6 Skills to focus on in 2019

We’ve rounded up the top 6 skills to help you grow your career in 2019. Whether you’re a freelancer that runs their own business, or a creative mind marketing your work to the masses, here are 6 skills we think might be useful for you in the coming year.

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Negotiation skills

A recent study by Harvard University showed that men tend to get better economic results out of negotiation, and that whilst women negotiate assertively on behalf of other people (or their company) they’re less likely to be as forceful when negotiating for themselves. 

Whatever stage of your career you’re at, negotiation skills are crucial- whether you’re bartering down a third party provider or sat in front of your boss, asking for a payrise. The study also showed that the gender gap when it comes to negotiating narrows when women have been on a negotiation training course… if you needed another reason! 

 

Analytical skills

Analytic skills aren’t just for digital marketers and finance managers, they’re for anyone responsible for calculating business growth, forecasting results or problem-solving an issue. Having a solid analytic foundation is key as you work your way up the career ladder and are expected to be more and more involved with big-picture business plans.

You don’t have to be a numbers-whiz either: data analytics skills can help you calculate things like employee turnover, identify fraud and manage your own business.

Strategic skills

Honing your strategic management skills is a great way to ensure you’re ready for the jump between middle management and being part of the senior team. Despite this, Forbes reported that less than 10% of leaders exhibit strategic skills, and tend to fall-back on fire-fighting operational skills, which can lead to a lack of overall direction for the company or team they’re working in. 

If you can sharpen your own strategic know-how you’re putting yourself in a very strong position versus your competition. 

Entrepreneurship skills

Did you know that in 2018 only one in five small-to-medium business were run by women? And that in the UK, there are nearly twice as many male entrepreneurs than women?

If 2019 is the year you strike out of your own and put your business-nouse to use for your own projects, then an entrepreneurship course might be just the thing to give you a the competence (and confidence!) to make it on your own (and balance out those statistics).

Whilst you can’t learn the passion that entrepreneurship demands, you certainly can learn how to manage every aspect of your business (as likely you’ll start as your own CEO, CMO, CFO and office administrator). 

Writing skills

It might sound basic, but excellent writing is one of the most common skills asked for by employers – and it’s also one of the biggest employee skills gaps according to a 2018 report. 

This doesn’t just mean writing in a way that’s grammatically correct: different industries needs different types of writing. For example, you might need to learn shorthand in order to take business minutes accurately, or you might need to learn how to write bid proposals, reports, white papers or specifications. 

Think about your current career path and whether there’s any writing elements that feel like they’ll push you out of your comfort zone, because those are great places to start building your skills.

Presentation skills and public speaking

Public speaking seems to evoke one of two reactions in people: either they shrug, or they immediately break out into a cold sweat. If you’re in the latter camp, then you’re not alone. In fact, nearly 25% of people say they have Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking. 

A study by Psychology Today suggests that a large part of the fear comes from how skilled you perceive yourself as being at public speaking (and on the flip-side, being a confident public speaker does not entail being a skilled public speaker). So whether you’re a shrugger or a sweater, put public-speaking on your “done” list in 2019.

 

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Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is a group of creatives with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping our way into the arts industry and helping other creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact us any time for penguin chats via email:info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to our website: www.penguinintheroom.com

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Time to achieve! Why you should write down your goals for 2013 and some top tips …

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It’s 2013: a new year and a new start! So what do you want to accomplish this year?

As with social media and marketing and even acting (according to Stanislavski) it is always important to have an objective, and this applies to your year too! If we have objectives/goals it gives us something to aim for and drive towards. But hey its not just me that thinks so, there are studies!

Proof

There are varying statistics but all agree that writing down your goals is a good idea:

“Committing goals to paper and reviewing them regularly gives you a 95% higher chance of achieving your desired outcomes. Studies have shown that only three to five percent of people in the world have written goals – the same three to five percent who have achieve success in business and earn considerable wealth.” – Tony Brooks, Building Bridges

Dr. Gail Matthews in America found that people who wrote down their goals, shared this information with a friend, and sent weekly updates to that friend were on average 33% more successful in accomplishing their stated goals than those who merely formulated goals.

Goal Writing Tips

Well that all sounds good doesn’t it?! But how should you go about it?

1. Have a brainstorm and then write your goals on a piece of paper in a list. Think about your personal life as well as your career.

2. Be positive. Concentrate on what you want to achieve rather than what you want to leave behind.

3. Be specific. Know exactly what you want to achieve and in what time scale. For example actors you don’t just want to book a job, maybe you want to book a feature film job or be in a horror film or soap. Writers perhaps you want to finish a screenplay and get feedback but when do you want to finish it by and how much feedback do you want eg. finish screenplay by May and get feedback from 5 industry professionals.

4. Have measurable goals eg. use numbers or amounts. So Casting Directors might have a goal of casting 100 commercials in 2013 or 5 feature films or both! Actors might have a goal of going to 52 auditions in 2013 (one a week). Artists might have a goal of selling 15 paintings in 2013. This way at the end of the year you can directly measure how successful you were.

5. Have believable goals. Give yourself something exciting to work towards: challenge yourself but also keep your goals within the realms of possibility. ie. if you are currently earning £15,000 a year a goal to earn £150,000 might be a bit of a stretch! Make your goals achievable!

6. Don’t loose or file away your written goals, put them up somewhere prominent! Your goals need to be somewhere you will see them daily/weekly to remind yourself of what you are aiming for. Keeping them on the inside of the wardrobe door is my favourite, but on the fridge or next to the mirror in your bathroom or keeping them on the back of your toilet door means that you can’t help reminding yourself of them.

7. As well as reminding yourself of your goals you need to keep reviewing them. Tick them off as you achieve them and even alter goals that you achieve too easily. This will keep them relevant and will keep you motivated.

8. Believe! Believe in yourself – yes its sounds a little American, but you can achieve your goals! Trust me, if you strive for these written goals you will be very happily surprised by how much you have achieved come 2014.

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email: info@penguinintheroom.comorFacebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website:www.penguinintheroom.com