You Do, Not Say
Contributing to be the person others recognise and seek out isn’t easy.
It often means stepping out of our comfort zone and taking action instead of just talking about it.
We’re starting the year with words of the year that people are living up to, we’re seeing people sharing their aspirations for 2025 and others on the success they will achieve.
What truly matters is can we create work that pushes us forward while also helping others?
Let me share what I’ve been working on and how it’s helping others along the way.
I have no desire to be a podcaster, or a host of a business YouTube channel, but in 2024, I started something I plan to expand: the “ParkLife on Tour” blog. This involves traveling across the country to visit innovation centers, meet leaders, and explore the broader innovation landscape. I ask people what innovation means to their sector, capturing their insights to share with a wider audience.
I get to hear interesting insights across a spectrum of sectors and disciplines, which in turn is helping my own thinking and aim of joining some dots when it comes back to Dorset and some of the opportunities outside of my business that I want to support or get involved in.
Creating content hasn’t come naturally to me. I have been slowly emerging from behind the camera asking questions, where I would edit out my own voice to just have the question as text, to being more seen in the video, if even just as b-roll for the moment. There will be a time where I will just be as comfortable sat side by side being very much a part of the interviews. I am working up to that.
This year, I’m pushing further by reaching out globally for interviews and planning trips to Europe. It’s a significant investment of time and resources, but it aligns with my larger goal of creating value, building relationships, and expanding perspectives.
I do enjoy it. I know what we do as a business on the innovation park and the organisations we deal with can be quite niche, but everything ties into the opportunities of the Dorset Innovation Park, the economic goals of Dorset Council, and what it could mean to the local community. As a business that has benefited from public sector support, this is part of our Purpose and Legacy (P&L).
I have first-hand experience of being nervous about the whole content creation journey. My advice would be to work yourself from behind the camera and keyboard, slowly and surely to the front, to be right in the mix. There is no timescale for this and any feeling of Imposter Syndrome, just accept it is a transient thing and move onto the next level. They’re signs that you’re pushing yourself.
Here are some pointers, that I can hope can help with your momentum:
· Start with posting text, get used to your writing and hone that “voice”.
· Share photos and videos of the events you have been that inspire your thoughts. You don’t have to be in shot.
· Start sharing photos of you with other people there. It helps build relationships and you don’t have to feel uncomfortable standing alone.
· Use video to pan across a place or event, as part of your post.
· Start talking over a video, from behind the camera.
· When you feel comfortable, move to being in front of the camera. You don’t have to provide any deep analysis, just say how great it is being there. This always helps the organisers.
· Start interacting with people, ask a quick question or more of an interview.
Think about why you are doing this. For me, it’s about getting to meet interesting people, to develop personally, to become better at content, to improve my confidence, which all leads to being in a better position to reach out and contribute.
By embracing moments that challenge us, we unlock opportunities for connection and growth. Visibility and contribution may be difficult, but they’re deeply rewarding.
All it takes is the decision to start.
