Cheryl Broom [00:00:00]:
Hi, I'm Cheryl Broom, CEO of GradComm and host of the Higher Education Conversations
podcast sponsored by EdTech Connect. I have an absolutely fascinating guest on today who
has made a career out of a specialization that I think we can all learn from. Have you ever
wondered how you can get reporters or elected officials to pay attention to things happening at
your campus? Or have you been wanting to, wanting to be more effective at writing your boss's
speeches or perhaps get better at writing articles for your campus? Magazine articles that really
showcase the achievements of your faculty? Then this is a podcast you won't want to miss.
Mark Bayer served as a Chief of staff in the US Senate and House of Representatives during a
20 year career as a congressional staff member. He's worked as a management consultant and
co founded a nonprofit organization for disadvantaged youth. Mark now teaches scientists,
engineers and executives how to advance their priorities with key decision makers using the
RISE system, a unique methodology that incorporates proven strategic communication and
influence building principles crafted during two decades of work in the U.S. senate and House of
Representatives. So, Mark, thank you so much for joining me today.
Cheryl Broom [00:01:23]:
I'm so excited to have you on the podcast.
Mark Bayer [00:01:25]:
And so am I. Thanks, Cheryl, for having me.
Cheryl Broom [00:01:27]:
Yeah, and so we kind of, we met because one of our clients ended up on your podcast and you
have such an interesting business and background. I thought, oh, this would be perfect. I think
our audience is going to learn a lot from you.
Mark Bayer [00:01:39]:
Thank you. Yeah, no, it was great. And the show that we did was really cool. So, yeah, I'm
ready, I'm interested. Thanks.
Cheryl Broom [00:01:46]:
Okay. Well, so since I mentioned your podcast, tell us a little bit about it and how you started it.
Mark Bayer [00:01:51]:
Sure. So it's called When Science Speaks and WhenScience Speaks.com is the website you
can listen there or on your favorite podcast platform. And the purpose of the podcast is really
twofold. One is to help people explain really complicated information in ways that's
understandable and also interesting and memorable. And the people that I'm talking about are
generally scientists. They don't have to be. They can be engineers as well. People who have
complicated information that they want to communicate to important stakeholders in their world,
like potential funders, policymakers, others who could influence whether they their projects
move forward or not.Mark Bayer [00:02:30]:
How do you reach them in a way that they can understand and get excited about so they can be
supportive of your initiative? So that's the first thing. It's about communication. How do you do
that? And the second part is really careers. So I'm sure your listeners know and you certainly
know, Cheryl, that most people, after getting a Ph.D. do not stay in academia. It's only about 5%
or less that actually continue on. And maybe there's some sort of. Not necessarily even a tenure
track.
Mark Bayer [00:02:55]:
There might be, but not necessarily. But the vast majority of people go out into the world and
take their PhD, earn skills in different places. And so sometimes it can be hard to make that
transition. So I have people outside of academia, for example, so I have people on the show
who have done that successfully, and they talk about how they made that transition and how
they dealt with some of the obstacles, and then also how they seize opportunities to find
professional, you know, jobs that are fulfilling, interesting, meaningful, and all those good things.
Cheryl Broom [00:03:27]:
I find the communication portion so fascinating because some of the most brilliant people that
I've met are the worst communicators. They may be able to do amazing things, but they are not
able to talk or write about it very well.
Mark Bayer [00:03:46]:
Yeah. And I'd say, one, it's not their fault. And two, there's just a little interesting anecdote from
Carl Sagan that I think really is illustrative of what you just said, Cheryl, which is that people
would ask him, carl Sagan, the Cosmos, the one who founded that segment or started, was the
first host and really made talking about the stars and astrophysics really interesting to people of
all ages and backgrounds. And so, of course, he was always asked, how are you able to do
that? Like, you're talking about astrophysics, like, really abstract, complicated things. How are
you able to do that? And he said, you know, the topic in the subject area didn't come easily to
him. And so he really had to unpack these concepts for himself and really take them apart so he
could understand each of these little pieces and then put them back together in a way that made
sense to him. And in doing that, he found that it also made sense to his listeners. And I think for
people, people for whom a subject might come easily, they tend to skip steps in their own
understanding because they just get it, like, instinctively.
