How do you handle a colleague who misses...

A little help here, please. I need advice regarding a problem that persists for communication professionals everywhere. How do you deal with a co-worker who simply cannot meet a deadline? Most of us know how to solve deadline problems with those we supervise or with contractors that we work with. Many of us even know what to do when executives don’t meet their deadlines. The advice I am seeking is what to do when a colleague constantly misses deadlines. In my particular case, this person works in another department, but has writing responsibilities that affect my...

7 entrancing style guide rules

It’s like Christmas in February. Recently, a colleague and I were talking about style guides and about the differences among all the style guides we’ve used in our careers. A few days later, he brought in a copy of an in-house style guide he’d used at a previous job. It’s entrancing to read what’s included in the style guide and why—entrancing to think about the stories behind the entries. (There’s a section in this style guide titled “Pet Peeves.”) Of course, it’s also reaffirming to realize that others have the same style issues that we do—serial...

8 (more) commonly misunderstood words

In a previous post, I shared eight words with unclear meanings. On the list were: “averse,” “poisonous” and “comprise,” among other. At the end of the post, I asked PR Daily readers to share their commonly misunderstood words. Here are some of those responses, plus a few more confusing terms: 1. “Jealousy: Worry someone is taking what you have. Envy: Wanting what someone else has.” 2. “The trick for less or fewer: You have less coffee, but fewer cups of coffee.” 3. “People often misuse ‘presently’ when they mean...

17 Winston Churchill quotes that impart ...

Last month marked the 50th anniversary of the death of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, an iconic figure, known for his World War II leadership, quick wit, and speeches that rallied the nation during the dark days of war. The anniversary was commemorated with events, exhibitions, and tributes throughout the United Kingdom, including a request by Prime Minister David Cameron for people to share their favorite Churchill quotes on Twitter using #churchillquotes. Here are some of his best quotes, including a few that apply the work of communications and PR...

8 commonly misunderstood words

Recently, I received a letter from a new private school opening in my neighborhood. The letter asked parents to attend an open house session to learn more about the school. It’s the kind of direct mail that we all receive, and the only reason I paid attention to it was because of an error in the salutation. It read, “Dear prospective parent/guardian.” Hmmmm. Prospective means “likely or expected to happen or likely to become or be.” I’m already a parent and have been for many years. And so were most of the people who received the letter, otherwise they would...

A quick social media glossary

“After you read my blog, just ping me on chat.” Though many PR professionals speak fluent social media, some of our clients, executives, or audience members may not. Their experience with social media may not go beyond Facebook, so it may seem like everyone else is speaking a foreign language. Here is a quick guide to some common terms, which you can use a universal translator for social media. Blog — combine the words “Web” and “log,” and you get “blog.” A blog is a site published on the Internet consisting of discrete entries (called...

Six ways PR pros and communicators can s...

At a recent happy hour for PR, marketing, and communications professionals, the talk turned to work matters. We all began sharing our triumphs, struggles, ideas and solutions. Factoring in staffing constraints, workloads, and sometimes-outlandish demands from clients and executives, communications professionals are universally overworked. Increasingly they’re being asked to do more with less. We began discussing ideas on how to gracefully say “no” to a project that simply can’t be taken on. Here are some ideas shared by the group, which PR Daily readers might...

5 ways to trim the fat from your writing

Americans set their new year’s resolutions in a fairly predicable pattern. The same 10 resolutions are popular, year after year. Top of the list? Losing weight. While many writers, editors and PR professionals will be hitting the gym and lunching on salads in 2015, there is more than one type of weight to lose. This year, why not resolve to tighten your writing and eliminate extra words and redundant phrases? Here are a few ways to get started: 1. Use concise language and eliminate redundancies. Thomas Jefferson said, “The most valuable of all talents is that of never...