They say that an elephant never forgets. Lately, I wish that the same could be said about me. While on a lunchtime outing, my iPhone buzzed me with a meeting reminder. I sat and stared at it for several seconds. Was this the original meeting that I subsequently rescheduled for another day, or was this [...]
Clarifying Complex Ideas
Category Archives: work
Unplugging From the News
I’m a news junkie. My homepage is set to Google News headlines. I read the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BoingBoing and anything that shows up in my feed reader under a variety of custom-configured search parameters. And say what you will about Twitter as a tool for outbound communications, but the hive [...]
Broken Hearts
I’ve spent the last three weeks debating about whether to talk about broken hearts, and wondering how personal this blog should get. I’ve decided that in the end, keeping people healthy is more important than opening old wounds.
This isn’t a story of failed romance. It’s the story of women, heart disease, the importance of taking [...]
Public Speaking: The Center of Attention
I’ve had a lifelong aversion to being the center of attention, and there’s no time where you’re more on display than when you’re speaking in public. I’ve been increasingly more comfortable with it over time, but it’s still nothing that I’ve ever actively sought out.
Yesterday, I had to deliver my branding and messaging presentation to [...]
Branding a Nonprofit
I’ve been involved in countless branding and rebranding projects with various corporations, but most have involved high-priced agencies setting guidelines while those of us on the ground try to finesse them in real-world applications. But it’s rare to have the opportunity to be involved in a branding and messaging project from the ground floor. That’s [...]
All or Nothing
Freelance work is inherently cyclical. Colleagues in corporate jobs often ask if the cycles make me crazy. The answer is no, but that answer has come with time and experience. Rather than fight the cycles and worry about when they will start or end, I’ve learned to relax and ride it out.
January is a mad [...]
Crisis Communications
It seems like everyone is talking about the quality problems and subsequent fall from grace at Toyota. The most startling, to me, is when someone casually says, “Well, you just know that they’re going to find an email that proves that they knew something was up before they announced it.”
It’s a discussion that follows nearly [...]
A Science Geek In a Liberal Arts World (Or is it the other way around?)
In spite of my natural inclinations toward science, math and all things that public school kids deem to be geeky, I somehow ended up as a professional writer and editor. It was as much of a shock to me as it was to anyone. I went to college thinking that I’d be a [...]
The Pen That I Love
I’ve seen lots of ads for the Uni-Ball 207 pen, all focused on prevention of check fraud. What they never seem to mention is that these pens are really great to write with. The ink flows nicely without smearing, and the specialty colors are vibrant and fun.
The orange pen, in particular, is fantastic. It’s as [...]
My 2010 Resolution
I don’t usually make resolutions, but I think I need to make one big one for 2010. I need to get out and spend more time with clients (past, present and future), former colleagues and friends.
I was pleasantly surprised by my success in 2009, despite the horror stories that we all heard in the media [...]
