Songs in the key of COVID-19
Music is keeping a lot of us going during these days of social isolation and physical distancing. Without live music performances possible, I’m grateful to #CanadaPerforms, an online program and relief fund by Canada’s National Arts Centre. Through the NAC and...
You’ve gotta laugh, pandemic or not
Having been in a home office for years, I thought this WFH (work from home) thing would be a piece of cake. Turns out, I’m as likely to be stress-eating cake as much as the next person. Projects I had on the go are on the back burner. I’m spending far too...
Wordnerdery: 4 strategies for comms during social distancing and other crises
These are “unprecedented times,” to use one of the phrases you’ve no doubt heard dozens (hundreds?) of times over the past few weeks. Tiresome clichés aside, more than ever, this is a time for clear communication. “Communication is at the heart of the employee...
Double down on your COVID-19 jargon cleaning efforts
This isn’t a blog post telling you how your safety is important to me and that I’ve “doubled down” on my (jargon) cleaning efforts, although it is, and I have. These are uncertain times, but I know you’re getting the latest updates on this pandemic from trusted...
‘Social distancing’ due to COVID-19? Here’s how to successfully work from home
Working from home is suddenly on the radar for more people as the world gets a handle on COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more...
Grammar nerds, this day’s for you (us)
Happy National Grammar Day, fellow word nerds! The big day goes back to 2008, and its founding by Martha Brockenbrough and the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. SPOGG is “for people appalled by bad grammar in public spaces.” Yup, that’s me. (Note,...
Wordnerdery: The inside view of member comms at RTO/ERO
How do you reach members of your organization when they number more than 80,000, live across Canada and beyond, and are an average age of 65? I found out when talking to Sylvia Link, MC, ABC, APR, who is Director of Marketing & Communication for RTO/ERO (formerly...
Pay up to experience ‘exciting changes’
“Exciting changes at Paper.li!” said the email subject line. (Paper.li helps you “create a web presence” with an online newspaper that contains your “curated” content.) The email continued, “We’re thrilled to have you as part of our community, and want you to be the...