Lately I seem to have spent too much time in business meetings and on committees discussing and making plans.

Now planning can be valuable – it helps us identify what we want to and can achieve, recognise our limitations and spot possible risks and how to deal with them – but it can also be a powerful excuse for putting off action:

"We can't do that until X does this, Y does that and Z has been completed."

Planning takes place inside our heads, a comfortable environment where we control the results: A leads to B, which leads to our goal of C. Once we take a plan out of our heads and put it into the real world, F, G, H and Q can intervene, some of them completely unexpected.

It's much safer to run a plan in our heads than risk it all going wrong when put into action, but this means we won't achieve our objectives.

I've never been happy just to sit on committees as I like to see action. So that's my focus at the moment: getting plans out of my head and into the real world to achieve what I want and maybe encounter adventures along the way.

How about you?

Yesterday I could have arranged to travel to three face-to-face interviews for articles I am writing. The travel alone would have taken 3.5 hours. This morning I've just finished a 20-minute telephone interview that would have required a further 1.5-hour journey. Now when there are deadlines to meet, I just can't spare that time.

I agree that face-to-face meetings can be valuable and enjoyable; I always enjoy guided tours of businesses I write about. Sometimes it is necessary to get a really thorough understanding through a visit, but this isn't always the case. It's like the TV news reporter standing outside 10 Downing Street on a dark, cold, rainy night relaying the news that nothing has happened back to the studio presenter who is probably more informed on the topic: they add nothing, but expend a lot of energy being there.

I've been conducting telephone interviews and doing research by email for many years. When working at British Airways, I used to compile a weekly report based on telexed information from cities around the world. Often it was all I had to go on.

Now I know that some people are wary of talking on the phone, even though nearly everyone working has a mobile these days. I was lucky enough to have excellent telephone training when I worked at British Airways, so I've always been comfortable talking to anyone remotely.

Sometimes when I suggest a telephone interview, people sound reticent. I like to give them some advance warning to get their thoughts together. When we come to do the interview, what is important is to make the subject feel comfortable, to ask questions that draw information out of them, to listen to their answers and build on these to ask further questions. Before they know it, they are talking away enthusiastically and telling an interesting story: just what I need for an article.

I can't understand why some people don't use the phone more but insist on travelling to meetings. I complete most of my work through remote collaboration. In fact, we never meet 90% of our clients, but still develop long-lasting relationships with them.

I am sure that many businesses and other organisations could improve efficiency and save time through better use of phone, internet and other communications technology, especially when transport costs are soaring.

Is there still a need for face-to-face meetings? Yes, and there always will be, but I think a lot more could be accomplished remotely.

What do you think? 

Some web sites have an 'about us' page, while many don't.

When I'm searching for a product or service online, I like to know who I'm dealing with.

First, I look for contact details, eg phone number and address, reasoning that a business with a landline number and a physical location seems more permanent than one without these. Now I know that's not always the case, but it helps to establish trust, especially if I have to hand over my credit card details to make a purchase.

Often I'll then go to the 'about us' page to get an idea of the business I'll be buying from. This page offers a great opportunity to introduce yourself, your expertise and experience, and how you run your business.

One of the big problems with online purchases is sorting out problems. How many times have we banged our heads against a wall when emails to sale@ or support@ go unanswered and phone calls go through to voicemail, sometimes for days?

I've often abandoned good-looking sites without purchasing because there's no contact details or any suggestion of how the site owner runs the business. It can be too much of a risk to buy from them.

Providing these details is no guarantee of good service, but it does suggest that the web site owner considers customer service important. It helps to build trust and could determine whether a customer buys or not.

An 'about us' page gives customers the chance to 'like' you. And even if you don't like this concept, we all know from facebook how powerful the idea can be in people's minds.

So what is it about you that makes your customer buy?

When working as a journalist, I keep my eyes peeled for certain topics. When I read a press release, I expect it to be about the topic in the headline and introductory paragraph, but last week I found a second story embedded further on in a press release. I left this out of the article I was writing, but it happened that this second story was of more interest to me than the main one.

This could have been dangerous for the company sending the press release as the second story could easily have been missed or ignored. They're lucky as I've taken the effort to interview them for a second article, so they've managed two out of one, but they very nearly threw away that second story.

I suggest sticking to one story per press release. Many businesses struggle to find any interesting stories, so it's best to use them sparingly. It also helps to create a flow of interesting stories to maintain awareness.

