a free copy of Less Clutter. Less Noise! In the meantime, go check out her blog.

Less Clutter. Less Noise. Still Overwhelmed.

Finished book #3 of this study break; Kem Meyer‘s Less Clutter. Less Noise.  Subtitled “Beyond Bulletins, Brochures and Bake Sales”, it’s a look at how to maximize effectiveness of communication, focused on the church environment, in light of the information overload systems in place in our current culture.

Kem comes out of a corporate background, which gives her a ton of credibility.  She’s not “churchy” at all, but a serious appreciation for the work of Jesus in her life underlies her book.

I was surprised to find a good bit of the book’s content has a prior life on her blog.  It was good there, and it’s good here – but I’d already seen and heard a lot of this.  However, it’ll be a great resource to get into the hands of people working in communications at our church.

As I processed this info, one thing kept coming to mind:  I’m insane.  I’m trying to manage communications from a staff perspective – which really isn’t happening at all, or at least in any way that seems cohesive.  And yet we’ve revamped our website and continue to dialogue about future improvements; we’ve altered the program and returned to in-house publication, saving stress and money; we’ve enlisted the work of an incredible graphic designer; we’re trying to streamline our efforts.  

But this is a full-time occupation.  And trying to juggle musicians and service planning and production team and programming – whew!  Perhaps lesson numero uno from study break is this:  

Women Who Try To Do Too Much And Why They’re Stressed

Well, regardless, here’s some great info from Kem’s book;

• It’s not what you say; it’s what people hear.
• Information is now so inexpensive and plentiful that most of it ends up being overlooked, ignored or tossed like garbage.  (True, this.)
• People’s needs drive their attention; they notice what will benefit them.
• Get real instead of trying to appear real.
• Everything you do (in communcations) is an extension of your story.
• Simplify the problem – don’t complicate the solution.
• Every person in your church is a walking billboard.
• Before you spend money on marketing, spend money on improving the people skills of your people (like reading the same book, training, vision-casting, etc.)

Kem says she wrote this book for the short attention span.  Initially, I found this really difficult. It’s interesting to note that my approach to printed information in a book is different than my web experience; I don’t want a book to be like a blog.  I want a more leisurely experience; I want a book experience.  Just another example of how people receive and interpret communicated information, I guess.

Great information, though.  This woman is a gold mine.