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> Managing your stakeholders
ISSUE 32 | OCTOBER 2008
Get the most from your trustees All on board? Influencing – an art form or a way of being?
> Building relationships with stakeholders
> You don’t have to be a person of influence to be influential
> AMA annual review
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Contents
JAM is published by
JAM is sponsored by
> Regulars Spotlight ………………………………………………… 3
www.mobiusgreenprint.com 020 7836 3864
Research round-up ………………………………… 4 AMA annual review ……………………………… 11
www.a-m-a.co.uk © Epic Photography
> Managing your stakeholders You don’t have to be a person of influence to be influential ……………... 6 Case study: Leading matters ………………… 8 Case study: Get the most from your trustees ………………………………………… 10 All on board? ………………………………………… 15
You don’t have to be a person of influence ...
Leading matters
AMA annual review
All on board?
Making media connections
Influencing – an art form or a way of being?
Case study: Making media connections ………………………………………… 19 Influencing – an art form or a way of being? …………………………………… 21
This issue of JAM was compiled and edited by Andrea Perseu, Helen Bolt and Julie Aldridge. e helen@a-m-a.co.uk
JAM is published four times per annum. £17 per annum UK subscription rates Overseas subscription rates £35 per annum e andrea@a-m-a.co.uk
JAM is published by the Arts Marketing Association 7a Clifton Court, Cambridge CB17BN t 01223 578078 f 01223 245862 e info@a-m-a.co.uk w www.a-m-a.co.uk
© Arts Marketing Association, 2008 All rights are reserved and reproduction of any parts is not allowed without the written permission of the publishers.
Designed by Sugarfree Design t 020 7619 7430 www.sugarfreedesign.co.uk
Make JAM for the AMA JAM is always on the lookout for new writers with good ideas for case studies and features, especially from some of those smaller organisations out there. Have you got a case study that you would like to tell JAM readers about? Is there something that really gets your goat? If you would like to contribute, please e-mail: helen@a-m-a.co.uk.
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Opinions expressed in JAM are not necessarily those of the AMA and no responsibility is accepted for advertising content. Any material submitted for publication may be edited for reasons of style, content or available space. Meanings will not be altered without permission from the author. ISSN 1474-1172
JAM is available in large print or electronic format. e andrea@a-m-a.co.uk t 01223 578078 JAM is also available on the AMA website at www.a-m-a.co.uk/publications.asp
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> EDITORIAL
People like us hy isn’t everyone just like me? I often wonder this. It would be so much easier if everyone I came across thought like me, liked the same things that I do and acted just like me. I would know exactly what to say to them to get the results I wanted and know what makes them tick in order to achieve my goals – just reward me with a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit and I’ll do anything for you. Well, not quite anything. Obviously it would be horribly weird and boring but it would make the dayto-day dealing-with-people tasks a lot easier if you knew what they were thinking and how they were going to react to your suggestions. Thankfully, we aren’t all alike and the stakeholders in our organisations and in our lives have their own thoughts, ideas and plans to make life just that bit more interesting. It’s important then that we have an understanding of the people around us and knowledge of how to manage and influence them when we are
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aiming for the best possible results and outcomes for our colleagues, our projects and our organisations. In this issue of JAM on managing your stakeholders, Christy Farnbauch discusses the day-to-day challenges of leading with limited authority (page 8), Rick Bond looks at how to improve your relationship with your board (page 10) and Jane Donald makes media connections for the Celtic Connections festival (page 19). Jerry Yoshitomi explains that you don’t have to be a person of influence to be influential (page 6), Sue Colvin examines a new model for managing a diverse range of stakeholder relationships (page 15) and Alasdair Cant looks at some basics of successfully achieving influence (page 21). Heather Maitland uncovers the secrets behind successful partnerships (page 4) while the spotlight falls on Kate Whitlock, freelance AMA sponsorship manager. The middle pages include the AMA annual review for 2007–2008, to give you an insight into what we have been up to.
Helen Bolt Editor, JAM e helen@a-m-a.co.uk
Spotlight on Kate Whitlock o, spotlight on … me! Exciting, but what does one write when one is actually being spotlit? Especially when other spotlightees (‘Spotlight on’ fans please see previous issues) have been eloquent and shown off expansive vocabularies to boot (my ongoing bugbear – wrangling two small children for the last four years has much depleted my already meagre head-dictionary, and also any ability to construct coherent English sentences. However, I can now speak fluent Night Garden: admittedly less handy at the moment, but hey, you never know when you might need to ask Makka Pakka directions to the train station). It all began for me just over eight years ago when I was employed by
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the AMA as the membership administrator. Up the AMA greasy pole I went (not actually greasy at all, rather grippy and with helpful footholds instead), ending up as the Events and Services Manager, which was my position for around five years. It was fantastic fun but too much time commuting led me to leave the organisation last April to try to redress my work–life balance. An employee no more, I have since been delighted to maintain my contact with the AMA in a freelance capacity. My remit as freelance Sponsorship Manager is to liaise with current and potential sponsors, look at the sponsorship opportunities the AMA offers and try to develop agreements that produce a ‘win–win–win’ scenario: that is, a
win for the sponsor, a win for the AMA and, just as importantly, a win for AMA members. It’s sometimes a difficult juggle, but I hope that more often than not everybody’s happy. Now then, anyone for pinky ponk juice?
