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Think like a man — or not!

While there are still barriers and misconceptions in the workforce, I feel blessed to live in a time where women are only limited by their personal desire to excel. It’s true there are still times we need to push the barrier and make sure our voices are heard, it’s how you do that, that seems to be the question.

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Design With Purpose

It’s important to choose the right words to communicate your message. However, utilizing design as a tool can increase that understanding and make it more effective.

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Write Better Faster

We all have those days when an assignment shows up at the last moment, or the boss calls and needs a speech ASAP. Instead of stressing, you can incorporate a few simple tricks that will have you cranking out copy in no time.

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What's in it for me?

I read the latest newsletter from Ann Wylie this morning. (If you aren't familiar with her, you need to be - check out her site.)  In our daily life, messages and information bombard us constantly. As communicators, our goal is to get our message heard, and...

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Easy to read copy benefits everyone

Making copy easier to read benefits every level of reader. I don’t mean dumbing it down. I mean writing that increases understanding and the number of people who will actually invest time in reading it.

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Reflections on Leadership

At the Newseum, sitting in front of the 9-11 display or walking by a piece of the Berlin Wall, you can’t help but realize that leaders don’t run away silently. Leaders have to act. They are usually the first ones who run toward a problem and give voice to those who have lost theirs.

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Groundwork laid in foundation

However, our founding father, George Washington, may have said it best, ”If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

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Creating shareable content

Shared content can be many things – useful and helpful information, entertainment and inspirational material. It’s different than viral content because it creates a long term relationship.

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Civility – Is it lost?

Civility is working at staying present even when the people around you are passionate about and have deep seated beliefs which fall out on the other side of the fence from you.

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Has fact based reporting met its demise?

There’s a general distrust of all public institutions now. The media and politicians lead the pact on the distrust meter though. We now assume everyone (politicians, news media, etc..) are going to lie to accomplish their goal. We see all lies as the same. We don’t just think of them as exaggerations of information. Most people feel like they only receive select information – not the whole story. That select information is provided to move you to a certain viewpoint, not move you toward the truth.

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Socially connected communities thrive

Our leadership groups project dealt with social connectedness and how that feeling translates into the health of a community. Social connectedness is simply studying how people feel about the relationship they have with others – from your spouse, to your kids, to your co-workers and your neighbors.
Experts point out the more satisfied people are with their relationships the better they feel about their communities and the more engaged they are in what happens there.

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Write Better

More important than style is finding good and appropriate story ideas. Good stories will inspire you. In turn, your writing will be more interesting.

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The Science of Storytelling

Stories require our brains to work differently than they do when they are processing information. It’s more than putting bullet points in order. When we hear a story, we activate our senses.

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Grow Trust Through Respect

One way to increase trust is through showing respect and practicing it in interactions. Respect also has another positive benefit of increasing someone’s satisfaction with their job.

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Engagement must have trust

Engagement not only relates to how involved someone is but also the attitude behind the decision to take part. Attitude becomes a key driver and it can have huge impacts on both the culture of an organization and on how work gets done.
A company’s culture is what sets them apart. It’s why people choose to stay and why people just know they need to do business with you.

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Propel Yourself Forward

Everything we do well is driven by a passion and a desire to do whatever it takes to produce the best. For some of us, that means it’s time to embrace the imperfect and messy. For others, it means saying no to something that doesn’t give you that lift or keeps you from spending time developing a talent or skill you enjoy.
When you reach that point, it’s time to PROPEL.

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Use the holidays to recharge

Emotions run high this time of year. Pile on the excitement of Christmas and the stress of finals and moving back home, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. With a little planning, you can use this break to come back ready for a successful semester. 

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you.com

Personal websites are not an oddity anymore. You don’t have to be self-employed or a small business owner to have your own site.

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Brand You

Your brand reflects your personality and the services that you offer to your clients. It’s the first impression someone has of you. The right brand will draw clients to you. Crafting an irresistible brand takes time and thought.

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Action vs. Intent

I’ve been thinking a lot about action and intent. You can judge or evaluate based on an action. An intention can’t be measured. However, if you think about it most of us judge others based on their actions. Yet, when we look internally, we give ourselves a lot of credit for just having “good intentions.”

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Network like a champ

From your first days at your big girl job, through every level of promotion, and even when you decide to branch out on your own with some freelancing, the first piece of advice most of us get is “make sure you network.”

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What happens when success doesn't bring you joy?

You’ve poured your heart and soul into a huge project. You’ve met every deadline. The evaluations look great. Yet, none of it brings you joy.  So many of us spend time chasing one finish line after the next only to end up asking ourselves, “is this all there is?”

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