Jab Jab Cross

A lesson from boxing on how to communicate. Or immigrate.

Let’s start with some definitions, to not take the risk of not being clear.

Jab is a type of punch in boxing where the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended. A cross, also called straight, is a power-punch thrown with the rear hand directly to the opponent, in a straight line.

If there is an effective boxing punch combo, this is jab, jab, cross. It is so simple yet so efficient.

The same rule applies to communications. To communicate well with people we have to focus on building a relationship with our audience (being your audience personal, commercial or professional). You must start to create your relationship as early as possible. You engage with the audience before the “cross”. You “give, give” information. Then you “call to action”.

Jab, jab, and then cross. That’s the idea.

To exemplify, think on those grocery stores that promote lots of good and gourmet recipes, usually created by chef-celebrities. They are engaging with their audience, to bring them to their stores, inspired by those recipes.

Who knows me should know that I am super addicted to paper crafts. Card making and scrapbooking mainly. Many of the biggest craft companies make video tutorials along with the launch of a product. They do that to teach people on how to use that product, to inspire consumers and to create the desire to acquire it.

Jab jab cross.

That’s a good recipe, not just for boxing, but also for communicating.

Many companies out there use social media to jab jab cross. Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter are the mostly used ones.

But how this is related to immigration?

That is very simple. You research, research, and then you decide. You plan, plan, and then you immigrate. You dream, dream, then you achieve.

The basic rule of boxing is also the basic rule of immigration.

It is important that every person who intends to immigrate have a plan. First of all to not fail on their intentions. Second, to not get frustrated or even expend money for nothing. Plans go wrong sometimes, but it is important to consider all the options and all the possibilities.

Last July and August I spent 7 weeks in Brazil. My daughter and I were in vacation, so we decided to visit my family and friends. I have never had so many requests of information about immigration, from people that I didn’t even know. Many people are really decided to immigrate. But most of them still have to do their jobs on researching and learning.

I don’t want to seem snob. Please, don’t get me wrong! That’s not my intention at all. I am just sharing the concerns I had when I was planning our move. The biggest one was learning every possible rule about immigration. Learn about every step and understand it. This makes our life as immigrants so much easier. Being an immigrant has its owns difficulties already. Being able to drop them as much as possible is a huge deal!

Don’t forget: jab jab cross.

Hope to see you soon!

Carol

Immigration and Social Media

Something that draws my attention on the immigration process is the role that social media plays on it. There are two aspects of it that I would like to discuss. First is connection. Second is information. Let’s consider some points to start our conversation.

Connection is the main purpose of social media, right? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, we know them all and the list goes on.  What a wonderful way to connect with friends and acquaintances, even with those people who we haven’t seen for long time (and probably we wont see them for a while). It’s a way to get along with each other’s lives and know what is going on. On social media we share pictures, ideas, decisions, comments, and political positions. We share what makes us happy, what makes us proud or sad, we share what we are up to. Through social media, we, immigrants can feel a little closer to families and friends. And that is very important to us.

We also can connect with people who we don’t know in person. Either by belonging to a mutual group on social media or simply by having friends in common, we can make new “friends” very easily. Social media bring people together from all over the world without geographic barriers. Amazing! I’ve seen posts with different languages on it. Almost surreal that people can gather together on a virtual place as social media. And that brings me to the second point of this discussion: information.

Social Media as a source of information?

Many immigrants-to-be are connecting with new-comers-to-Canada through social media. I am talking about Canada because that’s my experience. However I would say that the same occurs in many other countries. Great friendships start that way. Specific groups are created to gather people around the same idea. That allows the group members’ to share information with each other, to ask questions, and to exchange points of views. I guarantee that it facilitates a lot to people who are starting their immigration processes. Immigrate requires a lot of research, tons of it! Sometimes we feel lost with so many rules, procedures, and forms. Being able to hear from someone else’s experience is relieving, encouraging, and even helpful.

However, I would say that many people out there are using social media as the main source of their research. And that concerns me a little. Based on the fact that immigration is a law, I wouldn’t rely on social media as source of information. People make mistakes; sometimes people are passionate and share experiences that will be exclusive to them. I would certainly rely on social media as a way to share experiences and feelings, but always being aware that each person is different from another. Experiences can be perceived differently according to one’s previous understandings and mainly, one’s expectations. I would definitely search information on countries’ official websites as Canada and USA for example. If you see good information on social media, do not hesitate to check it out on the proper source.

It is your big move! Give it the appropriate importance and be accurate on your research. I am sure you wont regret it!

See you next time!