Blog
When Transparency Isn’t The Full Ticket
A Traveller's Tale
I wrote this sitting on a train, heading home from a rather wonderful holiday. My time away was however, bookended by a couple of troublesome journeys. Of course things go wrong, delays happen – it’s inevitable and not unexpected – but what made the experience of delay and difficulty all the worse was the fact(…)
Read MoreIs Context Everything?
Putting context in its place in marketing comms
How important is context? After all, communication, by its very nature, doesn’t happen in a vacuum. But how much does, and should, the where and to whom, influence the how and what you say? Should you just grant yourself the freedom and power of speaking your truth regardless and concentrate solely on being true to(…)
Read MoreThree Billboards, One Minor Disappointment
And What We Can Do About It
There was a point, watching “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” when I literally hugged myself – friends had recommended it, the critics had raved about it, Frances McDormand was being wonderful in it and the storytelling was both initimate and epic. I was loving it. And then, about a third of the way through, while(…)
Read MoreProceed With Caution – Emotions at Work
Harnessing the power of emotion in marketing communication
I let myself down this week. My emotions got the better of me at a conference breakout session on how we can best use the personal stories of our lives in the workplace. Fearing public tears and that I’d make fellow delegates feel awkward and, because of the utter shame of it all, I excused(…)
Read MoreRiding the social wave
How to position yourself for social media success
Today’s tech-based society means most of us have a digital footprint. Making that presence meaningful, and more than just a tick-box, incidental, accidental thing can bring significant benefits to you and your business. Jim Claussen, founder of the Executive Social Academy which helps managers and business leaders thrive in the digital economy, identifies engaging in(…)
Read MoreAnd Goodwill To All Men
How to mine for business storytelling gold
You live most of your life in those days that sit ordered, unlabelled and anonymous in the calendar. You end up making something of them because life isn’t all Christmas Day or a summer Bank Holiday weekend, birthday or anniversary. Those days when there’s nothing much to prepare or hope for, can offer the most(…)
Read More