Kate Whitlock Freelance Sponsorship Manager e kate@a-m-a.co.uk
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Building relationships with stakeholders Heather Maitland uncovers the secrets behind successful partnerships
ast year I worked with the Henderson Aplin Partnership to research how venues and visiting companies share audience data. We started out thinking that this was a contentious issue. But we talked to 50 companies and many of them said things like: ‘I don't encounter massive problems as we have good relationships with venues who are happy as long as they get something in return.’ So what is a good relationship and how can we create them? This is Siv Vangen and Chris Huxham’s specialist area of research. They say that partnerships between organisations are difficult to manage and often don’t deliver. They are effective only if the partners continually nurture the collaborative processes, particularly at the beginning and end of the relationship.1 Partnerships are about promoting our own agenda while making compromises to accommodate our partners’ goals: that is, helping them get something they want in return. This means that partnerships only work if partners have enough in common to keep those compromises to a minimum. Anne Roberts and I looked at 17 partnerships between arts organisations to see what worked. The most successful groups had clearly articulated aims and a clear idea of how they would benefit, individually and collectively.2 Agreeing shared aims can be difficult, though. If the partners
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already know and trust each other, then a full discussion at an early stage can be productive. If not, then it can emphasise rather than resolve differences.3 A better option might be to aim for some modest quick wins to build up trust and have the indepth discussion later. Even so, just to get started you will have to find some common ground, even though this may not be central to the partnership, or find enough consensus for you to agree what to work on first or focus just on your aims that are compatible. Building trust Trust is essential. In the for-profit sector, research shows a clear relationship between high levels of trust and increased sales and profitability.4 Blomqvist and Stahle define trust as the expectations we have about our partners’ competence, goodwill and behaviour. We need trust because when we make compromises for the good of the partnership, we are putting ourselves in a potentially vulnerable position. We only trust a partner if we believe they have the relevant skills and know-how, are willing to co-operate and be proactive and that they have values that mean they won’t behave badly.5 What can we do to encourage our partners to trust us? We can improve communication skills; behave reliably; show commitment; be sincere, benevolent and competent; act with integrity; and show we are working
towards reaching project milestones and establishing common goals.6 Structuring the partnership Trust is not just dependent on individual behaviour. The way that the partnership is set up can help build trust. The partners need to be clear what the collaboration is for. There needs to be a partnership champion but they must not be allowed to take over the group.7 Inevitably, some people within the partnership will have more power than others. This may be because the others see them as having more expertise, they are more popular, they have been right several times in the past, they talk the most, they say things that reflect the values of the partnership even if they are wrong, they have more information or their organisations have more resources or status.8 It’s important that the partners deal with this imbalance of power. Trust is dependent on the workload being shared fairly – and the credit too. This means that the partners need to check their relative levels of commitment and resolve any differences.9 Researchers looked at collaborations that operate at different levels within the organisations. They found that it is important everyone feels that they are helping to develop policy and strategy.10 Relationships between marketing staff can be difficult to sustain if this is not the case and they feel they are just implementing
‘I don't encounter massive problems as we have good relationships with venues who are happy as long as they get something in return.’ 4 > JAM 32
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> RESEARCH ROUND-UP
to reach the goals, what they can provide and what they need from their partner. This means they have to put their cards on the table, and that needs excellent interpersonal skills. It also presumes that their organisation as a whole has thought through what it wants from the relationship.11 Above all, partners need to be prepared to compromise individual goals for the good of the group – that way they will all win in the long run.
decisions made by artistic leaders or chief executives. Fast trust Huxham and Vangen emphasise that we need to allow time to build up an understanding. What if we don’t have that time? Unfortunately, many researchers
believe that trust results from the accumulation of positive results each time the partners invest in the relationship. It is so socially complex that it is difficult to speed up. In order to build ‘fast trust’ the partners need to have an early understanding of the foundations of their relationship: purpose, goals, the resources needed
1. Siv Vangen and Chris Huxham, ‘Nurturing Collaborative Relations: Building Trust in Interorganizational Collaboration’, The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 39, 1, pp. 5–31 2. Heather Maitland and Anne Roberts, Greater than the Sum of Its Parts: A Joined Up Guide to Working in Groups, Arts Council England, 2006, p. 17 3. Chris Huxham and Siv Vangen, Managing to Collaborate: The Theory and Practice of Collaborative Advantage, Routledge, 2005, pp. 5–7
4. Yadong Luo, ‘Building Trust in Cross-Cultural Collaborations: Toward a Contingency Perspective’, Journal of Management, 28, 5, pp. 669–694 5. K Blomqvist and P Stahle, ‘Building Organisational Trust’, Proceedings of 16th Annual IMP Conference, 2000 6. Jan Terje Karlsen, Ketil Græe, Mona Jensvold Massaoud, ‘Building Trust in ProjectStakeholder Relationships’ Baltic Journal of Management, 2008, 3, 1, pp. 7–22 7. Huxham and Vangen (2005), p.159
I belong to one group where, if we want a pizza and we all want to stay together, then the one who doesn’t want pizza moans and groans. In Guardians of Doubt we all eat pizza with grace and enjoy it.12 From a member of Guardians of Doubt, a partnership exploring and challenging issues around experimental dance and performance, www.guardiansofdoubt.org
Heather Maitland Consultant and author e hmaitland1@aol.com
8. M Reid and R Hammersley, Communicating Successfully in Groups, Routledge, 2000, p. 118 9. Huxham and Vangen (2005), p. 159 10. R Harrison, G Mann, M Murphy, A Taylor and N Thompson, Partnership Made Painless, Russell House Publishing Ltd, 2003, p. 37 11. K Blomqvist and P Stahle (2000) 12. Heather Maitland and Anne Roberts (2006), p. 17
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You don’t have to be a person of influence to be influential Jerry Yoshitomi on leading with limited authority
he inspiration for this article and the workshop on which it is based came from conversations with people who had taken my Engage Now! workshops, yet were unsuccessful in deploying proven new methods back home. I found that they had been stymied back at the office by highly resistant Laggards or Squelchers, who were oftentimes in positions of higher authority. My research took me to leading with limited authority in Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald Heifetz, Leading Up by Michael Useem, Getting it Done: How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge by Roger Fisher and Alan Sharp and my own musings in Is Knowledge in the Right Places? The literature suggests that rather than waiting for higher-ups to lead, it’s the responsibility of everyone to lead, no matter where they are in the organisational chart. One-third of our time should be spent leading up, onethird spent leading horizontally – with our peers – and one-third leading down. This requires influencing others with whom we have no direct authority to change what they are
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doing, as well as influencing others over whom we have authority, but often have little influence. Innovation theory suggests looking first at sources of resistance to innovation • Values and previous mission; social norms of the organisation. Even though conditions are different today, colleagues may hold on to missions/values/norms of the past. For example, music publishing companies are slow to convert from record/CD publishers to adopting online distribution methods. • Competitiveness. Holding on to old values/norms induces a competition for limited resources. We need to put more resources into my part of the business (it’s the most important thing we do), even though the number of customers is declining. • Competency and capacity. Colleagues may not have the competency or capacity to operate the new box office system, so they still maintain records in ledger books and print hard tickets.
