Talking Chairs
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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)...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...