Busy journalists and editors can skim the beginning of a press release and never reach the bottom paragraphs. Whether that's right or wrong, it's not worth the risk of wasting time and money invested in your public relations programme.

Today in my role as business journalist, I phoned to ask a professional firm for some industry comment. The receptionist came back and said they didn't want to provide any. That was fine with me, because three other firms did want to respond. 

Now those three other firms are likely to have their names mentioned in a newspaper for their clients and other businesses to see.

Is that worth anything to them?

Perhaps when someone is thinking of consulting a professional they will remember the names from the article or recognise one of the experts quoted from their accompanying photograph. A new client could generate £500 a year, £5,000 a year, possibly repeated year after year. And all for a few minutes to make a general comment.

I'd recommend making the most of any media opportunity like this. Some businesses are desperate to get into the press, so grab the chance if a journalist calls you.

If you're worried about what to say, why not prepare an A4 sheet of paper that you can print out on paper or display on your PC if you do get called?

Add bullet points with basic information about what you do in your business. Then, if you start talking and lose your thread, you can use it as a prompt to return you to your point. You could even prepare sheets for different topics. And remember to add your name, title, business and web site or contact details. Make sure you get credited for your comment.

If journalists get to know that you are prepared to comment, they are more likely to call you. Then your name and your business will appear in media articles regularly and raise awareness.

What is that worth to you?

Well, stories don’t tell themselves: we need storytellers.

At the start of what will probably be a very challenging year, it would be very easy to just give up after reading some of the doom and gloom press reports and opinion pieces. But wait a minute? Do you know anyone in business who is busy or who has just won a substantial order? We do. And just now a client phoned with a new editing commission.

Life goes on. Business goes on. If we let them.

But if nobody hears that businesses are winning orders, signing new contracts and achieving other successes, the doom and gloom stories will dominate everyone’s thinking.

I’m not suggesting we gloss over major challenges for businesses, many of which are not directly of their own making, but let’s aim for a more balanced picture.

How can we achieve this?

While some businesses are all to quick to send out a press release with news that is more important to themselves than to anyone else, many with real news don’t recognise its value. I usually find that most businesses have something interesting to say about themselves. A bit of thinking about how this could be of interest to others could develop some powerful public relations material.

When I work as a journalist, businesses often send me press releases that are actually sales pitches. Where I have time, I talk to them to find if there is an underlying story that can be developed into an interesting article. Often there is.

Now, not every journalist has the time or inclination to do this, so it is best to think your story through before sending your press release out or contacting the media.

What help will this be?

If some PR can raise awareness of your products and services or generate new enquiries and sales, it will help not only your business but also the wider economy. That could be useful if the recent 2.5% VAT rise is affecting your sales.

So what’s the story?

With businesses pumping out so much information in press releases, newsletters, blogs and tweets, how much of it is clear? 

Clarity is important when readers have so much to read. If they can't understand something, it needs to be very important for them to take the time to re-read it or contact you for clarification. Most likely they won't bother and will move on to the next item, possibly from a competitor. If that is easy to read and understand, you'll have lost out.

When you're close to your business, you understand its complexities: how everything fits together. It won't be so clear to someone who doesn't know your business. Often, people give up if they find something hard to figure it.

Perhaps it isn't necessary for customers to know about complex issues which are important to the internal processes of your business. If that's the case, don't mention them or you'll add unnecessary complexity.

Where you do have to mention complexity, such as different brands or subsidiaries dealing with different products or services, make sure that these are explained clearly. If not, customers won't know who to contact about what and they could feel it is easier to go to a competitor.

Why am I writing this? Because I am trying to write about a company which appears to have a sister company offering a similar product and I have had to ask them to clarify the set-up. Not everyone would bother to ask.

Why? Who says so?

I don't like people or organisations to order me about, trying to bully me into doing things because they think I should. Yet more and more communications I receive from organisations, especially those in the public sector, say that businesses "must" or "should" take some particular action.

Now, there's often a very good reason why businesses ought to consider doing some of these things, but it's up to them to make their own decisions.

If these (possibly) well-intentioned organisations really want to help businesses, they are more likely to succeed by engaging with them, establishing a dialogue and persuading rather than patronising them.

Perhaps it's because some of these organisations are being abolished and many having their funding reduced that they feel the need to throw their weight about to establish or maintain their authority. Interestingly, these communications are often issued via public relations agencies who ought to know that annoying an audience can wreck any chance of getting them to take a specific action.