• Equilibrium. A system will always default to equilibrium, however it’s been in the past. • Confidence. They don’t know what to do nor do they have the confidence that your solution is any better than what we have done in the past. At the beginning of my workshop, to encourage participants to do something differently, I quote: • Helen Hayes/Harry Truman: ‘What really counts is what you learn after you know it all.’ • Anonymous: ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be what you’ve always been.’ • Albert Einstein: ‘You can’t solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it.’ Some ways to lead with limited authority • Listen to your superiors and identify the intractable problems they are concerned with, but don’t seem to have many answers. How many times have we heard, ‘Our audiences are greying/retiring/dying, what are we going to do to attract younger audiences?’ • Challenge the prevailing organisational wisdom. • Identify the problem (with other sources, third parties), yet draw attention to issues without drawing too much attention to yourself. Don’t make it Jerry’s issue. Make it many people’s issue. • Invite/gather the guiding coalition – colleagues from up/down within the organisation – to begin creating solutions.
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> FEATURE
• Identify solutions in other places or others solving similar problems (take workshops, read about innovations in other organisations). • Identify resources for experiments (if possible within your own control) to facilitate action. • Create new outcome measures to evaluate programmes – ten years ago our understanding of the term ‘number of hits’ would have had a very different connotation from today’s. • Create a dashboard to quickly and effectively communicate progress (consider an automobile dashboard or the money thermometer for a local fundraising goal).
• Understand boss’s/colleagues’ dilemma and pains of change; choose tactics accordingly. Don’t blame/attack. Look at the situation from his/her point of view. One of the primary tasks of many superiors is to maintain equilibrium. • Remember, your position in the organisation allows for a short attention span. How long would you be allowed to speak at a meeting? Sixty seconds? Thirty seconds? Use time wisely: make interventions simple, intelligible and relevant.
The following case study by Christy Farnbauch cites several examples of how she led with limited authority. Think about a superior/colleague: • What are their values or goals? • How might you frame your messages to gain their resources to implement some of your ideas? • What other actions might you take? If you’d like to send me your ideas/ questions on how to lead with limited authority, feel free to respond on my blog at www.meaningmattersnet.net.
How long would you be allowed to speak at a meeting? Sixty seconds? Thirty seconds? Use time wisely: make interventions simple, intelligible and relevant.
Jerry Yoshitomi Chief Knowledge Officer, MeaningMatters, LLC w www.meaningmattersnet.net JAM 32 > 7
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Leading matters
Christy Farnbauch discusses the day-to-day challenges of leading with limited authority n September 2004, I became the coordinator of business and community partnerships for Hilliard City Schools (HCS). HCS is the ninth largest school district in Ohio with 15,000 students, 22 buildings and 1,700 staff. This position has proven to be challenging on both professional and personal levels. Since 1991, I had worked at the Ohio Arts Council, an agency of 40 staff members, as the community development director and chief knowledge officer for a major change initiative. During the first several months of transition, the enormity of the school district was almost more than I could comprehend. How could
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I chart a course that would be personally and professionally meaningful to me, while helping to improve the organisation? I used several resources and have developed strategies for contributing to the success of the district, while validating the importance of partnership building. 1. The rule of reciprocity I spent the first few months in this position getting to know the administrative team. I made appointments with all 22 principals to spend some time getting to know them, their building culture, as well as their hopes, dreams and aspirations for their work. I always ended those conversations by offering to help them find support, funding or solutions for their goals and
challenges. Robert Cialdini discusses the rule of reciprocity in his book, Influence.1 The rule says that people will try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided to them. Slowly, one by one, the principals would call with projects they needed assistance with. After working with them to find possible solutions, they would recommend me to their peers as a resource, further validating the work, and completing the circle of reciprocity. I am deliberate about under-promising and over-delivering on each project, while creating relationships built on trust and confidence. In addition, having others endorse and validate my work is more effective than trying to ‘sell’ myself.
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> CASE STUDY
2. Determine your circle of influence In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,2 Steven Covey discusses the need to be proactive. Proactive people focus their efforts on their ‘circle of influence’. I have to stay proactive and address the challenges I can do something about, like securing additional financial resources for classroom teachers. In the early months of this position, I focused on the part of my job that felt most comfortable – helping staff members write grants. As a seasoned grant funder, reviewer and writer, I felt confident from the beginning about guiding teachers through the proposal-writing process and I was able to build my leadership authority, initially on a small scale, with individual teachers, which felt comfortable to me. The result of that work has been increasingly positive energy that continues to enlarge and magnify my circle of influence. 3. Link your work to larger organisational goals The most important, overarching goal for the school district is to improve student achievement through relationships that foster rigorous and relevant learning environments. I link the work I do with the district’s goal at every opportunity. The core message for my department is that meaningful relationships with businesses and community organisations support rigorous and relevant learning experiences. I attend meetings and workshops with content that, as a noneducator (my degrees are in music and business), I don’t fully understand, but I then strive to describe my work in
language that aligns with the language of the teachers and administrators in the district. 4. Beware of the curse of knowledge Chip and Dan Heath outline their theory of the ‘curse of knowledge’ in the book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.3 The curse of knowledge says that once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. This makes it difficult for us to share knowledge with others, because we cannot readily re-create the listener’s state of mind. In order to effectively lead with limited authority, we must speak in terms that our coworkers or boss will understand and get enthusiastic about. The Heath brothers offer a six-point framework for avoiding this challenge which begins with distilling your ideas down to the core, most critical elements. By taking the time to do this, you will help those you are trying to lead focus on the key task or decision to be made. Every day continues to be an exciting challenge on my journey of leading with limited authority. I sincerely hope these strategies will help you to successfully do the same.
