Most Outstanding Regular Local Publication 2015
Steel City News
How to Network
What you need to know about becoming the best networker in the room!
Twinning Weekend
The first Twinning Weekend of the year isn’t far away!
Blogging - Why and How
We tell you all about blogging, why it’s vital and how to do it effetively!
Meet National Board Meet the JCI UK National President Sarah Beckwith
March 2016
Contents Feature
Page
Welcome
3
Meet JCI Sheffield
4
Events Diary
5
Deputy’s Corner
6
Around Yorkshire
7
Meet National Board
8-9
The Hub - A Look Back 49 Years
10 - 11
How To Network - Our Top Tips
12 - 13
Blogging: Why & How
14 - 15
Easter Egg Appeal
16
Twinning Weekend
17
Hello There So March is here already, Spring will soon be upon us and as we prepare to lose an hours sleep on the 27th March with the changing of the clocks! I am all excited about what JCI Sheffield has up and coming. This month we have launched our Easter Egg Collection for the children’s hospital if you think you or your business can support this appeal please get in touch we me and we can arrange collection but be quick as its almost easter! We are again being supported by Helen Green and Razzamatazz Theatre School and they will be performing at the handover on the 20th March. This month also sees us hold our first ‘meet JCI Sheffield’ evening on 22nd March at Bloo88 on West Street. This is a great opportunity for anyone new to JCI or might be interested in joining to come along and find out all about the exciting life changing opportunities that we offer. If you know of anyone who might be interested in finding out more please ask them to visit and book on www.jcisheffield.org.uk/events We also have some other fantastic events, The Comedy Club Social on the 25th March at Sheffield City Hall, please contact Steph Smith for more details. Networking Wednesday 30th March at Bloo88 please contact Mark Smith for more details on this event. I have saved the best news till last I am very excited to say that JCI World President, Pascel Dike will be visiting Sheffield on the 24th and 25th March. We will be holding a question and answer panel with President Pascel, National President Sarah Beckwith, Regional Group Chair Phillip Cockayne and myself as Local President. This is a great opportunity to find out more about leadership within the international, national, regional and local levels within the organisation. We will also be looking at meeting some influential members of the Sheffield community on the Thursday as well. I would also like to say that we have nominations going into the European awards for Best Chamber, Most Outstanding President with Mark Smith and Most Outstanding Member with Neal Stirk. We also have an award in for MDG project for how we raised funds for Nothing But Nets last year. I know you will take pleasure in wishing everyone involved the best of luck. I hope to see many of you at events over the coming months. Gareth
2016 JCI Sheffield President gareth.carson@jcisheffield.org.uk
Events Diary 25 Mar
Comedy Club Social Event Type: Social Venue: Sheffield Memorial Hall Date: 25th Mar 2016 Price: £16
23 Mar
30 Mar
Networking Wednesday Event Type: Business Venue: Bloo88, West Street, Sheffield Date: 30th Mar 2016 Price: £5
12 Apr
15 Apr
JCI Scotland National Conference 2016 Event Type: International Venue: Edinburgh, Scotland Date: 15th Apr, 2016 Price: £135
27 Apr
14 - 15 May
Public Speaking Academy 2016 Event Type: National Event Venue: BBP - Birmingham Date: 14th May, 2016 Price: TBC
Charity Chicks Boutique Lock In Event Type: Social Venue: 297 Middlewood Road, S6 1TG Date: 23rd Mar, 2016 Price: Free Making The Connection Event Type: Training Venue: Holiday Inn Express Date: 12th Apr, 2016 Price: Free
Networking Wednesday Event Type: Business Venue: Bloo88, West Street, Sheffield Date: 27th Apr 2016 Price: £5
For more information head to our website http://www.jcisheffield.org.uk/events
Deputy’s Corner It seems like I’ve blinked and February as quick as it came has flown by, in a good way though! After recovering a little Inspiration we’ve been quick here in Sheffield to crack on with all the exciting plans with have in the pipeline. Having now set a date for our Annual dinner on the 8th of October (pen the date in!) and a theme, we now start to plan it. I’m now looking for a Project Team to help with this. If you’re interested, please drop me an email it’s a great opportunity to help organise a brilliant event and be part of a team that #achieveawesome.
