by Sue Horner | Jan 15, 2021 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
January is the famous month of new beginnings, and I’m right there with the newly rebooted “Sex and the City” in starting a new chapter. No, I’m not planning on wearing outlandish clothes and super high heels or making drastic changes in my...
by Sue Horner | Jan 8, 2021 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The top word searches this week on Merriam-Webster reflected the chaos in Washington, DC: sedition, coup d’état, fascism, capitol, breach, insurrection and more. But take a look at 2020, and you’ll see what dominated searches and our lives almost all year....
by Sue Horner | Dec 29, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
As we say good riddance to 2020 (finally!), here’s a look back at the 10 most-viewed posts on my blog during this pandemic year. Words are my business and pleasure, and it appears many of you share my interest in getting rid of jargon and corporate buzzwords. Will it...
by Sue Horner | Dec 21, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
For the past few years, my December newsletter has shared some “life is short” moments. I have more – and during these pandemic times, so do many of us – but I’m shutting the door on this dumpster fire of a year with another look at creative ways people have tried to...
by Sue Horner | Dec 9, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
If you’re interested in pursuing certification as a communication professional, get ready. In January, IABC members in Toronto and around the world have a chance to write the exam certifying you as a Communication Management Professional (CMP) or Strategic...
by Sue Horner | Nov 25, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
As the pandemic wears on, is the pace of communication easing for you? Comparing conditions in May 2020 and September 2020, a Simpplr survey found that at first, employees received company-wide updates daily, even several times a day. By September, the updates were...
by Sue Horner | Nov 12, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Festive decorations filled store flyers and shelves even before Halloween was over. A local radio station started playing Christmas music ALL THE TIME on November 1. A spell of summery weather shortly afterwards had some of my neighbours putting up Christmas lights....
by Sue Horner | Nov 4, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
I was among the many Canadians glued to the TV, watching the election results with America. I made it to midnight, and went to bed when it was clear there would be no speedy result. One word kept popping out at me during discussions on CBC’s The National: Several...
by Sue Horner | Oct 30, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Who imagined back in March that we’d be dealing with the fallout of the pandemic through nearly four seasons? The number of people affected changes daily, and sometimes the advice, too. People are hungry for news, and they want to hear from their employers – at least...
by Sue Horner | Oct 21, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Do you want to explain something, make a point or spark that “aha” moment? Reach for what I call expressive writing, which shows rather than tells, often through similes and metaphors. Similes show how two things are alike, using “like” or...