17 “best of the best” headli...

One reason many of us work in corporate communications is that it offers a broad range of writing assignments. From writing the CEO’s blog to press releases to white papers to advertising copy — we are continually challenged. But . . . there are always the assignments that you dread. The assignments that leave you wondering at what point in your career you became a hack. For me, that assignment is headline writing. Rather than feeling discouraged about my inability to generate a clever headline, I look to others for inspiration. I recently found several lists of...

7 ways corporate comm professionals can ...

“Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.” — Brene Brown On the surface, this quote may not seem to apply to corporate communicators. Yet Dr. Brown, speaker, writer, and professor, is addressing a work issue we all struggle with. The need to consider our own workloads — and those of our employees — before we obligingly commit to more work, more projects, more wheel spinning. Factoring in staffing constraints, the time it takes to learn new tools and technology, and the sometimes-outlandish...

15 topics for small talk

There are no small parts, just small topics of conversation. We’ve all been in situations that required us to make awkward small talk. Perhaps it was at the office holiday party, at a dinner with clients, or at your child’s dance recital. Or maybe you have nosy in-laws or a co-worker who frequently “pops in” to your cube. Need some neutral topics of conversation for these encounters? How about language? Below are 15 little-known facts about the English language that can help you fill an awkward void. 1. The English language has 1,100...

25 ways to spend your vacation time

It’s only March. It’s still cold and dreary. You need to file your taxes. Your annual report content is due. You still have to suffer through performance evaluations. Yet, it’s never too early to start thinking about your next vacation. Not sure of your plans? Take a look at this list of vacation slang to determine what you want — and don’t want — to do on your next vacation. (Terms from Urban Dictionary and Urban Thesaurus.) Booze cruise — a short cruise taken to binge drink, both on the boat and in the ports-of- call.Bosscation — the...

Phobias that stymie writers

What fears are keeping you from doing your best work? William Shakespeare was reportedly afraid of dogs. Ray Bradbury had a fear of flying. Hans Christian Anderson was terrified of being buried alive. Stephen King’s list of fears include spiders, closed-in spaces and writer’s block. Yet these phobias didn’t stop these authors from writing. After all, “You have to be a little nuts to be a writer,” King once said. Let’s take a look at the types of fears that could impede your progress as a writer. You may not get very far if you don’t confront these...