1. Cialdini, Robert B. Influence: Science and Practice. 4th ed. Needham Heights: Allyn and Bacon, 2001. 2. Covey, Steven R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Free Press, 1989 and 2004. 3. Heath, Chip, and Dan Heath. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. New York: Random House, 2007.
Christy Farnbauch Coordinator Business and Community Partnerships, Hilliard City Schools e christy_farnbauch@hboe.org JAM 32 > 9
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> CASE STUDY
Get the most from your trustees Rick Bond looks at how to improve your relationship with your board
f you work for an organisation that’s registered as a company, has charitable status (or both), then you’ll have a board of trustees that plays a greater or lesser part in influencing your work. Of the hallmarks of a successful arts organisation, having a healthy relationship between trustees and managers is the most important. This is based on a mutual understanding and appreciation of each other’s roles and responsibilities. Let me explain the position of a trustee. They are certainly not there simply to rubber-stamp the decisions of the artistic director and the management team. First, the trustees are your employers. They are your ultimate bosses. Even the artistic director or chief executive is responsible to them. Trustees are entrusted with the safekeeping of the company. They are required by law to ensure it complies with all legal requirements. They must ensure it operates as a going concern (i.e. not cease profitable programmes simply because a programmer is excited by something altogether more challenging). They must also ensure the company has realistic plans for its development.
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And if they don’t? Well, they are personally liable for the company’s debts should it fail.
OK, liabilities might be limited by their ‘guarantee’, but if they are found to have been at fault (and ignorance through lack of diligence counts), then liability protection can be waived. That’s why trustees are correct to insist on procedures, reports, etc. It’s also worth knowing that trustees remain responsible for any decision made by the board for the remainder of their lives – even after they have stepped down or disagreed with it. No wonder then that they can occasionally come across as difficult and demanding. So what does this mean to you? Well, trustees are not necessarily there to do the job – that’s why they employ experts (and you’re one of them). But they must know that it is being done properly. They have to be diligent and convinced that you have done your homework and have in place the correct systems to do your job properly. So, here are a couple of things you can do to create a good relationship: 1.When making plans, identify potential trustee needs or concerns, revise your plans and then submit them to get a decision in one meeting, not two – they’ll also appreciate the time saved. Is there a board member with whom you can informally discuss plans prior to formally proposing them? If you
Trustees are not necessarily there to do the job – that’s why they employ experts (and you’re one of them).
can, ascertain the essential pieces of information they need to have when making a decision, so that you can include them. Finally, ensure the board receives the information they need in good time – not a report tabled on the day. 2.Nurture trustee confidence in you and the work of your department. Do trustees understand what you do and how you make decisions? Effective boards often factor in a presentation or Q&A sessions with a marketing officer once or twice a year. This allows you to explain current practices and the reason for them. It’s a session where they are allowed to ask intelligently naïve questions without embarrassment – which they’ll appreciate. It also allows you an opportunity to discuss how trustees could help you (er … try not to suggest backing off – when you have earned the right to do this, you’ll find they already are). Some trustees and management teams find it helpful to agree a mutual promise, in which both parties agree to do things that will help the other party do their job. If you would like an example then I’d be happy to e-mail you one – just ask. Good luck!
Rick Bond Director The Complete Works (UK) Ltd e rick@thecompleteworks.org.uk
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AMA Annual Review 2007–2008
Meet the AMA The AMA is the membership body supporting anyone working to bring art and audiences together. It has approximately 2,000 members from all art forms, at all levels of their career and from all four countries of the UK and beyond. A word from Simon Drysdale, Chair, Arts Marketing Association The figures on the next few pages speak for themselves to show that it has been yet another successful year for the AMA and the team that have worked to put it all together for the members.
We held 41 different events ranging from network meetings, mentoring training and the annual conference at 16 locations throughout the UK (see over for the map) which were attended by 1,173 people. The annual conference, Tailor Made, Edinburgh, July 2007 was attended by a record 32% of the 1,900 membership and the 2008
conference sold out in record time with 593 people attending WHY? – discovering the secrets of public behaviour and the arts at The Sage Gateshead in July 2008. As always there are plans afoot to build and improve on our current provision of services and provide more of what AMA members are asking for over the coming months. www.mattcase.co.uk
The AMA supports its members by offering: • a wealth of resources to keep us all up to date with current issues and best practice in arts marketing and audience development • a range of professional development opportunities such as mentoring, coaching and action learning • networking opportunities online and in person with 2,000 members from a wide variety of cultural organisations • an annual programme of training events taking place across the UK to help members develop new skills relevant to their work • ideas, discussions, articles, reports, case studies, etc. to inspire their thinking and develop the professionalism of arts marketing.
