The grab bag returns with three vignettes from the wacky world of communications. Financial Times Rejects Business Storytelling The job description for columnists always includes the verb, provoke. In this regard, I suppose the column by FT’s Lucy Kellaway, “Stories Are Best for the Bible and In Novels” works. After all, I’m taking the …more
There being downtown San Jose. Our office is a two-minute walk from the headquarters of the NFC champs, the Carolina Panthers. And we’re a 20-minute Light Rail ride from Levi’s Stadium, host to the big game on Sunday. Given our proximity to the action, we challenged the U.S. team to come up with tweets reflecting …more
I’m a big believer in visual storytelling. This can be a tough one for PR professionals who come from the world of words. Yet, between assignments overlapping into owned media and the increasing use of mobile devices to access content, visual storytelling takes on greater importance. With this in mind, my blog — which doubles …more
Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, writing is back in vogue. Yet, fresh challenges stand between today’s business writing and grabbing the reader by the scruff of the neck. As we scrutinize our own writing and the associated internal training, we view seven issues that guide us: 1. Education of stakeholders: This has nothing to …more
The science behind persuasive language makes one point clear. Words alone don’t win the day. For speakers, non-verbal communications ranging from posture to voice intonations to dress have just as much impact — some would argue even more — as the actual words in determining how the audience responds. The same dynamic holds true for …more
Imagine one blog post causing such a ruckus that readers demanded a book. That’s essentially what happened to Ella Frances Sanders when she created the post “11 Untranslatable Words From Other Cultures” in 2013. Roughly 12 months later, her book “Lost in Translation” hit the book stores and was an instant hit. Amid considerable media …more
Back in 2012 I posted plans to evolve the blog which included: And I recognize the “look and feel” of the blog desperately needs help, another action on the 2012 to-do list. Didn’t happen. This exchange with Marsha Collier surfaced in 2013: I’ve had friends tell me that once I bulldoze the wretched “look and feel” …more
Contrary to popular belief, content is not king. Compelling content is king; i.e., content that offers fresh insights or educates or informs in a way for easy consumption. As discussed in previous posts, most B2B content falls into the dreadful content bucket. Too much “me, me and here’s a little more about me” as opposed …more
One of our young account professionals, Melissa Lewelling, will be headed to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival next month. Out of literally thousands of films, her creation called “More Than a Number” was one of 30 films selected by Campus Movie Fest to be shown in the Short Film Corner. Her film takes a raw look …more
