Tag Archives: COMMUNICATIONS

A few grammar tips

Posted in Media Relations, Personal Growth, Public Relations, Tools for Success by

Just some clarification on a few grammar errors I’ve been seeing lately, including one mistake made by a major U.S. newspaper.

immigrate vs. emigrate

One immigrates TO somewhere; one emigrates FROM somewhere

“My grandfather emigrated from Poland”

“My grandfather immigrated to the United States.”

 

should have, not should of

“I should have brought my umbrella with me”

or as a contraction: “I should’ve brought my umbrella with me.”

 

more than, not more then

“George is more than likely to show up early.”

 

4 Leadership Tips From Pope Francis

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Whether you’re a Catholic, a non-Catholic or an Atheist, we can all learn some great leadership tips from Pope Francis.

  • Speak plainly – Many of his predecessors were heavy on theological dogma and spoke in terms that often confused or bored their audiences. However, Pope Francis – though a theological scholar in his own right – understands the power of keeping it simple and speaking in plain language, which puts his audience more at ease and instills a sense of inclusion. Remember that a message can often be lost in flowery language, high-brow words, confusing graphs and overuse of industry acronyms.
  • Lead by Example – Pope Francis doesn’t sit in an ivory tower and dictate orders. He demonstrates leadership by practicing what he preaches. He chooses to ride around in a Fiat, not a Mercedes and insisted on paying his hotel bill in person after the Conclave. He doesn’t make rules that apply only to others and doesn’t ask those to do what he wouldn’t.   A successful business leader does the same.
  • Be authentic – The Pope stays true to himself. He chooses not to live in the Papal Palace but instead chose a small suite in the Vatican guest house because he feels more comfortable there and can interact more with people. No one respects him any less for that. Being genuine, being authentic and acknowledging who you really are, ultimately helps us interact more comfortably and in turn, more effectively with others.
  • Follow the Golden Rule – The Pope has talked about following the Golden Rule. Do you treat your colleagues, your customers, employees and vendors as you wish to be treated? Or do you lose your cool, pull rank, impose impossible deadlines and blame others? My words, not the Pope’s: “Don’t be a jerk.” You know who you are.

My Top 3 Picks for the Next GOP Debate Format

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family fuedAs a PR practitioner, I’m looking forward to tonight’s debate. I always find it interesting and insightful to study candidates’ brand messaging and presentation skills. I’m also looking forward to the debate because it’s being held in Cleveland, my hometown.

However, the biggest reason I’m looking forward to the debate tonight is that – I have to admit – with Trump in the mix, I believe it’s actually going to be a lot more entertaining than the average presidential debate.  Entertainment, after all, is what presidential debates are missing.

Most TV viewers and folks in general are not debate watchers (I have no statistic to back this up with, but it seems pretty logical, right?). If viewers could choose between America’s Got Talent and a typical political debate, which one do you think they would choose to watch? Right.So, Shouldn’t we play at the people’s level?

It’s actually already happening – viewers are trying to make the debate more fun by devising drinking games for tonight’s match up. That sounds fun but I have to work tomorrow.

I say we marry the sobriety of the average presidential debate with the entertainment value of some sort of reality TV or game show.

My top picks:

1) Real World

2) Family-Feud

3) Jeopardy.

Are you in?

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3 Things My Dog Has Taught Me About Business

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Charlotte stepsSome of the best things about owning a dog are the unconditional love, pure joy and the humor that they bring to everyday life.   And, if you watch carefully, you’ll see that they can actually teach us a thing or two.  My dog Charlotte, a bichon-beagle mix, is no exception.

1.   You can teach old dog new tricks – Last year I bought a security system for my house.  Each time I open one of the doors or windows, a very posh British woman speaks to me – ever so politely, of course – and announces aloud what particular door or window has been opened.  As one might imagine, I open both doors often to take Charlotte outside. Recently I noticed that she can actually distinguish between the two doors, so that if I want to go out the front door and she’s running to the side door, I just have to say “front door” and she comes. She’s learned that just from hearing our British friend over and over again. Brilliant! It made me realize that while I have twenty plus years’ experience in the communications field, probably half of what my job now entails – social media – has been learned in just over the past four years.   For those of us who think we can’t adapt to this digital age of communications that comes so easily to younger generations – I beg to differ.

2.  It pays to be dogged in reaching your goals – One day we were all at my parents’ house for Christmas dinner.  The table setting was lovely with candles and greenery and my mom’s best china.  Charlotte accompanied me, much to the chagrin of my siblings and their kids, since Charlotte is widely known to not be very polite when it comes to sitting quietly as the humans eat.    That evening, in true form, Charlotte nudged, barked and clawed at all of us, but her efforts to gain a morsel were unsuccessful.