We’ve also this month began trying to expand our video presence online so spent an evening filming 20 – 30 clips asking and answering various questions. It was good fun and also challenging as I’m perfectly happy taking photos but have never dabbled in video. But in JCI we never shy away from a challenge so I got all of the lights and best backdrops out, be sure to look out for the videos and no doubt we’ll be filming more. I’ve also at the start of March had the pleasure of attending this years Marketing Academy where we learnt lots about the world of Marketing and that it’s a lot more than viral video’s and engaging on social media (which I thought before hand). We learnt about how company colours can change your perception of what a company is and what it stands for and also that simply having a social media account and leaving it can actually be more harm than good. I want to say that the organising group for this year did a brilliant job with huge thanks going to Katie Jackson, Ben Hawley, Ryan Pilkington, Celestine Onomo, Kate Senter, James Lambert and Sarah Beckwith for all the training and organising. High calibre training events such as these don’t simply just happen. If you get the chance to go next year I highly recommend it. I also learned this weekend that booking is now open for the Public Speaking Academy 2016. As someone who attended last year and someone who also gained a lot from it I’m really excited to see who goes this year. Like last year its going to held in Birmingham at the BPP across two days on the 14th and 15th of May. We have some fantastic public speakers here in JCI who have a wealth of experience so its well worth attending.
After I attended last year I went on to MC at Sheffield’s Annual Dinner and wouldn’t have had the confidence to take to the stage without going to Public Speaking Academy, so go and book now!
Thanks Neal Stirk 2016 JCI Sheffield Deputy President neal.stirk@jcisheffield.org.uk
Around Yorkshire 15th March 2016 19:30 The Hop Leeds JCI Leeds Go To A Pub Quiz
17th March 2016 18:00 Taylor Bracewell, Doncaster Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams
31st March 2016 19:00 Holiday Inn Barnsley Training: Achieving More Through Others
Meet National Board As a member of JCI Sheffield you get the opportuntiy to build your network throughout not only Sheffield but around the UK and the world. In this new feature we will be talking to a member of the JCI UK National Board so that you can understand who does what role, a little about them and what their goals are for the coming year. Name Sarah Beckwith Local Chamber JCI London How long have you been a JCI member? Since August 2006 What made you become a JCI member? A friend of mine was a member on the south coast and kept sending me e-mails about all the things she was doing in her spare time with JCI, like public speaking training, charity events and black tie dinners. I was just about to finish my professional exams and was looking for ways to meet new people and volunteer my newly-found spare time. I went along to an open evening and was so inspired by the stories of the members there and what they had gained from JCI that I decided to join. What is your role on National Board? National President What made you want to take on this role? JCI has changed my life. When I joined the organisation I was really very shy and quiet. I never would have thought I’d become local president of my chamber, let alone national president. Through JCI I have developed my confidence, gained so many skills, travelled the world and made wonderful friends. I want to make sure as many people as possible have access to the extraordinary opportunities that JCI membership
can bring. At every level of the organisation there is a chance to challenge and develop yourself and I know that being National President will allow me to push myself even further. It also means I get to help other members develop and enjoy seeing them flourish. What positions have you held within JCI prior to National Board? • • • • • • • •
2007 - JCI London Community Director 2008/09 - JCI London Membership Director 2010 - JCI London Deputy President / JCI UK National Convention Director 2011 - JCI London President 2012 - JCI London IPP / JCI UK National Admin & Membership Director 2013 - JCI UK National Membership Officer 2014 – JCI UK Personal Development Director 2015 - JCI UK Deputy National President
What advice would you give to members who are thinking to take on roles within their local council? As our 2016 World President, Paschal Dike, would say “Just Act”. Thinking less and just taking the plunge more is definitely something I’ve learned to do through JCI. Being on a local council is a fantastic experience. I learnt so much during my six years on the JCI London council, including how to work with different personality types, how to articulate my points in a meeting, motivating volunteers and how to chair a meeting. Most of all I met some amazing people who I know I am going to be friends with for life.
