Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Just because you work in communications doesn’t mean you need to be a slacker. Here’s why writers and communicators need to stay fit… One of the things I’ve noticed about people who work in communications is that they concentrate more on their jobs than on themselves. Long hours? No […]
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute Being creative can also be messy. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a plan or a process to rely upon. Here’s how Walt Disney approached creative thinking… I’ve written before about the six thinking hats of Edward de Bono. But did you know that Walt Disney developed another
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute The challenge of slogan-writing should become clear when you listen to the genesis of the phrase: from showers to flowers… In listening to a podcast last week (apologies — I failed to remember the name of the podcast) I heard a politician reflect on a political message that had gone awry. The idea had been to promote the
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute Proofreading seems like an unnecessary expense, until you have a large, embarrassing typo… I bear no ill-will towards the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The conductor, whom I’ve run into at my dry cleaning establishment, is a charming man and the orchestra is highly skilled. But I bet eyes are rolling (or perhaps
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Reading time: Just over 1 minute Not all copying is dishonest and a bad idea (as in the photograph, above). If you do it right, the value of copying can be enormous… When I edited a cookbook more than three decades ago — my first entry into the professional book publishing business — I learned
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Reading time: less than 1 minute Do you overcommit yourself? Regularly take on too much work? Have a “to do” list that manages you (instead of you managing it?) Here’s how to get better to do lists… I love my “to do” list but some days it grows to monstrous proportions. I readily admit that
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute In the face of some serious hacks, here’s what you can do to improve your own password security… When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had his social media accounts hacked earlier this month you probably knew it was time to get serious about your computer security. That fact was underscored a
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute I feel as though I’m often whining — or at least complaining — about poor customer service or bad crisis communications. Let me change that by telling a good news story… This story relates to my dentist. I had an appointment not long ago, and was racing through the tasks of
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Reading time: Just over 1 minute What do millennials really want? I can tell you they’re not interested in rocks… My son graduated from the University of BC this week. It was thrilling to see him cross the stage and accept his diploma (B. Mus.) — all the more so because he is dyslexic. For
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Reading time: About 2 minute Before you spend your money on a new computer, consider the issue of customer service… Since I started buying computers back in 1987, I’ve gone back and forth between PCs and Macs. But in recent years — ever since the release of the Vista operating system in 2006 — I’ve stuck with the
Great computers; lousy customer service Read More »