After we ate dinner, we abandoned the table and began to open presents in the other room.  Through the loud holiday banter and the tearing of wrapping paper, we suddenly heard my nieces scream “Nooooooo.”  The rest of us ran into the dining room only to see that my dog had climbed from a chair onto the table and somehow had stealthily and miraculously navigated around the lit candles.  There she was nose down on my grandparents’ antique table.  My family was stunned. Then she looked up, stick of butter in her mouth, and gave a short and stifled victory growl.  Dang. That dog wanted some people food and she was going to get it one way or another. She actually looked so funny to me on the table that all I could manage to say was “you go girl!”  Look, there will always be some roadblocks in reaching your goals, but you must overcome them by staying the course and relentlessly pursuing what you want.  Anything is possible.2013-01-19 15.26.12

3.  Every dog really does have its day – At 25 pounds, Charlotte is a lot smaller than her friends, Amber and Beavis, who used to live next door.  The larger dogs were Vizslas and their long legs kept a quick pace when we went on our joint walks.  Poor Charlotte’s little legs tried their best to keep up, but Amber and Beavis were just were too fast for her, and we eventually had to stop walking together.  Beavis and Amber also loved to wrestle, their little nubs shaking with delight as they jumped and chased one another.  I always felt badly for Charlotte when she tried to join them, nipping playfully and awkwardly at their feet.  They ignored her like elementary kids who dismiss the smaller ones on the playground.  Charlotte eventually conceded and stopped trying to play.  But, soon enough a new dog appeared on the street, a little Yorkie named Kobe, which was eager to make new friends.  Hesitant at first, Charlotte eventually warmed up to him and soon they were fast and furious friends, playing their small dog games, tails wagging feverishly.  She seemed a different dog, happier and more self-assured. While the timing was off for her to run with the big dogs; Charlotte didn’t let it get her down and waited her turn. Like Charlotte, I have worked tirelessly throughout my career, patiently preparing for my day, the one when I could be my own boss. Over the years, I was sure to gain corporate and agency experience in addition to civic leadership, which has allowed me to broaden my expertise and has helped prepare me for my dream of running my own business.

Every dog has its day, and today is my day.  Make it yours too!

Why I cringe when I hear interviewees say “I Love Working With People”

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Call me an old fashioned curmudgeon, but it just bugs me when PR folks say they are “people-persons” or that they “love working with people” and believe it to be an asset when applying for a PR position.  I just don’t understand why this hits a nerve with me.

Look, I get it.  In order to be in PR you do have to have better than average communications skills with other humans.  So, when young students appear to have great personalities and/or people skills, teachers, parents, etc. might typically suggest that they go into PR.

Fine, but then why just PR?  I suppose we’re known to be “show people.” So then, why not clowning?  Have you ever met a circus clown that wasn’t good at or did not like working with people (okay, one comes to mind, but let’s not go there, and anyway, he wasn’t an “official” clown)? The entire purpose of being a clown is to entertain people and make them laugh, so shouldn’t they be adept at doing so and, in turn, enjoy it? Or what about post office employees working at the stamp counter – they work with people every day and also apparently seem to love it!  Yet, are students guided into postal careers because of their good natures and communications skills? Certainly not!

In reality, practically every occupation on earth requires human interaction and having to be decent enough at getting your point across so as not to offend your coworkers, customers, vendors, bosses, etc., so much that you get fired.  As far as I’m concerned, you pretty much have to work well with people to succeed in any job, but I suppose you don’t necessarily have to like it or them.   I guess that’s why there are lawyers and accountants.

I remember when I was in high school I wanted to be a veterinarian and talked to ours while taking my dog, Kenyon, for an appointment.  I told our vet that it would be so great to work with animals and less with people.  You know what he said?  He told me that yes, he does have to work with animals, but being a vet really more requires excellent people skills – because  it’s the owners you’re  ultimately servicing and interacting with.  You have to be empathetic under difficult circumstances as when pets are sick, and even just regular circumstances like, say when the crazy-cat-lady-spinster (I do not own cats) won’t stop talking about her seven cats’ various bowel movements or finicky eating habits.

Hey, don’t think I don’t like working with people, although there are truthfully some days when I just want to write and type on my computer with my dog at my feet.  For the most part, I enjoy camaraderie and communicating. I recognize that I do have a skill of being able to communicate with folks to create positive outcomes.  It’s just that I don’t believe it’s a trait germane only to PR practitioners, nor do I think I went into the PR field because of it.

Clearly, I went into PR for the great clothes and shoes.