If you could choose one national JCI event to attend in 2016 which would you choose? A difficult one as I’m going to be at pretty much all of them all and have been involved in organising most of them throughout my time as a member. If members are looking to see the phenomenal development opportunities that JCI can provide, then I’d have to say LEAP, our leadership academy. I’ve been lucky enough to attend and train at leadership academies both nationally and internationally and there is nothing that compares to the intensity, challenge and achievement of working closely over a few days with other members in an academy environment. You’ll learn so much about yourself, working with other people and come out totally buzzing. Do you have a goal for 2016? Quite a few, both for my role in JCI UK and personally, but what I think it comes down to is “to be the best National President that I can be”.
The Hub: At Look back 49 Years Ago Steel City News Magazine was founded last year (2015) with the vision of bringing more to our membership. We wanted to give you the latest news, latest events, share with your stories locally, nationally and even internationally and we wanted to show you the amazing experience that Junior Chamber International truly is. Through the creation of the magazine and having a look through the Sheffield archives we found issues of The Hub. The Hub was one of the first magazines ever launched by the chamber back when it was known as the Sheffield Junior Chamber of Commerce (SJCC) following on from The Anvil, the first magazine created by the chamber. As the longest standing chamber in the UK we have a vast history and it’s an exciting experience to be able to sit and read our heritage and especially to see how their magazine relates to ours. In this piece I want to share with you what an issue of The Hub was like this time 49 years ago, back in March 1967. With design and writing style ever evolving it’s fair to say that the magazines differ largely in layouts and even in page size however the goal of the publications remains the same. To cover events, news and more for our members. In the Annual Report in this issue it is said by A M West that “The Hub is in Junior Chamber circles very highly thought of and played a not insignificant role in Sheffield’s winning the ‘One World’ Award at Kyoto” showing that back then the magazine was read throughout various Junior Chambers in the UK just as Steel City News is today. It’s amazing to note that today our audience for the publication continues to be stong within Junior Chambers both in the UK and even on an international level thanks to modern technological advances. Last year members from various chambers around Yorkshire and further afield in the UK have written for Steel City News and 49 years ago A M West wrote “discussions have taken place with Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster, who are intersted in participating in our magazine”. Which for me shows the strength of the Sheffield chamber and our publication. Showing chambers coming together to make members experiences as good as they can be.
printing! In the Annual Report it also shares the membership numbers for the chamber. Sheffield was once one of the biggest chambers within the UK and at the end of 1966 stood at 285 members. That’s a lot of positive change! The Hub hosted many adverts in it’s day. This provided the funds to be able to have the publication printed and sent to members. When we think of Sheffield’s steel heritage and history it becomes unsurprising what types of adverts you can see in this issue. Adverts for various engineering companies, fuel and coal companies, tooling companies and of course steel works. As a graphic designer this becomes even more interesting when we look to the style of the adverts. Simplistic in style and more text in comparison to todays adverts are more image heavy. The advertisments for The Hub were such a strong point for the magazine and such a big opportunity for businesses that there were two advertising managers! One of the biggest events in the diary back then was their ‘Made in Sheffield’ exhibition which was hosted at Cutlers Hall. Today the ‘Made in Sheffied’ event continues to go from strength to strength. The exhibition saw “several of thousands of people” pass through during the eight days that it was open. Public speaking is one of the main areas of opportunity for most people and take a look back 49 years ago and this proves to be no different. At JCI we love to step outside of our comfort zones and strive to become comfortable being uncomfortable. Back in 1966/67 one of the SJCC’s newest members organised the Sheffield Schools public speaking competition which became a big success. Sheffield members, as they do now, loved to take part in Public Speaking and Debating competitions (keep an eye out for when we launch or training sessions and the competitions for these this year!). A. A. Greenfield wrote “Debating under the management of Roger Cooke goes from strength to strength and although at the beginning of the year we were unfortunately knocked out by Leeds in the SemiFinal of the National Competition, nevertheless the Sheffield team put up a first class display”
In 1966 we hosted the British Junior Chambers of 1967 was a big year for The Hub. In the “next few Commerce National Conference at the Grosvenor months” they would be introducing two-colour House Hotel which was two years in the planning.
