How to politely decline unsolicited advi...

No matter where it comes from, unsolicited advice often goes awry. It’s one thing to receive feedback when you’ve asked for it. It’s quite another to receive unsolicited advice from an officious co-worker or your mother-in-law. Even worse is when the “advisor” demands detailed explanations of your decisions and argues with you if you don’t follow their suggestions. This behavior can stall your projects, waste time, and derail your self-confidence. Here are a few ways to politely and professionally tell your “advisors” to mind their own business (even when...

There’s a word for that?!

As PR and communication professionals — as well as writers and editors — many of us spend our days correcting other people’s writing. This can be a taxing task, so sometimes it’s fun to take a break and play with words. In this post, let’s explore a few words that will make you say “There’s a word for that?” (Definitions from Wordnik and Oxford Dictionaries.) Aposiopesis — to stop abruptly and leave a statement unfinished, giving the impression that the writer or speaker is unwilling or unable to continue; pretending to conceal something but mentioning...

Test your knowledge of these famous phra...

Many PR pros have a love-hate relationship with language. We love to discover new words and new meanings; yet, there are many words we would wish away if we could. Many of these unwanted words and catchphrases have been around for decades and are here to stay. Catchphrases come from a variety of sources: TV, movies, sports, politics or advertising. Some catchphrases might be so familiar, that you don’t think twice about where they came from. For example, I never knew the menacing phrase “It’s 10 o’clock. Do you know where your children are?” came from PSAs that...

Do you know your brand acronyms?

As consumers, we’re exposed to anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 brand mentions per day. Yet when it comes to the brands we are most familiar with, we may not know the simplest things about them. Consider M&Ms. They’re the small chocolate candy many of us have eaten since childhood. They’ve always been around, there was once controversy about the red M&Ms, and for years the main flavor choices were plain or peanut. M&Ms are ubiquitous. And until recently, I never thought about what the Ms might stand for. In this post, we’ll take a look at (and define)...

7 productivity hacks for PR professional...

Having trouble finding time to complete your work amid all the time wasters and distractions in your office? Meetings, email, chat, robocalls, spam, social media, “pop ins,” software updates, loud cube mates, more meetings . . . they can all keep you from doing your best work. Below are seven ways to work around the workplace distractions. 1. Set up a “work day” Have a project deadline looming? Set up a “work day” with your team by locking yourselves in a conference room for the entire day. Set your calendars to “busy” and order in lunch. Establish goals...