Gina Rudan's Blog

Building your Audience One Person at a Time

Many of us are working towards building our audiences on a daily basis. Whether it’s obsessing over growing our Facebook friends, Twitter followers, blog readers, newsletter subscribers, LinkedIn connections or cultivating new network contacts, prospects, and clients, or even finding volunteer to pitch in on our causes, all of us are some way building audience. That’s because the definition of “audience” is broader than you think. The people in your audience are not just eyeballs or numbers, they’re members (or potential members) of your personal community, that valuable group of geniuses I’m always encouraging you to surround yourself with.

So whether you are recruiting folks to grow the congregation of your church, or growing support for your cause or charity or even looking for romance, in the spirit of sharing what works for me (!), here are a few tips on growing your audience effectively: 

Rule #1. First and foremost, identify exactly who you really want to gather around you. Be selective. Its far more interesting  and valuable to have an audience you actually love than to have a group of followers, listeners or so called " friends" who you really don’t care about.

Rule #2. Build a global tribe. Local audience building is nice but global audience building is outrageously gratifying.  I recently set out to follow a few great minds from across the globe and have to admit my Twitter experience has improved for the better with the additions of the new global voices within my feed. Global perspectives from at least 45 countries should always be a part of your agenda. Reach across waters, reach across languages if you are bilingual—and know that erasing boundaries starts with building international relationships in your own life. Trust me, you will love this.

Rule #3. Quality time in real time is priceless. When you can have a real-time experience with your audience go for it. Social media is great but everything in real time is so much more potent. An espresso level experience is always better than anything instant. Find the way to reach out in real time whether it’s speaking to your audience on a panel, attending a charity event and or even hosting a dinner party. Identify, reach out and strategically engage members of your new audience on a monthly basis in person. Intimacy, trust and purpose grows in real time.  One way I accomplish this is through the art of slow dining in every city I visit. I strategically select the person I want to spend time with and am trying to build a relationship with and we head out to dinner. The outcome is always, always, always even more valuable than I even imagined.

Rule #4.  Add value. When dating your new audience, be creative and resourceful and remember to add value to the experience for them.  Growing your audience is one thing but keeping them engaged and satisfied is a whole other ballgame. Don’t get lazy.

So here’s what I’d love to see you do: If you think these tips were helpful please forward this post to someone important to you. And if you really liked this post, register to receive my blog every week. My goal is to grow my audience by feeding it well and I need your help to do it. 

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Accept Your Contradictions

On Friday my Israeli, Puerto Rican, scientific, artist (yes, she is all these things wrapped up in one bright soul) decided to facilitate a painting class for her mentor. Equipped with poster boards, tubes of acrylic paint and a collection of variously sized, well used paint brushes we began our lesson which was on color and how to effectively mix color.

As I watched her in the role of instructor all the while observing my uneasy shaking hands as art student I realized this was Atalia's genius. Although trained as a bio engineer and finishing up her M.B.A. underneath all that logic is an artist, a beautiful creative who had silenced her artistic passions and talent for the conventional path which was pushed upon her by her parents.

Of course it only took three months of working with me for the re-reprogramming to begin and now we have a more well rounded Atalia, who is sketching, painting, drawing, teaching and finally accepting her true identity as an artist who also loves science.

As I painted, taking mental notes of the entire experience both hers and mine, I began to personally feel moments of quilt amongst moments of, " Oh, my God, I should be going after clients rather than trying to manipulate and blend yellow and blue to make the perfect green." But as I listened to my chill out mix which played in the background and watched Atalia as she patiently and very scientifically explained the science of mixing color, I began to let go of the guilt and to embrace this artistic blessing of a moment.

Part of the deal with working with Atalia, who volunteers and works for me for free is that I couch, counsel and am working on her genius brand on a weekly basis. It has been through this evolutionary identity work together that she has began to "date" her artistic side once again. Today she admitted that it has enhanced her entire quality of life.

One cannot ignore a natural thirst and talent for something for too long for if and when you do - symbolically life becomes flat. Atalia on the contrary is now gaining a richer life-experience as a young genius navigating through her journey filled with what many would view as uncomfortable contradiction. On the contrary, this contradiction of science and art is the perfect blend for the perfect color and hue of who she is.