‘When I first joined I thought it was all about the annual conference, but I was wrong. Having AMA membership is like sharing an office with the best team in the business: fantastic advice, cunning bits of research, great contacts, even lively gossip on occasion – all there when you need them most. I wouldn't want to do my job without it’. Frances Longley, previously Communications Director at mac – now Consultant
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> The AMA Annual Review 2007-2008
MEET THE AMA STAFF
MEET THE AMA BOARD
Julie Aldridge Executive Director
Annabel Busher Events and Services Manager
Helen Bolt Marketing Manager
Katherine Dimsdale Events and Services Officer
Hannah Fenton Membership and Finance Administrator
Andrea Perseu Marketing Assistant
Neil Parker Freelance Business Services Manager
Sarah Wells Freelance Finance Manager
MEET THE MEMBERSHIP
22%
25%
Anna Upward Events and Services Administrator
Kate Whitlock Freelance Sponsorship Manager
Simon Drysdale (Chair), Managing Director, Impact Distribution and Marketing Beth Aplin (Vice-Chair), Director, Henderson Aplin Partnership Helen Dunnett, Marketing Director, Royal Northern College of Music Steven Hadley, Chief Executive, Audiences Northern Ireland Sarah Ogle, Marketing Director, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse David Popple, Director, Stamford Arts Centre Avril Scott, Freelance Consultant Jo Taylor, Marketing Manager, Welsh National Opera Emily Till, Head of Marketing, The Sage Gateshead
MEET THE MEMBER REPS EAST OF ENGLAND
NORTH WEST
WEST MIDLANDS
Steven Forster sfp Communications Pam Pfrommer Anglia Ruskin University
Mike James Unity Theatre Marge Ainsley Harris Museum and Art Gallery
Stephanie Falkiner Birmingham Repertory Theatre Katherine Flynn DanceXchange
EAST MIDLANDS
SOUTHERN ENGLAND
Patricia KenneallyForrester Bare Pots Ceramic Gifts & Pottery Painting Co. Neil Bennison Nottinghamshire County Council
Andrea Sheppard The Mayflower Rachael Easton amh
YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE
2% 7% 15% 1%
3% 12%
13%
Venue (performing arts only) Gallery / museum Performing arts company Arts centre (performing and visual arts) Festival Cinema, film and new media Freelance / consultant Student Other (supporting organisations)
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25% 15% 13% 12% 3% 1% 7% 2% 22%
LONDON
Jessica Silvester Royal Albert Hall Edwina Vine Freelance Charlotte Handel Lyric Hammersmith Jacqui Cassidy Historic Royal Palaces NORTHERN ENGLAND
Craig Millar arc Jonny Tull Tyneside Cinema
Daniel Ramsden Dead Earnest Theatre Linda Franklin Square Chapel Centre
SOUTH EAST
Howard Buckley Chichester Festival Theatre Jessica Bevan The Harlequin Theatre and Cinema SOUTH WEST
Jo Dereza Audiences South West Ros Fry Freelance Consultant Louisa Davison Secret Agent Marketing
NORTHERN IRELAND
Alice Jackson Audiences NI EAST SCOTLAND
Amy McDonald The Audience Business Susie Burnet Edinburgh International Festival
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> The AMA Annual Review 2007-2008
AMA EVENTS OF THE YEAR Between April 2007 and March 2008 we held 41 different events including the annual conference, workshops, seminars, network meetings, mentoring training, and ADUK (Audience Data UK) training courses.
‘I have personally been a member of the AMA since its inception, and membership has brought with it invaluable benefits professionally. At the Scottish Arts Council, we are committed to enabling arts marketing professionals at all levels across Scotland to develop their skills and experience. To help us achieve this, we were delighted to be able to support the AMA’s conference to happen in Scotland in 2007. The exceptionally capable and organised AMA delivered an outstanding event, against the backdrop of Edinburgh, Scotland’s beautiful capital city. The conference gave a wide range of delegates from all the nations of the UK exposure to some of the best thinking and practice from around the globe and facilitated constructive and lively networking opportunities for everyone. We wish the AMA continued success into the future.’
These events were attended by 1,173 people in locations right across the UK: Glasgow
Edinburgh Newcastle Belfast
Leeds Liverpool
Lancaster Manchester Cambridge
Birmingham Cardiff Bristol Taunton Exeter Bromley
London
Fiona Sturgeon Shea Head of Audience and Organisational Development, Scottish Arts Council
WEST SCOTLAND
Dianne Greig Glasgow Grows Audiences Charlotte Winter Glasgow Grows Audiences
‘Working in partnership with AMA is an important part of the Guardian's commitment to the arts in the UK. The Guardian prides itself on its extensive arts coverage across a whole range of print and digital products, and with 4.9* million people in the UK accessing our content every week, it is the perfect environment to reach an arts-hungry audience. By partnering with the AMA we ensure that we continue to provide great value to our readers, our advertisers and to the arts industry as a whole.’ (Source: GNM Total Audience)
NORTHERN SCOTLAND
Kirsty Anderson GASD SOUTH WALES
Siân Walters Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales Rachel Kinchin The Riverfront
Amanda Singleton, Arts Manager, GNMC
MID WALES
Rhys Hopkin Aberystwyth Arts Centre Meinir Llwyd Galeri Caernarfon Morwenna Honan Clwyd Theatr Cymru
www.mattcase.co.uk
NORTH WALES
‘The AMA has become a vital resource. We often take advantage of the advice, research and training it provides. The AMA is much more than a networking opportunity. It is why we have a profession, not just a job.’ Andy Ryans Marketing Director, The Hallé
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> The AMA Annual Review 2007-2008
Did you know that the AMA ... ... is a not-for-profit organisation, with a turnover of just under £550,000 ... relies primarily on earned income from membership, events and services and does not receive any revenue funding ... spends 25p in each £1 on overheads, leaving the lion’s share, 75p to be spent on supporting members’ professional development ... provides its diverse range of services from an average subscription income of £73 per member?
