Your Name is the Subject Line
Plus: my virtual facilitation setup, and upcoming livestreams
This week: why your name matters more than your subject line, a peek behind my virtual hosting setup, and two livestream invites.
But first - a random quick poll. I’m curious to see how many of my fellow left-handers are reading this…
Okay, let’s get back to original programming…
1. Your name is the subject line
The best piece of real estate I ever bought cost me $11.99.
Before you start following me for investment advice, let me reveal the “property”, it’s my domain name: leannehughes.com.
I bought it in 2009, back when I was a faithful employee with zero business aspirations. I just saw the way the wind was blowing and thought, “That’s my name. I should probably own the virtual home of it”.
And even now, when new social media platforms emerge, I always jump on to register my name. ln a world of AI, changing algorithms and deep fakes, your name is becoming one of the few things you actually control.
Owning your virtual real estate is step one. Making your name worth clicking on? That’s the bigger challenge.
My Talk the Walk co-host, Alan Weiss, sends a Monday Morning Memo. I don’t read the subject line. I see “Alan Weiss” and I open it immediately. I do the same with Jenny Blake’s newsletters. These people (among others) have achieved ‘Default Open’ status.
For me, their name is the subject line. I know the value they bring, whether it’s insight, helpful tips, a laugh, or just a good story. The content is almost secondary to the promise of the sender.
50% of you see my name appear in your inbox and open it (thank you for reading!), the other 50% it’s a “Naahhh”, “Maybe later”, “Too many emails”, or a “Leanne who?” - I haven’t yet achieved Default Open status.
All of it adds up to one thing: when someone sees your name, they have an idea of what they’ll be getting. Yes, this is ‘brand’ and it’s more important than ever in a world of overwhelming inboxes.
However, this doesn’t just apply to newsletters. Think about your own inbox at work. Whose emails do you open first? Whose meeting invites do you accept without hesitation? Those people have earned Default Open status with you.
The question is - have you earned it with anyone else?
2. The geeky bit
It’s been a big week of hosting virtual calls for various clients. I’m typing this after jumping off a call with education leaders. They wanted to know how I was pasting all my text so quickly for instructions into Chat.
I showed them how I did it (without using a StreamDeck), and they LOVED seeing behind the scenes, so thought I’d share my back-stage with you today.
In my book The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint, we create what I call a SPARK sheet, which is my version of a run sheet. I usually have three columns: Timing, Topic and Tools. But for virtual sessions, I change the third column from Tools to Tech.
Here’s a screenshot of what that looks like (if you can’t see the image in your email, scroll above and click the ‘View on browser’ link.
I developed a colour system that hasn’t changed since 2020. Orange highlight is directional (what to do). Yellow highlight is the text that I, or my Tech DJ can paste directly in as a chat prompt. I have this doc open on the side of my Zoom screen when I’m hosting calls.
What’s a Tech DJ? I’ve worked with Jan, my Tech DJ, since 2020, when he helped me roll out hours upon hours of leadership workshops for clients around Asia and the Middle East that year.
Since then, he’s been my wingman on calls, organising breakout rooms, screen shares, music, chat prompts, waiting rooms, tech support for people on the call. Sometimes I’ve been thrown out of my own Zoom room and he’s taken over until I get back. So good.
If you run virtual sessions, I can’t recommend this setup enough. Having a Tech DJ frees you up to actually be present, instead of fumbling around with keyboard shortcuts and buttons. It’s hands free facilitation.
3. Next week! Join me on two LinkedIn livestreams
AI is the age of women (Thursday 12 March)
You know I’m obsessed with tech (here’s an article I wrote about my $11,899 tech stack) and when Lisa Mulligan from The Culture Ministry called about running an AI/tech live-stream, I said yes!
Here’s Lisa’s event write-up: I’ll be talking to (and learning lots) from tech-loving, early-adopting, super-energetic Leanne Hughes about:
• How she stays up to date with technology,
• Her successes and fails in being an early tech adopter, and
• Why she thinks it’s important for women in particular, to be part of the technology change we are seeing.
She also told me she will bring some of her tech toys along (squeal!).
Talk the Walk with Alan Weiss (Friday 13 March)
Talk the Walk is a 30-minute variety show I co-host with the rockstar of consulting. I suggested we talk about work and travel, Alan replied with: “What about The Whole Life?”
So this one’s about everything that isn’t work. The cities we love, TV shows we recommend, and the random hobbies and experiences that make you interesting at dinner. Because if you’re working this hard and not building a life you actually love, what’s the point?
Bring your martini (ET) or your coffee (AEST).
We’re on:
USA time: Thursday 12 March, 4:00pm ET
Aussie time: Friday 13 March, 7:00am AEST
If any messages here resonated with you, tap the heart 💙
🌴
Leanne “Loves buying website domains” Hughes
p.s. A bunch of new people have joined my world lately, so here’s a quick hello. And yes, while I love virtual work, you can’t beat in-person. Here’s a 60 second sample of my speaking work/vibes (warning: this is not your typical speaker reel).