Mark Bayer [00:04:57]:
And Sagan said, like, I did not get it instinctively. And so, as a result, I had to take it apart and
put it back together, and I could explain it better that way. And so I think that that's some of the
challenges that people who are really good at something, when they explain it, they skip over
steps, and that can lose people easily. So, yes, it's a common issue and completely
understandable. And, you know, most of us have that challenge in some areas of our life.
Cheryl Broom [00:05:23]:Yeah, I Know, I even have that challenge. I've been doing, you know, digital marketing for 15
years. And I think, oh, it's just so easy. And you throw around these like, oh, CPC and CPM and
do this and do that and book it here and book here, and people are like, what are you talking
about? You forget that your audience doesn't have the same vernacular, the same knowledge
that you do.
Mark Bayer [00:05:43]:
So true. Yeah, it is really true. It's very easy to do that. And I think part of it, like, because I'm
sort of like a geek when it comes to like, neuroscience and language, and I think part of it is like,
our brain wants to be efficient with the energy that we have and, you know, wants to expend
energy like when it really needs it, but when it doesn't, like, it doesn't, doesn't want to waste
energy. So as we become really good at something, you know, we sort of just those pathways, I
guess, have become really strong and well formed and we just kind of go to the most efficient
way. But then we forget there are others who don't have those sort of pathways in the brain yet.
So we have to take it more step by step.
Cheryl Broom [00:06:21]:
Now, a lot of our listeners write for their college president or, you know, write for the news
media. So they may be writing press releases about papers that their professors on campus
have just published, or maybe they're explaining accreditation to a news reporter. What kind of
advice do you have for people who are writing for others?
Mark Bayer [00:06:47]:
I love this because I spent about 20 years writing for, for one other who was U.S. senator Ed
Markey. And before that he was a member of the House of Representatives. So he was U.S.
representative Ed Markey. And so I wrote for, you know, I wrote speeches, I wrote press
releases. I was on the phone all the time with, with Matt, you know, major media, TV and print.
And, you know, some of the things that it's a.
Mark Bayer [00:07:12]:
It's a challenge. That's number one. Number two, the more you do it, the better you become at
it. And number three is like the tools that we have as writers for others, or explainers, if you will,
are a lot of these rhetorical devices that have been around for thousands of years. Metaphors,
similes, storytelling. Some of the things I think really help are understanding. Well, you want to
use comparison. So you want to take something that people understand already and then show
how it's similar to something new.
Mark Bayer [00:07:45]:
Just jumping into. It's like jumping into a freezing cold pond. If we just go with the explanation
and we don't give Any context or orient them at all, and they don't have anything to sort of warm
up to. Like, your listener needs something that is similar to something new. And then from that
point you say, well, it's sort of like that. But actually, if we just add this, it's a little different in this
way. Right? But if we go right. If we think maybe the most efficient way is just go right intoexplaining what this thing is, and then we take it apart and we talk about all the features, and we
don't talk about the benefits, which is another challenge.
Mark Bayer [00:08:21]:
So using that, figuring out what you know, what metaphor, what comparison will be helpful is a
big part of it. The other part, I find is that you want to think about, like, I want to create imagery
in my listener or reader's head. And to be able to do that, I have to refer to things that they know
already. So that's like your comparison. But also, I think many times we get tripped up with. The
specific is always more persuasive, more vivid than the general. If I talk about a Toyota Camry
versus a car or a vehicle, the further I get away from the actual specifics, the harder it is or the
longer it takes for my listener or my reader to visualize it in their head. And so I always tell
people, be really specific.
Mark Bayer [00:09:11]:
So even when you're using your mouse metaphors, you're saying, so I was out there by the
stream in our neighborhood, and there was a lot of moss on the rocks, and I had to realize I had
to go from the bank to that first big rock that had the moss on it, and I had to be careful. So
rather than just saying I needed to cross this body of water one step at a time. So thinking about
the second piece would be being as specific as you can in your comparisons. So you're
promoting the creation of visuals in your listener or your reader's mind. And that keeps them
engaged because they're thinking about what you're talking about. And when you're specific, it
makes it much easier for them to create those visuals rather than just generic terminology.