Where our money comes from (2007–2008) Membership £ 138,576 Events (incl. project grants and sponsorship) £ 369,722 Member services £ 32,274 Total income £ 540,572 How we spend our money (2007–2008) Member services £ 93,238 £ 310,255 Events Overheads £ 135,125 Total expenditure £ 538,618
LOOKING FORWARD We live in a fast-moving society. Changing demographics, developments in new media, and changing audience and visitor expectations are all combining to change the way the public interacts with the arts. As the central point between audiences/ visitors and the arts organisation itself, marketers need to understand, represent and communicate with both the public and their colleagues in order to remain effective at bringing together art and audiences. At the AMA we are considering both what our members tell us they want to hear more about, as well as the impact for our members of changes in society, in order to help predict and influence the future of arts marketing. As a result, we are introducing a number of new topics, events and member services over the next 12 months to help keep members up to date and in touch with the changing world.
These will include: • a day event (incorporating our AGM) on new media and its impact on arts marketing and audience development • a coaching scheme for our senior members, exploring how those at the top of their game in arts marketing can fulfil their potential in their existing role, and explore potential for their future development as cultural leaders • an action learning scheme for our museums and galleries members, offering opportunities for peer learning, leading to improvements in visitor development practice and techniques • a roll-out of the ADUK (Audience Data UK) training programme in partnership with Network, and the development of a trainee–trainer programme to ensure its sustainability for the future
• an increase in the number of local networking events right across the UK to help members share current ideas, challenges and good practice • a contextualised version of the MSSSB (Marketing Sales Standards Setting Body) marketing standards framework for all members to compare their own skills, knowledge and experience against and plan for their future professional development. Julie Aldridge Executive Director, AMA ‘Being part of the AMA has been a brilliant constant in my career that continues to enable me to be a part of setting the arts agenda and questioning orthodoxy in arts marketing.’ Antony Pickthall, Head of Marketing and Communications, Liverpool Biennial
How to get involved We are always looking out for good ideas, new contributors for JAM (Journal of Arts Marketing), speakers for events or sponsors for new initiatives. If you would like to contribute, please e-mail: julie@a-m-a.co.uk. For membership or events information, please go to: www.a-m-a.co.uk or e-mail andrea@a-m-a.co.uk. 14 > JAM 32
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All on board? Sue Colvin explains a new model for managing a diverse range of stakeholder relationships. In March 2006 Manchester Camerata’s partnership with the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) was selected as one of only seven exemplars to take part in phase three of Mission, Models, Money (MMM), an independent action research programme for the arts and cultural sector. Over the next 12 months, the process of developing Manchester Camerata’s strategic alliance with the RNCM was evaluated and the results generated a case study to be used as a role model for the wider arts sector. ne of the key challenges that Manchester Camerata faced throughout the project was effectively communicating, to a variety of different stakeholders, the complex messages of a partnership that was essentially breaking new ground in the arts sector as the only one of its kind in Europe. In a dedicated MMM session with Accenture’s Simon England,
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Camerata performed a thorough analysis of each of their stakeholders. Recognising that a key driver in the success of the project was the quality and strength of relationships between stakeholders and different parts of the organisation, the Camerata management team created an action plan to increase the level of commitment of their stakeholders using the MMM Stakeholder Engagement Pack.
Stage one – identifying stakeholder groups Stage one identifies all those groups that have a stake in the success or failure of the project and determines the level of influence each stakeholder group has on the project. In the orchestra’s case this included not only major funders, but also musicians, the board of directors, venues, promoters the orchestra currently worked with, continued ...
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existing sponsors and supporters, and concert-goers. The board was considered to have a high level of influence, while the audience’s influence was marked low. Stage two – determining commitment levels Stage two is an analysis of the varying levels of commitment each stakeholder group has to the project using a commitment curve. The curve starts at ‘unaware’, through to ‘awareness’, ‘understanding’, ‘buy-in’ and finally ‘commitment’. The aim is to allocate each group a target level of commitment. See below for the commitment curve. In Camerata’s case, this meant moving a group up one level, e.g. moving audiences from awareness to understanding. For certain groups, like the influential musicians group, the target was to move them up two levels from awareness to buy-in.
Stage three – assessing concerns and risks Stage three involves collating insights from each stakeholder group with any key concerns they have about the project, through one-to-one meetings, informal group discussions and via the ‘grapevine’. The aim is to identify the risks if these concerns are not addressed. Stage four – defining the change role of each stakeholder The fourth stage in the stakeholder analysis is to determine the role of each stakeholder group in bringing about change. The five groups are: Partners: support the project in several ways, e.g. partners in joint ventures Sponsors: legitimise a change initiative through their show of support Advocates: have a stake in the outcome, will support project
The commitment curve Degree of support for the project
COMMITMENT
BUY-IN UNDERSTANDING
involvement aborted
AWARENESS
unaware
confusion
negative perception
decision not to get involved
Change agents: play key roles in setting up operations for the project Targets: individuals or groups affected by the project. In Camerata’s case most groups were allocated the role of either Sponsor or Advocate, with the board being identified as Change Agents and the audience as Targets. The end result is a stakeholder map which highlights areas of both strength and weakness and allows the team to focus on their stakeholders – the quality, strength and effectiveness of communication channels between the groups and how to develop them. Methods of communication include establishing regular e-mail updates, one-to-one meetings, presentations to larger groups, feature articles in both printed and e-newsletters and more informal conversations when appropriate. Manchester Camerata completed a successful move to the RNCM in June 2007, with the support of all its stakeholder groups. The life of the stakeholder map, however, lives on. It proved so useful as a way of monitoring contact on an ongoing basis that it was incorporated into the organisation’s new three-year business plan, which is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that the Camerata is continuing to effectively engage with its stakeholders and address their concerns.