This post is dedicated to interns everywhere who teach us more than we probably teach them.

The Power of Your Narrative

Yesterday I had the great privilege of having two meaningful meetings over two different meals with two amazing women. First, a successful powerhouse in her early 40s spoke with me openly from a refreshing and purposeful narrative about life, power, transition and reinvention during a pleasantly lingering lunch. It was our first lunch date and it was what i like to call a "wow encounter."

What's a wow encounter? A wow encounter is when you meet someone and realize that, although you barely know each other, your commonalities are uncanny. You are immediately drawn to one another on just about every topic imaginable. Even where you don't hold the same exact views the new perspectives fascinate you. That is a wow encounter and in Miami they are rare. Sad, but true.

After my two and a half hour "wow" lunch, I drove back home thinking, "What is it about our narratives that is so critical to our personal brands?"

Some people are born with great narratives. Others stumble upon them through the obstacle course we call life. Instead of hoarding all your good stories for yourself and your close circle of friends, begin to tell your untold narrative. Be vulnerable, take a risk and share the "real" stories that speak to the real you. At first, you may feel like you are undressing in a open fitting room, but after about 10 seconds you will realize its worth it.

Why does the narrative matter?

Our stories are our commercials. Our stories are our certificates of authenticity. And, most importantly, our stories are what lead others to actually care about us. And in the end, isn't that what really matters? 

My second meaningful meeting was with an amazing 20-something-year-old graphic designer- a bona fide right-brainer in every aspect. This brilliant spirit also shared her narrative and did so in a colorful way, with texture, dimension and design. While driving home from that dinner bonding experience I realized it's not only the words that matter in any narrative. It's also the visual clues, the details, and the multi-sensory imagery, which for many in the transactional world are too often forgotten.

Adding color and texture to your narrative is in many respects your way of accessorizing the story. And as you know, an outfit just isn't complete with out the accessories and accents.

After returning home from dinner I jumped into my son's bed to read him a story. As I read "Harry the Dirty Dog," delighting in the illustrations as much as he did, I suddenly realized why it is that I love children's books so much. It's because the narrative combined with the illustration is a great head-trip for the imagination - and as adults we don't have many of those these days.

Therefore, the next time you begin to tell your story, rethink the narrative and don't forget the visual accessories of the story. Your audience will thank you for it. THE END.

Do you really know what it takes to reach your full potential?

Just as I am always trying to reach my full potential,I know many of my readers (high achievers) obsess over the same theme. We obsess over actualizing dreams, switching careers, making more money and launching our own businesses. But do we really know what it takes to reach our full potentials or do we expect to stumble upon greatness? This week I spent a great deal of time thinking, discussing, planning and working towards moving a few dreams into reality. What i learned during this journey of goal setting and planning is that working towards one's full potential must start with the heart and a life plan. Big master picture of the destination has to come first and the road map and how to get there is secondary. Many may read this and think, "Gina, this is common sense." But as my mother used to love to say, "common sense is an uncommon gift."

The goal should never be about getting to the top, becoming a millionaire or getting a guest appearance on Oprah( last one being a Gina issue). The goal should always be about your personal life plan and what your heart really wants. For example for me its FREEDOM...My greatest life-plan and goal is to have absolute freedom.  I asked this question of my husband and for him its to live the life of a National Geographic episode..adventurous and filled with eclectic experiences. For others it's balance or a life filled with multi sensory experiences. 

Take a moment right now as you are reading this to select a word and or phrase that captures what your heart desires. Once you have that word and or phrase in mind tattoo it symbolically everywhere. This word should act as as your motto and should be the end destination for your journey towards greatness.

What does an iPod and a Mango have in common?

    Yesterday morning I went running in my tropical "old school" Miami Shores neighborhood and had a "LOL" moment about my own personal brand. Equipped with my iPod loaded with Madonna's new album, Hard Candy, which I highly recommend, I headed out to start my 5 month's late, new year's resolution of running three times a week in the mornings.