Steel City News
100 Years!
How you can celebrate the Milestone!
European Conference Read all about the event of the summer! Where East & West meet!
A Pound A Day
Kick start your year by helping the community!
Inspiration Day
Come & be inspired with members from around the UK!
January 2015
Steel City News The Lustrum Dinner
Hear from past presidents and senators on their experience!
AGE UK
Our focus and why we need your help to make an impact
International
From Scotland to Japan!
100 Years
The senator story that will leave you inspired and motivated
March 2015
Steel City News
Easter Egg!
Read the impact the annual appeal has had!
Extempore Training
How you can get crowd ready!
Taking The First Step The business story that will leave you inspired to take action!
Twinning is Winning
What one Sheffield member thought of the weekend!
April 2015 Picture: Westport Waterfront, Mayo
Steel City News Sheffield Scoops European Awards Success again!
Public Speaking
Public Speaking Academy & JCI Yorkshire Extempore Competition
Operation Hope
What we as a chamber are doing to make our impact & be the CHANGE
Cutlers Feast
A look back at the historic event held at Sheffield Cutlers Hall.
June 2015
The Conference saw 525 delegates, including the Lord Mayor, Alderman Lional Farris and Lady Mayoress, Alderman Mrs. L. E. Graham, come to Sheffield to experience the city and what the Sheffield Chamber had in store for them. Business sessions were organised by Brian Viner. The conference saw a change of policy which gave delegates the opportunity to discuss any Junior Chamber problems at a National level for the first time. The report was printed and sent out to Chambers within three weeks of the Conference ending so that the results of the discussion would become the basis for the works done by the Chambers. Socials are a big part of the JCI calendar and especially for National Conferences and this proved no different 49 years ago! Geoff Lydamore organised the socials programme for the delegates. There was a “ladies programme” meaning that ladies could enjoy the weekend with each other, back then women were not allowed to be members of the organisation! How times have changed! The weekend ended with a “Champagne Ball” on the Saturday evening and was a “fitting climax to a successful weekend”. As you can see this time 49 years ago the chamber was very diffrent but had similar themes running through. The drive for empowering young people, the ambitions of stepping outside of your comfort zone, the need to give members more with their membership and the dream of creating positive change not only on a local level but also nationally and globally. Although the organisation is more community focused today instead of being more business heavy thanks to our monthly Networking Wednesdays, partnerships and other business events within the region and the UK we still keep business as one of our major areas of opportunity for our members as they did back in the day. Going through The Hub is an experience in itself. It’s amazing to read about the old publications and how the people in positions similar to mine today handled the content. Getting to read our chambers heritage, their big events, the changes that took place and to see how the chamber has grown in different ways makes me feel proud to be a JCI Sheffield member. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little taster into what our chamber was like all those years ago and if you have any questions or just want to get intouch with me then please feel free to email ryan.pilkington@jcisheffield.org.uk Ryan Pilkington 2016 JCI Sheffield Marketing Director
How to Network -
Our Top Tips
Networking is vital if you want to build you business, your career and your network. However, networking can be a scary experience. Each month we host our informal Networking Wednesday at Bloo88 in Sheffield. Below we will share our top tips on how to network better! We have tips to use before the event, when you’re at the event and then after the event! Check out the tips below and get ready for to become awesome at networking!
Before The Event
At The Event
Create a 30-second pitch for your business
Do not over-sell at a networking event
Bring people standing alone into your conversation
Time is precious at networking meetings, so you should be able to get across the most important information about your business, including your unique selling point, in a short space of time. Practice introducing yourself with family and colleagues beforehand, until you feel confident with your pitch.
Networking is NOT selling. Networking is about building relationships, getting to know, like and trust others. By all means, talk about your products/services, as you are there to raise the profile of your business, but sandwich ‘business talk' between ‘small talk'.
They will be grateful to you for doing so, as you have taken them away from the uncomfortable position of standing on their own. Your kind act could eventually lead you to some new business via the person you helped in their moment of need.
Decide what you want to get out of it.
Ask open-ended questions in networking conversations.