Sue Colvin Head of Marketing and Communications Manchester Camerata e scolvin@manchestercamerata.com For more information about the Manchester Camerata’s participation in MMM visit www.missionmodelsmoney.org.uk
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3. Assess motivation / concerns / risks
4. Define role
Arrange meeting 30-7-6 to introduce
5. Ongoing management
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MMM template for initial stakeholder analysis. Find out more from the Stakeholder Engagement Pack pages of www.missionmodelsmoney.org.uk.
2. Assess commitment
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1. Identify
<< insert project name >> Stakeholder Management Register
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> FEATURE
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MISSION MODELS MONEY (MMM) GEARS UP FOR FOURTH PHASE Seven programme strands aimed at responding to the overarching conclusions made in ‘Towards a healthy arts and cultural ecology’ (see www.missionmodelsmoney.org.uk) and answering the question ‘How can we develop a healthier arts and cultural ecology?’ are ready for delivery: 1 New insights and practical approaches to help grow more high-impact organisations. Those that serve artists more effectively, elevate artistic achievement, and bolster organisational capacity to respond to shifting external realities. 2 A body of theory and practice about new creative organisational forms and the 21st-century competencies they both develop and require. 3 New ways of working that free up capacity, enable cost savings and
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improve delivery and experience of great art. 4 Expanding the financial toolbox to diversify income streams and develop financial models. 5 More synchronised funding communities which prioritise the health of the whole ecology and maximise the value and contribution of all funding groups. 6 Building confidence and competence through new models of capacity building which enable swifter evolution of
technology use by larger groups and effective peer-to-peer knowledge transfer. 7 Harnessing and influencing the power and networks of lead industry bodies and unions. If you would like to know more about MMM: Designing for Transition, contact Clare Cooper at clare.cooper@deft.org.uk If you would like to read more about the work of MMM so far, visit www.missionmodelsmoney.org.uk
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> CASE STUDY
Making media connections Jane Donald reflects on the personal character of the Celtic Connections festival
rom humble beginnings the Celtic Connections festival has grown from a single-venue event to a network of performances by an impressive array of international and local artists in 14 venues across Glasgow. In its first year the festival had its critics, several in the media, who predicted failure. Fifteen years on they have been proved wrong and indeed many of them are now established allies and supporters. In January 1994, 35,000 people gathered to celebrate Celtic culture during the first Celtic Connections festival in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. In January 2008 total attendances reached 120,000, demonstrating an economic benefit of ÂŁ7.9 million to the Scottish economy. So itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s big and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visible in Glasgow, Scotland and beyond.
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The fundamental aim of the festival is to build connections, networks and relationships through traditional music and culture. This ethos of connecting networks is also reflected in the management of the event. As a team we carefully nurture sets of varied relationships and develop networks that include artists, audiences, school children, teachers, journalists, broadcasters, workshop leaders, venue managers, stage crew, drivers, festival friends, sponsors, funders, tourists, government bodies and volunteers. For those of us who work on the festival, understanding these relationships has been central to developing audiences, attracting artists, satisfying sponsors, stimulating the local economy and interesting the media. It is our relationship with the
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media that I have been most continuously involved with since joining Glasgow’s Concert Halls in 1998. During the first six years of the festival the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall’s own staff developed the press office in-house. Building personal contacts, using word of mouth and ensuring excellent knowledge of the music was a tactic that resulted in friendly local press coverage and formed an important basis for what is now considered a tradition and part of the annual calendar for key members of the Scottish arts media. This approach left an important legacy, which the festival team maintain to this day. Partly as a result of circumstance and partly as a strategic move, in 2000 the festival employed two professional PR consultants to review, manage and develop the press office function for that year. Over the next few years we improved our communications, upgraded systems and became increasingly hungry to achieve coverage across a wider range of media. Introduction of nightly e-mailed press releases, proactive feeding of stories and photo opportunities, the early adoption of a virtual press office and an increasing confidence within the team of our growing expertise resulted in a steady rise in newspaper and broadcast coverage. By 2005 we had successfully coordinated our media relations with our marketing, promotions and performances. We established relationships with formal media partners who we continue to work with to our mutual benefit, including sharing print costs, offering 20 > JAM 32
discounted advertising and jointly promoting strands of programming – newly commissioned works being the most obvious example. Significant numbers of local, national and international journalists are accredited every year. Our post-event media analysis demonstrated that we were obtaining placements well beyond our traditional core arts coverage. We were achieving mentions in letters, travel supplements, news pages and even featured in a newspaper cartoon. In July 2006 Donald Shaw, a prominent promoter, musician and established authority within traditional music, became festival director and brought not only a new ambitious artistic vision but also a working knowledge of media relations. Donald’s addition to the team, and other significant changes in the management structure of the festival, are leading to increasing integration between the core functions of artistic programming, operational planning, marketing, PR and sponsorship. This is resulting in a move towards a greater synthesis of our ideas across teams: Donald discusses programming with trusted members of the media; broadcasts are co-created with artists and audiences in mind; and the artistic team contribute practical ideas towards enhancing mutual benefits with our media partners. In turn the festival press team interact more closely with artists and agents, at an earlier stage, to understand the diverse strands and ensure the programme is communicated authentically and with integrity. These diverse approaches and
different tactics have contributed to the ways in which the festival’s media relations have advanced and flourished: from word of mouth, to professional media engagement, to an ever-evolving understanding of the advantages of colliding our musical and media interactions. Geoff Lakeman, Daily Mirror man and fiddler Seth Lakeman’s dad, summed up his own connections when he reported from our late-night club last year: ‘It’s 2am at a hotel in the heart of Glasgow and there’s only one way to describe the musical mayhem around me – it’s a wild HOOLEY! For three weeks every year, a thousand musicians from 20 different countries are drawn, almost mystically, to this Scottish city, to celebrate their musical links at the Celtic Connections festival. Visit Glasgow any time of the year, but take my advice and book early for next year’s Celtic Connections festival in January. If, like me, you have even the smallest drop of Celtic blood inside you (I’m a proud Cornishman), you’ll feel right at home here.’