Cheryl Broom [00:09:56]:
Oh, that's such great advice. And I know I always used to get frustrated when I would do a
presentation at the college I worked at. Maybe I was working on, like, a tagline or an advertising
campaign. And I had done, you know, research and testing, and I had had all this, like, evidence
to back up why my approach was correct. And then somebody would be like, oh, well. But I
once had this student who. And it'd be like, one story that contradicted all the research I had
done. And then it was like, okay, now I'm finished.
Cheryl Broom [00:10:28]:
Like, I, this isn't going to happen now. Like, one story could derail, like all of that research and
progress is people connected with it.
Mark Bayer [00:10:36]:
Exactly. And the two things you said that are so important from my perspective are connect and
story. Because our minds understand things in a narrative form much better than data. And
there are good studies that show that, and you can imagine why that is. But we are kind of pre
wired to understand things in a narrative format. So if I start talking about there was an n of 1
and then I'm using all of this scientific and research terminology, it's not nearly as memorable as
if I tell you a story as an illustration maybe at the beginning of our presentation to get you, get
you sort of locked on and oriented to it. And then I can go deeper. Maybe I don't even go deeper
to everyone.Mark Bayer [00:11:20]:
Maybe I just say at the end, if anyone wants to know all the details and the methodology and,
you know, everything that we did as part of this, I'm happy to answer those questions, you know,
offline or right afterwards or something like that. The other thing about stories is that we tend to
want to tell a story in a linear sequence, I should say. So we want to start at the beginning and
then get to the result at the end. But what I found and what I talk about when I do my course
and my keynotes is that if you do that, people oftentimes are not going to get to that end of the
line with you because it's not that interesting till they start, till they hear the result. Right. And so
you really want to flip that and start with the result first, which seems a little awkward, and then
fill it in with some of the lead up. It's almost like telling the punchline of a joke and then doing the
setup. You say, well, that doesn't make sense.
Mark Bayer [00:12:09]:
They're not going to really understand the punchline as well. And actually that's true and it's a
positive because you don't want people to fully understand everything at the beginning because
you want them to keep on listening to you. So I like to encourage people when they're doing a
presentation both to start with the result, but also be a little vague. Like, you know, I tried to
think, you know, like I sometimes will say use a pronoun, like, you know, the sound shocked
him. It's like, well, what sound was it and who are we talking about? So I better listen to the next
sentence. You know, and they say, well, you know, I want to give them enough information. I'm
afraid I'm going to leave out details. But you don't want to give it all away at the beginning
because then your listener tunes out.
Cheryl Broom [00:12:51]:
I love this advice, and I. I love it for speech writing. I wish I had talked to you years ago when I
used to write speeches for my college president, because I was a news reporter and I teach
public speaking. But my whole background has always been like, extemporaneous speaking. So
writing a speech for someone else was challenging for me. I never knew how to structure it or
what the audience was going to latch onto or enjoy the most. So it was always really difficult for
me as a former speechwriter and now coaching others that do that. How do you even start.
Cheryl Broom [00:13:28]:
Like, how do you start writing speeches for other people? What's some tips that you have?
Mark Bayer [00:13:33]:
Yeah, well, the first thing I just say is being a news reporter and extemporaneous speech is
super hard.
Cheryl Broom [00:13:38]:
Oh, I find it so much easier.
Mark Bayer [00:13:42]:Because it's like the light goes on and the camera's right there, and you have to be able to not
only do it in a way that's interesting, but you don't have a lot of airtime, potentially depending on
what you're doing, I suppose. But I would just say hats off to you for doing that, because that's
really, really hard to be able to distill something like that. I would say as a speechwriter, there's
sort of the technical, researchy part of it, and then there are the mechanics of it, maybe a little
bit on the researchy part, because sometimes people forget about that. I would always want to
connect. Like, I'm doing a keynote at the end of August for Harvard Medical School. So I've
been working on this for a while, and as part of it, I want to talk to, and I did a few months ago,
people who are going to be in the audience, what do you want to know? I actually just cut a
video and sent it, which still uses part of the promotion, which invites listeners or. Yeah, people
in the audience to email me. It's very easy.
