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 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 | 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 | 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 2, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Please tell me I’m not alone in feeling a lack of creative spirit these days. Sure, some people have taken up baking sourdough bread or learned to play guitar or are singing arias from the balcony every evening. I keep reading that Shakespeare wrote King Lear and...
by Sue Horner | Sep 25, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
While the pandemic has been busy disrupting our lives, many of us headed outdoors to bike, walk, hike and take in the peace of being in nature. My 2020 was already going to include hiking along the Bruce Trail, Canada’s oldest and longest marked hiking trail (898...
by Sue Horner | Jul 23, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
No doubt you’ve lost count of the number of times the word “unprecedented” has come your way in the past few months. It’s a go-to word for newspaper headlines, concerned emails and earnest messages from CEOs, marketers and politicians. Google Trends shows little...
by Sue Horner | Jun 20, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
My car insurance renewal arrived this week, and in (ahem) an “unprecedented” situation, it was good news for me – it’s less than it was last year. Of course, it should be. The Ontario government has pressured major insurance companies to lower auto rates...
by Sue Horner | May 21, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Businesses are struggling with advertising during the pandemic. It’s a tough balance, to show that they’re still around, still looking for business; yet they are sensitive to the situation. The result has been a lot of vague “We’re here for you” statements and...
by Sue Horner | May 14, 2020 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Simple, powerful, vivid words and analogies. They’re critical if you want people to understand you; even more important if you want to inspire action. Notice what’s happening with the COVID-19 pandemic. Health experts are using simple words to encourage understanding...