What We've Done
Here's how Personality™ helped one nonprofit and one for-profit develop their communication strategy and get the confidence to communicate clearly.
nrgBalance™
Penn State University's fight to make healthy easy
Overview:
Allison Topper and her team at Penn State's Institute for the Collective Advancement of Nutrition and Activity (I-CANN) have been winning the fight against obesity in Pennsylvania by making it easier to find healthy eating and active living options in local schools and communities.
The Dilemma:
I-CAAN wanted to take the success they were having in Pennsylvania nationwide under the new name nrgBalance™ (pronounced "energy balance"), but communicating nrgBalance™ to people who hadn't experienced their events was challenging. Either they were lumped into the childhood obesity issue or people simply got lost when they talked about their solution to the problem--"changing environments" (insider terminology for making healthy food options and healthy activity choices easier to find in the community, in schools and at places of work). We helped them answer two questions:
- How could they make the concept of "changing environments" easier to grasp and inspire community leaders to get on board and take action?
- How could they communicate the broader health benefit of changing environments without being pigeon holed into the childhood obesity problem?
Our Solution:
Personality™ brought clarity and focus to nrgBalance™ by leading key members of the I-CAAN team and members of a participating state coalition through the Personality Profile™ process to discover their "magic," and hone in on their role in sustaining the greater good.
Instead of focusing on childhood obesity or the even less understood "environment change," nrgBalance™ came to embrace a truly compelling reason for joining their cause--to "make healthy easy."
Now their storytelling begins with a really simple objective--let's make healthy easy. Then they can move on to a short explanation of how they'll do it:
- Change people's perception of what it takes to be healthy.
- Rally communities to improve access to healthy options.
The Result:
Allison and her team have sealed the deal, partnering to expand nrgBalance™ into two more states. It's not a problem any more for the staff to "hit it out of the park" with their presentations. They know what to say and how to say it. They know what stories to use and how to capture the public's attention and gain support moving forward.
"Good news ... North Carolina will be the second state to adopt our (nrgBalance™) Powered by Choice Teen efforts! ... Delaware is on the books for the New Year. Thank you for helping to polish the 'pitch'! ... the unified brand is making things much cleaner and refined."
-Allison Topper, Executive Director of I-CAAN and PANA
Inspiration Cruises & Tours
Positioning a successful company to handle significant growth
Overview:
Inspiration Cruises & Tours (ICT) has been able to establish itself as the go-to provider of cruise and tour experiences for faith-based leaders wishing to take groups of 150+ people to inspirational destinations for over 25 years.
Their Dilemma:
Privately owned and operated by Ruth and Steve Dick, ICT has built their reputation for care and excellence on the credibility of the owners, one handshake at a time. As a result, the business has seen steady growth leading to its greatest year ever in 2007. However this growth also presented this family-run business with two problems:
- How do they communicate internally the need to become a process-driven business and rally staff to embrace change, not fear it?
- How do they communicate externally the changes to their operation without diminishing the 'personal touch' value that customers have come to expect?
By the time Personality™ was brought in, everyone knew that the company was growing beyond their ability to manage it. The writing was on the wall--something would have to change. But the staff was uneasy about how change would affect their jobs and uncertain whether they could pull it off or if it was even necessary.
Our Solution:
Personality™ stepped in and brought clarity and understanding to ICT by leading the owners and executive team through the Personality Profile™ to identify the underlying principles and values that had brought them so much success. Next, Personality™ rallied everyone in the organization--70 people total--to understand and embrace the newly found personality in a three-hour workshop. Everyone--from the executive team to the phone representatives--participated in exercises designed to affirm the past and cast vision for the future. As the day unfolded, shared stories and personal perspectives confirmed ICT's personality, began to quell fears and opened up the door to embrace change.
The Result:
The creative energy of the whole team has been unleashed into problem solving that fits the heritage and enduring personality of the organization. Instead of fear, a solid bond of agreement and trust has been re-forged between the owners, the executive team and the staff. Everyone is reinvigorated. The implications of ICT's growth have been brought into perspective. Everyone knows who ICT is and what they're doing. They have a vision for how to manage the increasing volume of events and passenger bookings while preserving the ideals that have made the company great.
Amazingly, this period of growth and transition has been transformed from contention to realized opportunity. The staff has become more and more united and inspired to pursue ICT's common purpose. And it hasn't stopped there. ICT has moved quickly, with Personality™'s help, to guide designers in reinventing their brand identity to align with their personality. Together we are streamlining their communications and developing a strategic marketing plan for 2009.
"Personality™ sincerely desires that your company becomes its own best self. Any consultant can come in and tell you what is 'wrong' and what 'needs to be done,' but can they actually pull it off and truly effect change that works for you? Personality™ can. The leadership and our employees have found a new enthusiasm for our company and its potential for the future."
-Steve and Ruth Dick, owners of Inspiration Cruises & Tours
Think Personality
Check out our blog to start thinking personality. How about this one:
The 50-year-old men's magazine GQ that stands for the epitome of style is about to add generosity to their long-standing tradition of style. The magazine launched the Gentlemen's Fund to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The charitable project will raise money... (Read more)