Mark Bayer [00:14:42]:
They can see my short video. Hey, here's who I am. You know, I'm excited. I'm really fired up.
We're going to talk about this. You're going to talk about that. And tell me one thing you want to
get out of my keynote speech. And so I'll get some emails back, even if I only get a handful.
Mark Bayer [00:14:54]:
Usually I get, you know, three or four. It's Just good for me to get some engagement. Plus, I've
talked to people who will be in the audience. So I know more specifically, and I knew for, you
know, months what, what else, you know, what they really, you know, what the framework of it
is. So the researchy part, people say, know your audience. I don't use that term. I don't like it
because I think it's so, like, what are you supposed to know about your audience and how do
you use it and so forth. So I talk about connect, connect before you communicate.
Mark Bayer [00:15:20]:
And that's like connect on a human level with people so you can do the researchy part. Can I
talk to a few people who are going to be in the audience or people who maybe have addressed
the. If you know people who have talked to this group before or you're talking to like the leader,
the person who is your point of contact, like what, what do you, I always ask also, like, what do
you want the audience to feel at the end? Energized, empowered, optimistic, hopeful. Usually
people don't say, we want them to feel really bad and down and say, well, maybe you should get
another speaker. But no, people say it's some positive emotion. But I think if you're writing
speeches, ask yourself, how should the audience feel at the end? And then the other thing is.
Because that will help orient how you're going to write. And then the other thing is you don't
want the audience to feel that emotion, whatever it is, you don't want them to feel that
throughout the entire speech because they get numb to it.
Mark Bayer [00:16:18]:
And so I always like to organize my speech into different chunks where they're feeling different
things, like they're informed. Oh, that's enlightening. That's surprising. Oh, that's really sad. Oh,
that's interesting. And then at the end, and then it's energizing. So otherwise we get bored. We
wanna feel different things.Cheryl Broom [00:16:38]:
I love that. So you have so many good sayings and there's one thing that you said to me when
we talked a couple months ago that I wanna repeat. But first we're gonna take a quick break
and then when we come back, I now have the saying on a post it note on my computer. So I'll
tell you what it is. How do higher education decision makers find the right solution when
technology evolves at light speed? Well, we usually start with our network. EdTech Connect is
the network that's democratizing the higher ed technology. EdTech Connect is free, so anyone
with a EDU email address can sign up and list the software and services they use in their role at
their school. Once you're in, you can find out what solutions similar schools are doing all over
the country.
Cheryl Broom [00:17:25]:
Whether you're looking to find the hot new AI tool or maybe learn options, you have to upgrade
your campus search engine or even get to your short list of marketing solution vendors.
EdTechConnect is the place to go. So visit EdTechConnect.com and set up your free profile to
get a pulse for what's happening with higher ed technology today. Okay, welcome back. So,
okay, here's the saying that you said to me that it's literally on my post it notes on my computer.
And it was in reference to talking about how you can be a resource for elected officials. And we
were chatting about your career and talking about how colleges need to do a better job
engaging with their government, particularly their local government. And you said, I love to tell
people that when it comes to government, to be a resource and not a request.
Cheryl Broom [00:18:19]:
And I really loved that saying because I thought, my gosh, all the times that we wanted officials
to come to campus, it was always a request. And it wasn't until we started to serve them and
provide them with assistance that they began to take more interest in what we were doing on
the campus. So I just love that saying. I also love that you said connect before you
communicate, so I'm writing all your little sayings down.
Mark Bayer [00:18:44]:
Yeah, that's an occupational hazard from working in the hills so long. Everything could be
reduced to a tagline. I mean, you know a lot about taglines.
Cheryl Broom [00:18:51]:
Oh yeah, well, and the taglines are memorable. But I think that one really hit the nail on the
head because especially with community colleges, which are the majority of the people listening
to this podcast, government relations has just been kind of thrown onto communication directors
already full plates. And a lot of them don't know how to be a resource. They've never had to do
this before. So I'd love for you maybe give examples or explain like tips to get your local officials
more interested in what you're doing at a college.