With public sector organisations expected to be more effective on smaller budgets, treating audiences with some respect could improve their performance at no extra cost.

And if you've read this, thank you. I'd never really order you to do anything.

We're pleased to be sponsoring Studio Theatre's and Small Pond Production's North Devon premiere of Mack and Mabel at the Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe on 14-16 October 2010.

You can see details at studiotheatreonline.org.uk and buy tickets online at the North Devon theatres web site or by calling the box office on 01271 324242.

We are produced street banners and the show programme as well as promoting the show online and in the local press.

If you've ever organised a business or community event, you'll how much time and effort it can take.

So it's very disappointing, after a venue has been set, activities finalised, speakers or performers booked and behind-scenes helpers arranged, to realise that nobody knows about your event.

That's what happened recently when we were called in to help publicise a big community event just weeks before it started. Running over several days and with the potential to attract people from across the country, we realised that publicity should have been started months before to pull in the largest number of visitors.

Thanks to social media tools, including twitter and facebook, and some quick public relations, we were able to secure coverage in the regional press, a local radio interview and a regional TV mention on the day, but we could have achieved so much more if we'd been brought in earlier.

With planning and preparation in good time, there's a lot you can do to publicise an event and attract lots of people to it. Here's a brief guide to what you can do.

What do you need?

Work backwards to determine deadlines and create an activity schedule

Deciding how far in advance you need to publicise an event is one of the first tasks.

Depending on the type of event you're organising, deadlines for each promotional activity will differ. For example, if you're organising an international event aimed at visitors from other countries, you'll need to take into account the time people need to make their travel arrangements and book accommodation. They probably won't be able to jump on a plane and fly over at a moment's notice, but will need to be targeted many months in advance. On the other hand, a small local event could require several weeks' notice.

Publications all have deadlines and you need to send information to them in time for them to include it before printing and distribution. Some monthly magazines need information several months in advance, while newspapers and online media often work to shorter deadlines. Use these deadlines to create an activity schedule so that you know when each task needs to be completed.

Who do you want to attract?

If you're staging a performance, the target audience is likely to be those people who like live entertainment. You can break this down further, depending on whether it's music, theatre, comedy or another type of act. You can do the same for other activities, such as sports or hobbies.

With business events, your event could appeal to small or large businesses, those in a specific sector, people with similar job types, eg marketing or human resources, or other group.

Identifying the target market you want to attract is essential if you are to reach them through your publicity and advertising.

How much promotion do you need?

A one-off seminar with 10 places will probably need less publicity than a seven-day run of theatrical performances with an audience capacity of 3,500. Each event will have different requirements and so it's best to determine the amount of promotion required. What budget do you need to reach this number of people? How many posters, flyers or other material will you need to print? How long will it take you to prepare and distribute material?

Your answers will help you to fine tune your activity schedule.

How do you reach your audience?

Find out what publications and media serve your target group. Anglers will read fishing magazines or visit specialist web sites, while lawyers will read the legal press and monitor web sites for legal professionals.

Advertising, press releases, events listings, newsletters and social media campaigns can all be used to promote your event. Advertise community events with posters in shop windows and banners in the street, and approach local television and radio stations. Promote business events through printed and email newsletters, and press releases sent to general or specialist business press. There are many media channels available.

Social media tools are ideal for promoting events and you can use these to talk about an event, where it is, what it's about and what people will get out of it. You can also take advantage of viral opportunities for people to pass on details to all their family, friends or contacts. As well as press releases and written material, use videos of previous or similar events to show people exactly what they can expect.

How do you persuade people to book?

It's easiest when you have a dedicated box office which people can phone to book tickets or an online booking service where they can reserve and pay for tickets at any time.

Make ticket booking phone numbers and web addresses prominent on all adverts and posters and in all press material. Make it as easy as possible for people to make a booking.

All forms of online promotion can link directly to the booking page. You can also post the event on twitter, facebook and online entertainment or event sites. There are services such as schmap.it which help you promote events on twitter, while you can create events listings in Facebook.

Of course, the description of your event has to be appealing and photographs and images always help to attract interest.

Is that everything?

There's no end to what you can do to promote an event and the main limitations will be time and budget. It's worth deciding how much time and money you want to spend promoting your event before you start organising it. If you're looking to generate a profit, you don't want to spend more advertising it than it will generate in ticket and other sales.

What is most important is that, whatever event you organise, you publicise it as widely as required in good time so that people who are interested do not miss it.

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