Trying to sell a new idea or program to senior leadership? Or showcase your organization’s features to win a corporate award or land a grant? We’ve all been told that “making the business case” comes down to having good data. But while data is critical, it’s not everything. Just now I’m reading The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis. […]
effective communications
6 Tips for Conquering Word Limits
Anyone who’s ever struggled to complete an application—whether for school or an award or recognition of any kind—has come up against word or character limits. Twitter aside, trying to put together the best possible answer to an open-ended question within a strictly limited space can be hugely frustrating. But it’s far from impossible. My own […]
What Makes a 100 Best Company? It Depends…
Tomorrow I’m off to the Great Place to Work (GPTW) conference in San Diego. GPTW is the company that administers Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” and “50 Best Small and Medium-Size Company” lists. And although I try to make it to this conference most years, this time I’m particularly curious about it, because […]
The Secret to Organizational Excellence
Last week, the Alliance for Workplace Excellence held its 15th annual Workplace Excellence Awards celebration and lunch. I was delighted to be asked to be asked to contribute an article to the program for the day, and thought I’d share what I wrote with my blog readers, as well: Want to create an excellent workplace? Take a […]
The
Warning: today’s post may seem a bit esoteric. I think it’s pretty darn interesting, and I know it has real-world implications for anyone trying to communicate anything, but if you want to cut to the chase you can always scroll down to the end. What a difference a word makes! I’m reading Wolf Hall, by […]
The Pronoun Problem
What to do about gender neutrality? It was so easy when I was growing up. We were taught that “he” referred to all humans, of either sex, and we believed it. In fact it didn’t and, as an excellent analysis I just came across points out, throughout history it hardly ever has. (Carolyn Jacobson, the University […]