Mark Bayer [00:19:23]:
Yeah, absolutely. And again, in fairness, these are non obvious. I spent 20 years working in the
US House and US Senate, so I've seen this in Massachusetts where we have a lot of colleges,universities, community colleges and so forth. So I think the first thing to always ask yourself is
why should the elected official care about what we are doing with this particular initiative? Right.
Is it being done at a. You know, first of all you figure out which elected official would care well,
probably the one who represents the district or state in which you're located. That's like the first
threshold question. And I think your folks listening know that already.
Mark Bayer [00:20:02]:
So then it's like, well, what about this particular initiative where we want to get the elected to
come to our campus for something? And you're just thinking about, well, let me see, well, what
is the initiative? Okay, well, it involves chips. It involves computer chips. Okay, That's a big topic
these days. There aren't enough chips and we've got AI coming. And all of a sudden, well,
guess what? We have a research lab that's doing some work on computer chips. And so then I
say, okay, well who's the elected? You've got a member of the US House who represents your
community college, say. And then you've got two US Centers, of course, for your state in which
you're located. And it's like, well, what have those people been talking about recently? Oh, I see.
Mark Bayer [00:20:41]:
You know, they have a statement on the CHIPS act, or they've done, you know, they've, they
were just visited somewhere or they're on a particular committee which is another one that
involves the committee whose jurisdiction, whose coverage includes high tech, which includes,
say, computer chips. So you know, right away you're thinking, okay, well, this member of
Congress does care about computer chips and we are doing this really cutting edge research on
computer chips. So I'm already like further answering the question of why should this particular
elected official care about what we're doing? And now we sort of switch to the resource way of
thinking about this. So I call up, I'm a communications director at a community college. I call up
the office and I say, I'm so and so from XYZ Community College in. And I always would say put
in the town from Springfield, everywhere, California, which of course that town is within the
district of, say, the U.S. representative. And then I'd like to talk to the press person about an
initiative that we're working on.
Mark Bayer [00:21:45]:
Or you could say, I would maybe you could either say, like talk to the scheduler, you know,
because you're talking about the event. So either way. But the idea is that your approach here,
once you get the right person, is we're working on something your boss is interested in. We're
working on something here that your boss has done a statement on, introduced legislation on,
had an amendment about, done an event on. We are doing something here that basically could
help your boss further their agenda on an issue where they already care because they've done
these things, they've already taken action. Oh, I saw so and so at your boss at the committee
hearing. And you can get all these things online, too, or just search on their website. And the
boss was talking about computer chips.
Mark Bayer [00:22:32]:
And guess we actually have a lab in the district which is doing something really innovative.
We're thinking about maybe having an event on it. Would that be something your boss might beinterested in? So as a staffer, and I was for so long, I'm thinking like, this is something the boss
is spending time. Of course, it's kind of a cliche and they. But, well, but it's so true, right? Time is
our most precious asset. But on the Hill, it's ridiculous how many things get crammed in such a
short amount of time. But this, which makes getting attention difficult. But now what you're
already sort of doing, this is where the resource part comes in because the boss has already
said and has taken action on this.
Mark Bayer [00:23:09]:
So you're giving the boss something that the boss can then further, you know, use to further
their leadership on this issue. And they're always looking to demonstrate that they're effective.
And so this is where, like, I'm kind of doing you a favor. I'm giving you an opportunity to come to
an event on an issue where your boss has already expressed some interest to further
demonstrate his leadership. And, oh, by the way, we'll have press there. And of course, this falls
within the communications directors, like, sweet spot as well. And so I guess the last piece
there. So you see, like, I'm kind of giving you an opportunity.
Mark Bayer [00:23:42]:
It's not even that I'm asking you to come to something. I'm actually offering something to you
that you already view as valuable, which is a chance to continue talking about something you
care about and get some press. And the last piece, and you know, Cheryl rambling is definitely
a part. Is part of my professional kind of, you know, talk. So I'm sorry if this is going on and on
and on, but I'm just trying to answer the question. And the last piece I would just say is that
when you have the event, if you did a panel, for example, which I found to be very attractive on
the other side, was on Capitol Hill. It's almost like the boss comes in, you've already got experts,
you've got people from your community college who are there other maybe industry people. And
then the boss basically comes in, the elected comes in, they give their little opening statement,
welcoming people.