Do you want to make twenty new contacts or one real quality contact? Are you looking for a new supplier, an investor, a mentor or new customers? Your reasons for attending should define how you approach the meeting and help you judge whether it has been a success.
This means questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are interested in them.
When you arrive at an event, look out for those standing on their own, as they will often be the most open to meeting new people.
Look The Part It’s important to look professional, so check that you've you got enough business cards and something to take notes with. Also remember to take a bottle of water in case no refreshments are provided.
Be confident Let's face it; standing in a room full of strangers is always going to be nerve-wracking. It can be quite tempting to stand quietly in the corner and wait for someone to come to you, but for the best results you will need to be proactive. After all, the point of networking is to talk to other people about what you do! Remember to make eye contact with people and, most importantly, smile.
Arrive early Getting to the venue early gives you the opportunity to compose yourself, collect your name badge, and get your business cards and other promotional materials in order. It also gives you the opportunity to strike up conversations early. There is nothing worse than being the last person to turn up to a room full of people already deep in discussion.
After The Event Follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given.
When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honour that and your referrals will grow. Make sure you follow up with your new contacts Follow up on new contacts as soon as possible with a short email or a quick phone call. If you’ve said you’ll do something, make sure you do it. By not doing so, you will undo all the good work you did at the event. There you have it! Our top tips for networking. Eager to try out these tips? Check out our monthly Networking Wednesday at Bloo88 on West Street, Sheffield. Each last Wednesday of the month! Check out our latest events on our website www.jcisheffield.org.uk Have a business enquiry for us? Get in touch with Mark Smith vis email business@jcisheffield.org.uk If you want to learn more about how to network effectively then come along to our Making The Connection training on the 12th April! Book your tickets online at www.jcisheffield.org.uk/events
Blogging: Why & How A blog is a discussion or informal informational site consisting of varying entires on the page called “posts”. This medium in recent years has become a job role in its own right. Bloggers have become somewhat social icons for our age, fashion bloggers are just as important as the editors of the best selling magazines, food bloggers can make or break a resturant and marketers are making the most of this power. Writing a blog doesn’t have to mean a lot of writing or a degree in advanced English. There are various styles of ’writing’ a blog. Some are more text heavy whereas some are much more pictorial. I personally prefer a mix of the two. Depending on the subject I prefer to write more or use more images. For my graphic design blog naturally more images are used because of the subject and the audience.
Blogger - Limited features - Google Integration - Easy for beginners to use - You don’t own your blog, Google does Blogging requires no previous marketing or blogging knowledge either! That’s part of the beauty of it. Anyone can build a blog and make it the new ‘must go to’ site on the inetrnet. All it takes is some deication. Now, blogs can be slow burners at the start but stick with it! Share your posts on your favourite social media platforms and you’ll soon see those veiws and follower numbers build up! Below I have put together my top tips for creating and running a blog. Plus, enjoy your free blog planner on the next page!
So why blog? As we have seen in recent years the audience for bloggers has grown dramatically. More and more of us are taking notice of blogs and it’s hard not to. With technology making us more connected to the internet more than we ever have before there’s always an opportunity for us to read a blog post. Take a look at some of your most frequntly visited sites and I bet you’ll find a ‘Blog’ tab. Business know about the ever growing popularity in this medium and are getting their foot in the blogging door.
If you have any questions about blogging or marketing or simply want to share your newly built blog with me don’t hesitate to get in tough with me via email - ryan.pilkington@jcisheffield.org.uk
Starting a blog doesn’t have to be a scary thought. It can easily be done in 10 minutes! Sites such as Wordpress (www.wordpress.co.uk) and Blogger (www.blogger.co.uk) have free plans available and have brilliant features allowing you to easily set up your account and get blogging straight away! Wordpress and Blogger although similar do have thier differences:
• Always know your audience - Think about who will be reading your posts, do they like more text or do they prefer more images? • Write catchy headlines - It won’t matter how good your content is if your headline is boring. People have a split second in deciding to click on your post or not! • Keep them short - Don’t make posts too long. The best blog posts take about 1 to 2 minutes to read • Be consistent - it is much easier to lose readers than gain them so ensure you keep at the forefront of their newsfeed with new regular posts • Build an email list - This will help in promoting your new blog posts and build traffic • Build a call to action - keep them interested by signing up! • Write 2 -3 blog a week - This will keep your posts in your readers newsfeeds and keep your views up • Share on social media - Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, always share your posts!
