Speaking truth to power
I am, still, pretty obsessed with The West Wing. I think I absorbed the show into my psyche. I don’t need to re-watch an episode to understand the plot discussion on The West Wing Weekly podcast – I remember it…
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Why time management is for robots
folder_openProductivity
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The first thing I noticed when I started working in PR (oh God, 10 years ago) was that most people seemed to be slightly frazzled. Even when it looked like they had nothing much going on. There was a perpetual…
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August: The month in social media
folder_openSocial Media
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Our round-up of the social media stories that caught our attention in August looks at Facebook’s algorithm trouble and Periscope’s new series for brands and creatives. Why the human element matters A few months ago, Facebook found itself under scrutiny for…
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Not everything’s a lesson in good or bad PR
A few weeks ago, PR Week published an article on Brexit entitled: ‘Leave’ offers a masterclass in effective comms campaigning. After checking to see whether I’d slipped into some kind of parallel dimension, and then almost braining myself by slamming…
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Why we need diversity in communications
folder_openComms
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Earlier this month, the Government released its white paper on the future of the BBC. The need for the organisation to reflect the diversity of its audience within its programming was a key issue raised in the paper. While the…
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The importance of assertive communication
folder_openCollaboration
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Assertive communication important, especially when you work in a consultancy. Assertiveness isn’t about being rude or aggressive. It’s about clarity and being your own advocate. Be non-assertive too often, and you end up feeling unable to say no. You find…
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The death of the Twitter favourite
Yesterday I opened Twitter to find that something was different. I didn’t know why, but the little heart symbol seemed new. (Go easy on me, I was operating sans coffee.) After a while I realised that there used to be…
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Actions, Not Words, Build Reputation
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At the Trust and Reputation conference in London on Thursday, the focus was very much on action-led communication. To establish a reputation, you have to do stuff, not just talk about it. In her opening remarks, conference chair (and chairman…
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Anatomy of a crisis: LA Clippers
folder_openBrands, Crisis Management
turned_in_notbrands, Communication, crisis management, fans, identity, reputation management, social media, social media crisis simulation tool
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It’s easy enough for a business to ditch a troublesome employee for tarnishing the company name, but what do you do when it’s the owner who’s caused the problem? What happened? In April, Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, was…
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Social media copywriting: why it matters
folder_openCopywriting
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When you’re communicating online, words are the most important tool that you have. (Hark, is that a thousand designers screaming, “oh no they aren’t! “at their MacBooks? Well they are, so there.) It’s been argued that we get the least…
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