Mark Bayer [00:24:30]:
They're kind of just the moderator. So it requires very little work on their end. And then you can
partner with their press people to get press there. And you can already have some folks lined
up. So at the end, as a staffer, I'm looking at this as a great opportunity. And then, of course, we
can build on that so that next time something comes up on this area, like, hey, maybe we should
call community college, because that event was so great.
Cheryl Broom [00:24:55]:
I. Okay, first of all, I love the rambling. I think it's fantastic.
Mark Bayer [00:25:00]:
You may be the only one. You may be the only one.
Cheryl Broom [00:25:02]:
You're a podcast host. And so I always tell my guests, this is about you talking, not about me.
So thank you for talking. But what really stood out to me, which is such fantastic advice, is thatyou aren't leaving it up to the elected to make the connection of why they should care. You've
done your homework and you've already determined why they should care. And so especially if
you're speaking to a staffer, you're saying, hey, I saw that your boss is interested in this, or, and
da, da, da, da, da, da, da. So we're not assuming that they'll make that connection. We're
making it for them.
Cheryl Broom [00:25:40]:
And I think that is so important. And I would always get questions on my campus, like, why
aren't reporters interested in covering this event? And it's because I could never find out why
they could care. Why will they care about it? So if you can't demonstrate that, you're not going to
get the response that you hope for.
Mark Bayer [00:25:57]:
Yeah, for sure. And there are so many things going on on the campus, and maybe you can't get
press for all of them, but if you can do a little research, and sometimes it just involves going to
the elected officials website, pressing the press tab, newsroom, whatever it's called, tab, and
then seeing what press releases have they put out recently on what topics, because clearly
they're trumpeting things that they care about.
Cheryl Broom [00:26:25]:
Yeah, I know. We worked with a college, we did a marketing campaign. They had a new
mechatronics program. And I'm like, this is all in the news right now, how the legislature is trying
to fund more semiconductors here in the United States. You're starting a program in Silicon
Valley. Like, this is ripe for, you know, media attention and attention from your local officials. And
the college just couldn't, like, wrap their head around how to do that. So we did the marketing
and that filled their classes up.
Cheryl Broom [00:26:54]:
But I. I always have thought, like, it was such a missed opportunity, especially in terms of having
a local official come and see this new program. Because it's such a timely topic.
Mark Bayer [00:27:03]:
Yeah, yeah. Another easy way to figure out what the boss cares about. In addition to newsroom
is looking to see. It's usually in their bios, which committees they're on. And then once you do
that, you kind of see, oh, okay, now I'm getting a sense of their agendas. Maybe they're on the
ag committee. What are we doing in ag? Maybe they're on the commerce committee. That has
great jurisdiction.
Mark Bayer [00:27:25]:
You know, it has like technology and healthcare and all these things. What are we doing in those
areas? Right. And then the thing is, when you, if you then do what we talked about, you know
what I was mentioning earlier about calling up and this is already important to the boss. Well,
you start to build a relationship there. So it's like, don't just be a resource, not just a request, and
then build a relationship because it becomes like, oh, they were really great. And then it's like,oh, well, guess what, they're having a hearing in that committee. And that professor from the
community college who was on that panel with the elected, like maybe he would be, or she or
they would be really good as a witness for this hearing we're having in three weeks on this topic.
Cheryl Broom [00:28:09]:
Yeah, and that's exactly what started happening when I was at my college. We had a great
relationship with our local state assembly member and he helped pass legislation to support
some of our faculty with maternity paternity leave. Like, he was just great, super interested in
what we were doing. And we'd always give him opportunities to come to the campus when
press was there. And then pretty soon he would call us while he was in Sacramento being like,
hey, this is up for debate. How does the college feel about this? How's the president of the
college feel about this? There were. Sometimes I'd be like, I don't know how he feels. Let me go
ask him.
Cheryl Broom [00:28:45]:
But it was, it really became like a two way relationship.
