It’s easy to communicate, right? If you can speak the language then you must have communication skills.

Oh that’s very dangerous territory.

We all have the basics we need to function, but there’s a difference between competence and fluidity; between getting along, and communicating effectively.

The image that comes to mind for me is teaching my son to ride a two-wheeler (and now, a car). He was a little hesitant and wobbly at first, but it wasn’t long until he had the basics down, and could manage to successfully navigate around the neighbourhood.

Even though he was competent, what he failed to understand was how little he knew at the time, and how uncertain he would be if faced with a bump in the road; a car driving too close, or even a busy intersection.  The basics just don’t cut it when you’re thrown a curve ball.

You not only have to be a good cyclist, you need to be a good defensive driver.

So too, with communication skills.

Unfortunately we don’t always realize our communication skills are rusty until something goes wrong. And then it may be too late. We’ve fallen off our figurative bicycle, and it’s not pretty.

Part of the problem is that we tend to think that communication is a language skill. Actually, it’s a full body contact sport. For example…

… Have you ever gone into a meeting with someone, and come out with a completely different understanding of than your colleague?

…Have you ever walked into a room and instantly felt tension in it?

…Have you ever dealt with a 15-year old (or a spouse – let’s face it) who “gives you attitude”, but swears up and down that they didn’t?

…Have you ever gotten an email message that left you asking yourself whether the author had sour milk on her cornflakes this morning?

In fact, the content of our communication – the words – make up only 7% of the meaning in face-to-face communication.  Body language, tone of voice, facial expression, and all the non-verbal cues you send in an interaction hold 93% of your message.

Does that mean that your words don’t matter? Not at all. It speaks to the importance of aligning all elements of the message, such as your body language, tone of voice and facial expression, with your words for clarity.

Tait Communications is often called upon by clients to present workshops and training on various elements of communication. Now we’re going a step further, and offering open enrollment training courses in a number of areas of communication and management. This summer we’re offering the following training courses and dates:

Writing in Plain Language            June 10

How to be a Teambuilder            June 11-12

Emotional Intelligence                  June 17

Presentation skills                         June 18-19

Interpersonal communication    June 20

Find out more at www.taitcc.com or call us at 669-6211. We can also customize training for your group.

Watch our website for other upcoming courses and training dates.

First of all, does everyone know what kerning is? It’s a typographical term for adjusting the space between letters. Most of us have desktop publishing software like Microsoft Word or Adobe InDesign, making it much easier and quicker to typeset something than it used to be. And since so many people have this kind of software, theoretically every ad or newsletter or publication of any kind should look amazing. Right?!  Well that’s not what I’m seeing. Everywhere I look, I see things that are worse than they were before computers became so popular. Even in this modern age of computers, we still have to pay attention to detail AND let the qualified, talented creative professionals do their jobs.

But we’re in a global economic crisis now. No one cares about quality anymore. It’s just too expensive. Or is it? Quality is part of the brand. The tiny stitches on a finely crafted suit are part of what makes someone feel good, and proud to be wearing it. You might not even understand the importance of each little stitch, you may never examine each of those little stitches… you just know the suit feels and moves perfectly. So it’s not just about allowing an artist to do his best, it’s about how that best makes the consumer feel, and how that reflects on the client’s brand. Craftsmanship is not a thing of the past. Quality is a choice, no matter what kind of a situation we are in.  I’m not talking about choosing to pave your driveway with gold, I’m talking about choosing a creative professional who is great at what they do; someone who cares. And because they care, it usually means they will be great at what they do. And that will make you look great in turn.

The last weekend in May we joined Dave Brosha and a group of local photogs for a workshop on environmental lighting. The morning consisted on talking about gear, techniques and lighting theory. After lunch, we got to work with some great local models and went out to do some outdoor shoot set-ups near Narwhal Adventures.

We would like to share with you a few of our favorite shots from the day:

Thanks Again to Dave and the rest of the group, we had a excellent day of shooting, the weather was great and the models were fantastic to work with! We’re already looking forward to the next workshop!

For release: Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Yellowknife – We all have things we like to do in our spare time. Some people knit. Andrew Silke makes movies. And in May, one of his films will debut at the world’s most prestigious film festival.

All of the staff at Tait Communications are very proud of Andrew’s accomplishments and congratulate him on the selection of his short film, Amelia, to be shown at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

Amelia is one of 25 Canadian short films that will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival market as a part of Not Short on Talent, a program funded by Telefilm Canada that draws upon a diverse range of films from every province and territory. Amelia is the Northwest Territories only film in the program, and will be shown during two different screenings at the Marché du Film, premiering on May 22 at the Palais du Festival.

Amelia is an 18 minute film written, directed and produced by Andrew Silke. “It’s every director’s dream to showcase a film on this kind of stage,” says Andrew, “but having a film that was entirely created in the North recognized in this way is especially rewarding.”

At Tait Communications, we like to support our employees however we can. In fact, parts of the movie were filmed at the home of Tami Johnson, Tait’s Creative Director.

“Andrew hasn’t shown us Amelia yet,” says Tami, “but I’m afraid that I will never be able to walk into my downstairs bathroom again after I see it.”

Shot in Yellowknife, NWT in March 2011, Amelia tells the story of Diane, a sleep-deprived, post-partum mother who is feeling psychologically tormented by her ten year old daughter Amelia, and emotionally neglected by her unassuming husband, Stu.

When Diane discovers that Amelia’s habitual night wandering correlates with injuries found on the new baby, she delves into the disturbed world of her daughter while frantically trying to prove to Stu that there is something wrong with Amelia.

