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Thought Leadership

Thought Leadership. Perspectives from the OER Africa Communications Team. Definitions. What is Thought Leadership?. Strategic use of content to consistently answer the biggest questions on the minds of your target audience, on a particular topic

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Thought Leadership

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  1. Thought Leadership Perspectives from the OER Africa Communications Team

  2. Definitions

  3. What is Thought Leadership? • Strategic use of content to consistently answer the biggest questions on the minds of your target audience, on a particular topic • Content that is recognized by others as innovative, covering trends and topics that influence an industry Mark Brenner, CEO – Marketing Insider Group https://marketinginsidergroup.com/about-us/

  4. Thought Leadership is Cumulative • ... can and should have tactical elements that reveal the evolution of an idea from concept toward implementation…should be strategic at the onset • …should be about a big idea that changes how people perceive the world • …should intrigue, challenge, and inspire even people already familiar with a company [organisation / concept] • …should help start a relationship where none exists, and it should enhance existing relationships… Daniel W. Rasmus https://www.fastcompany.com/3003897/golden-rules-creating-thoughtful-thought-leadership

  5. Thought Leadership is Organisational • A thought leadership program for a nonprofit should be... an organization development exercise and not just a communications / PR job … • Powerful thought leadership campaigns need to be embedded into the culture of an organization to be truly successful • Teams need to be on board with sharing those ideas and insights with the world. They are your greatest ambassadors. Caroline Avakian http://www.socialbrite.org/2013/05/13/how-to-establish-thought-leadership-for-your-nonprofit/

  6. Criticism of the Phrase and Concept… • an annoying example of business jargon,[11] • …the nebulous nature of the phrase (the unclear nature of "what is and what is not thought leadership") contributes to its reputation among cynics as "meaningless management speak."[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_leader

  7. Why do it? • By communicating thought leadership you become part of the conversation, early in the consumer journey. You allow your audience to get to know you (Brenner) • …one of the most effective and least expensive ways an organization can build awareness of their cause and influence the communities they need to reach (Avakian)

  8. Strategies & Tactics

  9. About audiences (1) • produce deep research on the subject / present a depth of knowledge that no one else has • define all of your customers challenges / define the best ways to overcome them (Brenner)

  10. About audiences (2) • intrigue, challenge, and inspire even people already familiar with a company [organisation / subject] • address a specific audience: thought leadership only matters if people read it…concentrate on one, or just a few audiences Rasmus

  11. About audiences (3) • Concentrate on telling one focused and clear story and communicate it using channels you know your audience engages with. • Social media, online communities, associations, traditional media and speaking events like panels and conferences are all fair game. Avakian

  12. Questions and Answers • Identify the topic that is closely associated with your brand • identify the all questions your customers are asking – make a list and  prioritize them • Answer those questions across multiple formats and multiple channels in a way that adds value to your audience • Start with the most important and work your way down the list • Seek to be the best answer to those questions Brenner

  13. Content oriented… • Have a unique perspective: take a position on something meaningful and interpret it for others • Be humble • actively pursue possibilities / share your enthusiasm for exploration with customers and partners • part of thought leadership involves the risk of allowing new ideas to flourish, and being brave enough to have smart people challenge assumptions and chew away at the status quo (Rasmus)

  14. Content that engages… • Don’t dismiss any content types that your audience might be interested in. • You need to educate them but we are all human and none of us mind a little humor. Use lots of examples and facts and quotes.   • I love the idea of interviewing customers to create content or curating content from other sources while adding your own perspective. (Brenner)

  15. What Can / Should OER Africa Do with Thought Leadership?

  16. Possible actions for the WG • We need to begin to read what others are saying about OER and consolidate OER Africa opinion-pieces on the same • We need to integrate into our Working Group meetings and Communications Strategy, strategies to document our reflections on our work

  17. Reflections on Institutional Engagement What are we learning about transforming higher education with respect to the processes, people, institutional cultures, etc. / Where are we with regard to the grant Outcomes – namely – to achieve? • A deepened understanding of how OER practices can support sustained transformation of teaching and learning in African universities. • Accumulated understanding of how OER practices and policy can support transformation of teaching and learning in African universities is widely shared and is incorporated into advocacy

  18. Some internal perspectives (NB) • The problem is not people’s interest in teaching or learning, it is the stultifying effect of education systems that destroy the natural human inclination to want to learn • Effective storage and management of digitized teaching and learning materials is a significant and growing problem at universities, especially as it leads to significant duplication of efforts, loss of IP, and weakened collaborative practices during content development

  19. An external perspective - KH The project would have been stillborn without the level and nature of support that has been provided. While training has relied on tried and tested materials, support has been flexible in adapting to particular contexts. • The current IL team is able to offer more than just technical support. • Outsiders can do what insiders cannot do within the tight hierarchical bureaucracies that universities have become • ILs have worked productively across bureaucratic divisions and hierarchies. • In the context of university salary structures, one cynic has observed that interpersonal rivalries are most intense when the stakes are lowest. (KH)

  20. An internal perspective (JL) • Where I disagree with Brenner is that I don’t think that everyone can give opinions in thought leadership, I do believe it is the more senior people in the organisation who can entice debate

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