Jane Donald Head of Sales and Marketing Glasgow Concert Halls e janedonald@glasgowconcerthalls.com
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> FEATURE
Influencing – an art form or a way of being? Alasdair Cant goes through the basics of successfully achieving influence
he art of influencing has the air of something akin to a ‘dark art’; mysterious at best, possibly manipulative and underhand at worst. In reality it is simply less tangible than many other workplace skills; more a dynamic process than an list of dos and don’ts. For example, when reading about influencing, the word ‘proactive’ appears again and again. I interpret this as simply being bothered enough to do something that might affect the outcome in the way we want. People who influence well don’t sit around and hope things will change and nor do they just moan. They do and say things earlier rather than later, using well practised interpersonal, communication and assertiveness skills. The origin of the word ‘influence’ is interesting. From the term ‘influere’ meaning ‘to flow in’, it suggests more about positioning rather than power, privilege or persuasion as is so often assumed. If we think about our position in relation to the person we are trying to exert influence on, there are a few critical questions we might
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ask ourselves. These questions should help us get on that person’s wavelength as far as possible. This preparation in advance involves some simple intelligence gathering and personal mental preparation about how we can adapt our own way of being, to relate to another person. Such questions might be: • How do they relate to the world? • When is the best time to try to communicate with them? • Closely related to this is where? • Who do they seem to respond to best, or listen to? By listening carefully to someone, there are often clues about how they like to communicate. Let’s say you wish to influence someone on the board of your organisation. You may pick up that she likes to read everything in advance and uses expressions that indicate she responds to the written word, such as ‘I read something about that ...’, ‘Why don’t you drop me a line about that ...’. She may well be less responsive to informal chats and doesn’t like to be bounced into a decision. Instead, a
carefully worded document or letter in advance would be well worth the investment of time. In contrast, you may be aware that another person on the board struggles to read everything in advance, and seems to respond more positively to written overviews and concise bullet points. Think about adjusting your written style accordingly. Others may prefer verbal communication, and respond best when spoken to directly. This is usually given away by their body language. When other people are talking at length, do they fidget, seem distracted and generally convey impatience? This gives a strong clue as to how you might approach them. Again, adjust your style here. Be concise, even to the point of being clipped. Most people respond well when you are honest – they sense you are genuine even if it makes you appear vulnerable. For example, when negotiating among peers, you may be tempted to appear strong and push early for what you want. However, this often leads to entrenched positions. Instead, be open about difficulties
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> FEATURE
early on, then listen to other views. More often than not, you discover these are shared problems. So, you contribute to reaching an understanding through collaboration, rather than assume others will see things as you do. This kind of discussion influences change hugely. It gets away from focusing on my solution or your solution, and we start to negotiate around a range of possibilities – our solution. To do this effectively you also need to be concise (others appreciate it if you don’t ramble on and on) and clear (what you say is thought out, structured and therefore coherent). Linked to this is pace. If the person you wish to influence talks fast or slow, think about adjusting your own speed a bit accordingly. This is not being false but rather it is empathic and works best when it happens unconsciously. There is no harm in deliberately adjusting your delivery to attune with the person on the receiving end. ‘Flowing in’ suggests aligning with or being in harmony with someone. To influence well does not require being in agreement with someone, and certainly not pretending to do so. However, it does demand that we make the effort to at least get on their wavelength. There are countless ways of doing this. You can adapt your personal style when you are aware of the impact you are having on someone, while still being true to yourself. An obvious example is by taking sufficient interest in someone so that you genuinely try to see the world through their lens. Let’s imagine you wish to have more fruitful discussions with a colleague in another organisation with whom you have to 22 > JAM 32
collaborate on a particular project. You may not like the person or have much in common with them. If you wish to influence them, then extra effort is needed. Of course you may do this by skilful persuasion, but influencing also requires investment of time early on. An informal chat before meetings, at the pub and so on is a precious opportunity to find out what is important to that person. For example, they mention they are passionate about a particular football team. You don’t need to be the slightest bit interested in football to show interest and find out more. Three weeks later you meet up. You take the trouble to ask about or comment on the team. This is a small but significant sign that you have listened and that the person matters to you. It can make a real difference when you get into the more substantial parts of any negotiation. Finally, when I encounter people I think influence well, what strikes me is that they get what they want but they don’t seem selfish in their behaviour. They trust their instincts and they have the courage to follow them. This is an intangible, but magnetic quality that other people are drawn to.
Learn more about negotiating, leading and influencing at Make Friends and Influence People, Alasdair’s up-coming AMA workshop. For more information and to book go to www.a-m-a.co.uk or e-mail anna@a-m-a.co.uk.
Alasdair Cant Trainer and management consultant e alasdairc@cambridgetraining.org
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Cultural Press Officers’ Conference 2009 Working together to build relationships Do you work in a press office within a busy cultural venue? Do you want to build relationships with print and broadcast journalists and editors? Do you want the chance to network with press colleagues across the UK's galleries, museums and arts organisations? On 7 January 2009, Wellcome Collection in central London will host a ‘Cultural Press Officers’ Conference’. The conference will provide a unique opportunity for press officers to learn from each other and find out how the media sector is changing, as well as exploring new working practices. The day will include journalist panels and Q&A sessions, breakout exercises and the chance to network over a glass of wine or two. The conference is held in partnership with the British Library, the Foundling Museum, the Museum of London, the National Maritime Museum and the Photographers’ Gallery. Full details of speakers to be released nearer the time. To register your interest in attending please contact Mike Findlay (Wellcome Collection Media Officer) : m.findlay@wellcome.ac.uk or call 020 7611 8612. www.wellcomecollection.org
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