A few years have passed since I had a go at faddish words that have already worn out their welcome. As we’re communicators, speaking in understandable language is the thing. But using clichés and hackneyed expressions and words may seem like an effective use of language, but, in truth, it grates on the ear. Using [...]

I grew up hating lists.
My mother was a list person, and consequently I had “to-do lists” haunting me most of my adolescence. Send thank you note to Uncle Mark. Cut the grass by EOD Sunday. Reminder that your History thesis is due 11/15 . . .
In business, we all keep lionized lists of one degree [...]

A colleague with a sweet tooth as fierce as mine taped this Wall Street Journal article about office candy jars to our refrigerator a few weeks ago.  It got me thinking about the importance of food in the workplace.  Just like food brings families together, it can also create bonds among coworkers.
While working at a [...]

Chris Anderson, a former tech journalist and the curator of TED – a series of conferences and free online talks that centre on technology, entertainment and design (which I highly recommend if you haven’t checked them out already) – was interviewed on July 22nd on CBC Radio’s Q about how email actively devours people’s time. [...]

I recently purchased new shoes online. I like to support local companies, and I always look for things distinct, so I returned to shop at John Fluevog. I don’t often buy shoes, but always enjoy checking out the unique styles – flamboyant or relatively conservative – that this Canadian shoemaker offers.
Shopping online is generally an [...]

It’s something of a cliché to joke about a Bachelor of Arts degree being of little value to a career. In my experience in public relations, nothing could be further from the truth.
To be sure, I’ve seen plenty of people without a BA who have done very well, including those with post-graduate certificates in communications [...]

Okay, so I haven’t seen every movie ever made, but, of the many that I have seen, these are my top five in terms of public relations value:
1. The Queen (2006) – The story in this Best Picture nominee isn’t the British royal family versus Tony Blair, it’s open, modern public relations versus dunderheaded old-world [...]

A lot of PR people I know watch Mad Men. If you don’t, this won’t mean much to you, so check out this instead.
The central premise of Mad Men, as I have come to realize, is a struggle between fiction and fact, between deception and transparency, between acting and reality. Public relations professionals I think [...]

With it being the New Year and all, perhaps you’re on a quest to find a new job with a PR agency. We don’t have an “HR Manager” at Environics Communications. The interviews and hiring are all done by more senior people, and the head of the company personally interviews almost every candidate to get [...]

I consider the holiday season the best time of the year for four reasons:
1. Wearing flannel pajamas, drinking coffee and snacking on chocolate constitutes “breakfast with the family.”
2. Reciting. Every. Single. Word. of How the Grinch Stole Christmas becomes acceptable behavior for a 31-year-old.
3. “I’m busy reading” is a justifiable excuse for not participating in household [...]