Mark Bayer [00:28:48]:
That's exactly it. That's your ideal. That's the 10, you know, the 10 out of 10. And I would think, I
would also say for community colleges and being on the other side of this, like colleges and
universities have built in credibility there because they're viewed with respect. They're viewed as
being like nonpartisan. And so elected officials like to be associated one way or the other with
colleges and universities. So you have a lot of power. I know you probably feel like sometimes
these listeners may feel, well, I'm calling to do so hat in hand to go to the local official, but that's
really not the way it's viewed on the other side sometimes.
Mark Bayer [00:29:29]:
And there are ways to reframe that thinking so you have a much more productive and hopefully
repeatable process. And just like you described, Sheryl, that's the relationship you want,
ultimately. Exactly the one you described.
Cheryl Broom [00:29:40]:
Oh, I can't tell you how many of my clients are like, I hate pitching reporters. I hate pitching
electives. But I think you've given us some reason to really think you're being helpful. You know,
you're not just asking them to show up to something they don't want to come to. Like, if you can
find a way to be helpful, then everybody wins.
Mark Bayer [00:29:58]:
It's so true. And with reporters, because I did a ton of this and, you know, part of it is it's a similar
kind of assessment. It's like, why should this reporter care? Well, what are the last five stories
they've written? Like, you don't, you know, I know sometimes it can be more challenging if
people are like, general assignment or whatever. But, like, I mean, this is your, I mean, this is
your history more than, you know, on that side. On the media side is, you know, well, like, I've
covered this is sort of my beat. Or I've covered this. And so I'm giving you a new story in an areawhere you've written that could sort of also maybe generate interest in your previous stories in
this area, which would be great, too. So, yeah, I mean, finding the right person to pitch to is
definitely as important as the pitch itself, for sure.
Cheryl Broom [00:30:46]:
Well, I have gotten so much out of talking to you. I really appreciate your time. I think some of
our listeners would love to learn more about you and your business. So tell us where they can
find out more about you and some of the other things that you do that maybe colleges would be
interested in.
Mark Bayer [00:31:01]:
Yeah. Thank you so much. So you could always start with bayerstrategic.com so b a y e r like
the aspirin. Bayerstrategic.com you can always connect with me there. The other thing is I like
to be helpful. I love working with universities. I work with big university research universities all
the time. And explaining complexity is a problem that many people have.
Mark Bayer [00:31:26]:
And so I have like a handy dandy lead infographic. Really. It's 11 keys to translating Complexity.
It's free. Yes, you put your email on, you may get a opportunity to listen, watch my or read my
newsletter. But if you want this 11 keys PDF, 11 keys for translating complexity. You just need to
go to complexity made clear complexitymadeclear.com and then you put your first name, your
email and then you'll get these 11 keys to translate complexity, which I've been told are really,
really helpful. So I hope they would be helpful for you.
Mark Bayer [00:32:04]:
In addition to the keynotes I do on connecting how to talk to elected officials, I do workshops on
how to do that, how to connect with your local officials as well. I done them all over the country.
And then I also have an online class which is called how to Effectively Communicate youe
Science to Any Audience. And I'm about to launch an on demand version of that live course that
I've been teaching for five years. So if you are interested in some or all of these things, you can
go to BayerStrategic.com and connect with me there. Happy to point you to other resources or
explain other ways that I might be able to support the work that, that your listeners are doing,
which I really respect and I'm immersed in all the time. I love it.
Cheryl Broom [00:32:49]:
Well, thank you so much. It's just been an absolute pleasure having you on.
Mark Bayer [00:32:52]:
Same here, Cheryl. Thanks for having me.
Cheryl Broom [00:32:54]:
And that wraps up this episode of the Higher Education Conversations podcast. I'm host and
GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom. A big thank you to our sponsor, EdTech Connect. EdTech
Connect is free, so anyone with a Edu email address can sign up and list the software andservices they use in their role at their school school. So visit edtechconnect.com and set up your
free profile to get a pulse for what's happening with higher ed technology today. And while
you're online, take a few minutes to leave our podcast a five star review. It will help other
colleges and universities find us and learn from the great experts we have on the show. That's it
for now.
Cheryl Broom [00:33:32]:
Until next time.