    It was a humid morning, like every other morning in Miami during the Summer, and the air was filled with a thick smell of honeysuckle which was a great motivator to keep me running. Fifteen minutes into the run, I tripped on a mango and immediately thought, “Oh my God a free mango, during a food crisis, i must pick it up and run with it.” The other part of my brain where the senses and memory dwell at the same time experienced a quick flashback to when I was a child spending a summer in Puerto Rico. Mangos have always been a reminder of Puerto Rico and cultural identity for me, not only because i love them but because as a child I was taught to believe that the best, most special Mangos came from my island. That may not be the case but as a child this gave me great pride.

    Continuing on my run, with iPod in left hand and now Mango in right, i felt complete. I continued for another 15 minutes and came across the Saint Rose of Lima Church and found myself inspired to stop in front of her statue. In acknowledgment, I made the sign of the cross (which i have not done in years) and laughed out-loud. I was listening to Madonna, taking a moment to pray to Saint Rose all the while holding my iPod and my Mango. What a fantastic reflection of who I am and what my personal brand is all about. I am a constant contradiction of  interests and thank God for that.

    Message of the story: be who you are, laugh at yourself and remember it’s o.k. to embrace technology while respecting culture and heritage. And It’s great to pray while listening to a Iconic pop-star. Accept your contradictions and celebrate who you are.

Selene, the Psychic reads LIPS

This evening I  ventured out "Miami Style" with my Mom (who is visiting from NYC) to an Ocean Drive Magazine beauty event at the Four Seasons. Women gathered around the poolside while having free personal care services including: massages, eyebrow wax, Shiseido make overs, all the while also enjoying the liquor sponsor for the evening, PAMA, pomegranate Liquor. After exploring the array of beauty pavilions including the one hosted by the owner of the Wax Studio I support and religiously frequent for my monthly Brazilian torture,

I came across Selene, the Psychic.

Selene was sitting at a table reading the palms and get this, the lip prints of women. Of course my mom and I watched in excitement while we impatiently waited for our reading and WOW what an fabulous 7 min reading it was.

Wondering what the process was for the reading? Here it goes:

1. Remove our lipstick. Step 2. Select from 5 pencil lipsticks she had. Of course i grabbed the red and my mom grabbed the purple. The color selection apparently  has a great deal to do with the start of the reading. But it gets better! The next step, Step 3 was to lightly press our lips together against a small piece of rice paper. My mom and I both aggressively pressed our lips together while enjoying our simultaneous reading and the results were outstanding.  We both had huge openings, once we opened the folded sheets which represents free spirit. We laughed while reviewing our lip prints. Like mother, like daughter I thought. Selene then grabbed a notebook and wrote down 4 things about me: free spirit, femininity, mediator, in/out (meaning I am an all or nothing type of gal )and the last word was writer. I was astonished! Selene was indeed talented and went on with great insight and advice for each of us. I came away from this experience realizing Selene was indirectly helping women discover their true authenticities and their true brands. Lipstick is a powerful messanger ladies and the next time you go to put some on think about the color and message behind those lips.

My First Podcast: Authentic Lifestyle Tips

Gina Rudan's Tips of the Day

This is a bit lat but still enjoyable and useful. Enjoy my first podcast! 

The Authenticity Barometer

Over the last month I have monitored my interactions with family, friends, neighbors and colleagues and have realized I am now obsessed with measuring the authenticity levels of those around me.

Personalities vary within our lives and it's an interesting exercise to analyze both the verbal and non verbal behavior and intentions of those on the other end of an interaction. To demonstrate my point, I decided to categorize and rank the top five groups of people you can expect to always be authentic with you.

Top 5 Authentic Groups

1. Children under the age of 3
2. Elders, grandparents and those over 70. Like children, they know no other way.
3. Cause related people. Volunteers, because of their personal passions, ethics and commitment to change, they're usually fully present mentally physically and spiritually. That exchange is extremely rewarding. So, If you are currently not participating in any volunteer work, get started. The genuine experiences are extremely refreshing.
4. Female Intellectuals. Women are natural nurturers and if you add a dash of intelligence to the mix, you have the recipe for confidence which gives women the space to be raw, un-censored and symbolically naked within the context of friendships. Thank God for this blessing.
5. Husbands and Wives. Whether you agree with them or not you can always expect your partner to be authentic with you which is hopefully one of the reasons why we marry  them in the first place.

During your next meaningful interaction with someone, think about this exercise and decide whether they are keeping it real with you.