Storytelling Theme at Connecting Up Conference

Successful and compelling storytelling in the community sector was one of the key themes at the Connecting Up Conference on the Gold Coast.

The conference featured a range of keynote speakers including international author and social media guru Beth Kanter, Not for Profit technology educator and strategist John Kenyon and guest speaker Nick Allardice sharing the art of storytelling within his organisation, Change.org.

Nick Allardice said despite audiences being saturated with ideas and new communications, environments, people were still powered by stories.

“Change is tiny and incremental,” he said. “It will seem insignificant and this is when it is at its most destructive. The [internet] feeds this psychology of bigness.

“We are able to mobilise amazing numbers of people.”

“The personal stories get through,” he said.

He also reminded people not to forget traditional emailing as an effective tool.

“Email is still king,” he said. “It is the thing that is most fundamental to us [and] it should be prioritised that way.”

John Kenyon spoke about the growth of mobile phone use for Not for Profits.

He said that 40 per cent of the world is online and has internet access and the best way to find out if an organisation’s website was suited for mobile use was to conduct an entire business day using only a mobile a phone and no computer.

“Don’t put up any barriers for people donating via mobile,” he said.

“If you have more than 10 per cent of your audience viewing your website on their mobile, it is time to get a mobile-friendly version.

“Don’t start with apps unless it is aligned with your message. Track web, email and social media metrics as they relate to mobile.

“It is really important to look at what is working and what is not.”

Beth Kanter spoke about the importance of taking advantage of downtime while commuting on public transport and using it as a time to use Twitter.

“Make sure everything you are doing on social media is helping you reach your goal,” she said.

She also told delegates not to be afraid of failure, to acknowledge it and move forward.

Connecting Up events and membership co-ordinator Christine Halim said all the key note speakers were standouts at the event.

“Storytelling seems to be the common theme,” she said. “There is a lot of digital tools out there that can be used by NFPs.”

The conference looked at upcoming technologies, the digital space and marketing and communications schemes with a lot of information being shared about ‘the cloud’.

The conference saw a rise in attendance numbers from the previous year and organisers were able to offer a new way of attending via the live stream for those who couldn’t make it to Queensland.

The live broadcast was also recorded and can be purchased online at Connecting Up.