Similarities: - Free plans, secure , templates available to make your blog look amazing Differences: Wordpress - Easy to look professional - Coding knowledge helps with layouts & advanced features - Large amount of free and paid plugins available - You own your blog and it’s content
Thank you, happy blogging! Ryan Pilkington 2016 JCI Sheffield Marketing Director
Blog Planner Monday
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Date: Weekly Blog To Do List: 1.
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Notes: Thursday
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End of the Week Numbers: Page Views
BlogLovin
Followers
Posts
Emails
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Likes
Google+ AdSense
www.jcisheffield.org.uk
Each year we launch our Easter Egg Appeal in partnership with the Sheffield Childrens Hospital and Charity. The initative helps give those children who are in hospital during the Easter period a sweet treat and helps to raise awareness of the work done by the hospital and charity. We can all appreciate and imagine that being in hospital can be a stressful and generally unpleasant experience, making you feel isolated and this can feel even worse if you are of a very young age. In 2013 we collected around 200 Easter eggs, in 2014 we gathered around 300. Last year it was a record breaking over 700 eggs. We need your help to make the appeal a success! If you wish to make an impact and make a donation of an Easter Egg please bring them along to any of our events and someone from the council team will take them for you. Please encourage your friends, family or work colleagues to get involved with the appeal - could you set up a collection point at your work for example? If you can’t make it to one of our events then don’t worry! Collect your Easter Eggs and a member of the council team will organise a collection for you! About the Sheffield Children’s Charity The Children’s Hospital Charity’s role is to provide over and above the standard NHS provision, enhancing The Children’s Hospital in Sheffield and matching world class equipment with existing world class expertise. One of the only four children’s hospitals in the UK, Sheffield Children’s Hospital is a centre of excellence forging the way in paediatric care. Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust provides treatment for children all over the world. The money raised through donations buys lifesaving equipment, funds vital research and treatment for thousands of children from across
the world and helps us create a comfortable, engaging environment for their patients at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. The hospital has a range of projects that they are working on to make the hospital and the stay of their patients even better. Projects such as ArtFelt, a project gets the kids involved in creative sessions to make them smile and make the walls of the hospital brighter and more fun. The hospital funds research that the NHS does not cover, helping to make leaps in the care and treatment for pattients. If you would like to learn more about the work done by the charity and hospital then head to www.tchc.org.uk. If you would like to learn more about our appeal or if you have any questions then don’t hesitate to get in touch with our 2016 Deputy President Neal Stirk via email neal.strik@jcisheffield.org.uk
#EasterEggAppeal
One of the biggest highlights of the JCI Sheffield calendar is the two Twinning Weekends we have with our twin chamer JCI Mayo over in Ireland. There are two weekends a year, the first is on the 6th of May until the 9th of May. To truly appreciate the international side of the organisation you have to experience it. Since 2012 members from both of our chambers have made new connections, shared tips and tricks, made an impact on communities, developed both personally and proffessionally and of course had a good laugh along the way! 2016 proves to be no different. So what did we get up to last year? We made an impact with the MSPCA, which is similar to our RSPCA, by helping clean animal living areas, feeding animals, general house keeping, making donations and playing with puppies too. We learnt how to organise and manage events, build our connections between our chambers and shared best practice for both JCI chambers and businesses and we had some brilliant socials such as mountain climing, charades, card games and more! We are super excited for the first of this years weekends! 2016 JCI Mayo President Karen and her team are busy working on activities for us to take on when we get over there. Check this space for more information on the weekend. We can’t wait to see you there! If you have any questions about the trip then Please don’t hesitate to contact 2016 JCI Sheffield President Gareth Carson via email - gareth.carson@jcisheffield.org.uk
#TwinningIsWinning
Save the Date!
www.jcisheffield.org.uk