beckysue 
President Obama did something very important and powerful in his announcement yesterday about gay marriage. He talked about his family and, specifically, his children: “There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on … Read more
Certain word pairs that look or sound alike cause a lot of confusion. I’m not talking about the ones you hear about all the time, like there and their, it’s and its and to and too. Or even the more recently problematic (and inexplicable to me) lose and loose. That’s all remedial stuff. Here’s an advanced … Read more
Much has been written about the PR business being such a stressful occupation. Lots of reasons are cited, from slashed budgets to demanding clients to cranky reporters. And while I tend to believe that much of this stress is exaggerated (these are, after all, PR people talking), there’s one major source of stress that’s often overlooked. Many PR people — especially … Read more
More than half of American workers hate their jobs, according to one study. And that may well be an underestimate, based on my own anecdotal observation any time I find myself on the train during morning rush hour. The misery hanging over those commuters is absolutely palpable. There are lots of theories for why people feel … Read more
I was meeting with a law firm the other day, trying to figure out what set them apart from the competition — their “key differentiators.” As we went over their various strengths, someone observed that “everybody else can say the same things.” And that may be true. Go to any law firm website and you’ll … Read more
In the best fiction, great characters are revealed through their actions, mannerisms and appearance. In the opening scene of The Godfather, Don Vito Corleone, dressed in a tuxedo, sits in a darkened office behind a big desk. Across from him sits a man pleading for his help in correcting an injustice. What do we learn? … Read more
People don’t listen. It’s true. Sometimes it’s obvious. Their gaze drifts or their eyes glaze over. Though that’s not even a reliable indicator, since apparently the kids these days are training themselves to maintain eye contact while texting. So unless you put them on the spot and quiz them on what you just said, you may never … Read more
We’re all supposed to be keenly attuned to the needs and wants of our customers, viewers, listeners, readers, etc. So we ask them what they want, and we adjust our agenda, our content, our programming accordingly. But how do we know that they know what they want? On the webinar I did recently, I had the opportunity to ask participants what … Read more
Fifteen years ago, as I stood helplessly watching my CEO client get yelled at and cursed out by one of his employees, I had no idea that that incident would later become the whole basis of my approach to communication. Standing there, shellshocked (who knew an employee could yell at his CEO? As I learned, … Read more
Every once in a while in your career you get to work on a dream project. One that’s challenging, rewarding and uses your talents to the utmost. But it requires a client with the guts to do something truly remarkable and the discipline to stick to it. This is the tale of such a project, … Read more