Pictures and photographs have always been a powerful way to tell a story and convey a message. Throughout history there are several images that we associate with events, such as the famous World War II kiss in Times Square or the firefighters raising the American flag at Ground Zero after 9-11, to name a few.
But [...]

Oliver’s Twist
Published by Viking Canada
352 pages
Oliver’s Twist, the recently published autobiography by CTV News chief parliamentary correspondent, Craig Oliver, pans an extraordinary professional and personal life. Raised on the remote northern shores of British Columbia by divorced alcoholic parents, Oliver unexpectedly lands a summer job with the local CBC Prince Rupert Radio and the rest [...]

As communicators, we’re accustomed to writing for different audiences in a variety of voices. We’re taught to write “in plain English” or, put another way, in language that an eighth grader would understand. That’s the reading level of the average American – scary, I know, but that’s fodder for another blog post.
But when it comes [...]

I am reminded frequently how important creativity is to our success in winning and keeping clients. Just recently, a client asked us to pick up a new product category because the incumbent agency “lacked creativity.” Our dozens of industry awards over the years frequently recognize our creative thinking in addition to other aspects of our [...]

When my colleague Corrinne and I were asked to make a digital overview presentation at a recent financial services client planning session, I’ll freely admit that at first I was a little concerned. Why? My financial advisor would be the first to tell you that I’m no genius when it comes to investment planning, and [...]

Lagging, demanding, and undedicated, are some of the terms I’ve heard and read to define Generation Y in the workplace. Countless articles are still being written about how employers should handle the different behavior of this generation. But, I really have to ask why? First, the evolution of Gen Y is old news. Second, I [...]

As the CEO of a medium-sized enterprise, I take note of CEO best practices in business and academic articles as well as with the other CEOs I encounter in my consulting career.
We’ve enjoyed good successes at Environics with annual revenue growth exceeding 100 per cent in some of the early years and a 2010 designation [...]

Call me old-fashioned. I start my morning at home with the Washington Post spread across my kitchen counter. I start with the front section and go page-by-page, headline-by-headline and article-by-article. I carefully look at the editorials, the letters to the editor and the op-ed articles.
While I’m working through the front, Metro, Style and Sports sections, [...]

There’s an old adage that when change happens, not one but three things happen simultaneously. My life is an epitome of this type of change. Change seems to embody me like the bud and fall of a leaf from spring to winter. While change can be scary, I always look for bits of information from [...]

Have you tried to say yes to everything and anything with the hope of creating more opportunities in your life? While saying yes is often associated with gaining more power – think Jim Carrey in Yes Man – the aptitude to say no, when appropriate, to teammates, friends, family and others, is an equally great skill to perfect. Synonymous to the Chinese philosophy of ying and yang, [...]