-30-

For more information:

Tami Johnson
Creative Director
Tait Communication and Consulting Inc.
Phone: (867) 669-6211
Email: tami@taitcc.com

Over the long weekend  the Tait Hawks participated in the 32nd Annual First Air Tournament. Winning the Lake Awry Division of the tourney with a 6-3 victory over the Northbest Old Packers.  They advanced to the final with a 1-0 shootout victory Sunday morning over Ollerhead, and then avenged an earlier defeat at the hands of the Packers (7-5) in the final.

Congratulations to all the players and participants!

My adventure began this past summer when I travelled to Yellowknife for a vacation.  Not the typical destination for most, but I was easily persuaded by my two very close friends Kristen and Adam.  Adam, being a native to Yellowknife, boasted of all the new and exciting opportunities available here in the north.  Kristen, always the supportive friend, encouraged me to take initiative, update my resume and start handing them out.  I’m glad I took her advice!  After introducing myself to Tami Johnson, Tait Communication’s Creative Director and newest partner, we set up an interview right away.  I couldn’t wait to tell my friends that after only being in town for five days, I had landed an interview!  This sort of thing doesn’t happen down south in Ontario, so I was filled with excitement.  When my friends got home from work I shared my news and that’s when Adam said, “That’s Yellowknife for you”.  At the time I thought it was a very odd expression, but after living here for almost two months now, I’ve learned it’s an accurate statement.

On the day of my interview, I met with Leanne, the Owner and creator of Tait Communications, Tami and Marsha, Director of Operations.  I learned what the company was all about and did my best to sell my skills, knowledge, and why I would be a good fit with the company.  Afterwards, Tami mentioned I should check out “Come Make Your Mark”, a campaign to attract people to living and working in the north.  When I got home, I visited www.comemakeyourmark.ca and learned what I could about Yellowknife and the opportunities they offered.  The site even features a page dedicated to peoples’ success stories on moving to the north.  A few weeks later, Tami called with some exciting news!  I had been offered the position and I was heading to Yellowknife!  I spent weeks organizing and making lists of things to pack.  My boyfriend Adam planned our driving route while I packed all my worldly possessions (including my dog Roxy) and away we went!  After three days of non-stop driving, we finally arrived.  We stopped by the office and Tami mentioned they were looking for volunteers for “Champions for Children”, a charity event organized by Tait.  Wanting to jump in and get my feet wet, I offered to volunteer.  That night I met retired NHL players, Darryl Sittler who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Yvan Cournoyer, who played for the Montreal Canadiens.  That was just another example of “that’s Yellowknife for you.”

I started work on Monday morning and was instantly treated like one of the team.  It wasn’t long before I was introduced to YKBuzz, a new free app available to iphones that identifies all the upcoming events happening in Yellowknife.  One of my responsibilities is to help add events to the website.  This has been a great way for me to get to know the city and all the events taking place.  One of the events I had added was the ticket presale for the Wine Gala at the Explorer Hotel.  This is just one example of the handful of popular formal outings that occur throughout the year.  While out with a bunch of friends, Corey mentioned that he really wanted to go but last year they sold out of tickets in under an hour.  Funny enough, I knew when the ticket presale was and passed along the information.  Thanks to YKBuzz, I was able to experience yet another formal event.

I have been living here for about four months and have learned that in small communities, you meet friendly people easily and that word travels fast.  Even my captain from volleyball has been using YKBuzz to stay informed.  He pulled out his iphone and said, “Have you heard of this great new app?  It’s called YKBuzz and it has all the upcoming events that happen in town!  You should really check it out.”  I had to laugh because he didn’t know that I helped update the app with information at work.  I’m happy to see that word is spreading fast!  I guess that really is Yellowknife for you!

Being in Yellowknife has proven to be an amazing experience.  I strongly recommend visiting if the opportunity presents itself.  I can’t wait to see what random surprises Yellowknife has in store for 2012!!

Happy New Year and Best Wishes from all of us at Tait Communications

From all of us at Tait, We wish you all a very Merry Christmas &
Safe and Happy Holidays!

OK, let’s face it. It’s hard to toot your own horn. That’s why award programs exist, right? So that someone else can say you do a good job so you don’t have to say it yourself. And even when it is someone else who’s saying it, it still feels a little… shall I say “unCanadian” to shine the light on our own achievements.

Likewise, when I tell my team they’re rock stars and do amazing work, I hope they believe me. But it’s a little like a mom telling her daughter she’s beautiful or talented or smart. Mom’s (and employers) are supposed to say those things. But when it comes from someone else, then they take it to heart.

That’s why we’re so pumped about the recognition we received from the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals in the form of three 2011 MarCom Awards. Immodest or not, we’re bursting with pride, and I’m delighted the Tait team has been recognized for the high calibre work it does.

MarCom gets thousands upon thousands of entries from around the world. Rising to the top to receive a Platinum Award – MarCom’s highest recognition – means our little 10-person firm in Santa’s back yard is doing work on par with the biggest and brightest agencies in New York, Toronto, and around the world. For a full list of winners visit http://www.marcomawards.com

Here are the entries that were recognized:

Platinum Award – Come Make Your Mark a brand campaign for the Government of the Northwest Territories that encourages people to come to live, work and invest in the NWT. Visit www.comemakeyourmark.ca and read stories of NWT residents making their mark.

Gold Award — designs for Yellowknife’s prime summer event, Folk on the Rocks. The theme ‘Eclectic Folk’ was brought to life with a collage of eclectic northern images forming the silhouette of a guitar. Images were applied to signage, the website and merchandise. Visit www.folkontherocks.com.

Honourable Mention – our own Tait rebranding. Tait completed its own rebranding this past year to reflect the growth of its creative department and capabilities in design, web, video and social media. Visit www.taitcc.com.

I’m proud of our team, no question. They do great work. And our clients are well served.