“Watch out for a simple twist of fate.” – Bob Dylan Sometimes in life you are presented with a situation, a happenstance, a chance. You are given a set of circumstances and told to make the most of it. Three years ago, I found myself in one of those situations. I had just joined aRead… Read more »
You probably already know that email marketers must abide by certain laws when sending messages for any commercial reason. But did you know that the sending of messages on behalf of a government entity is governed by additional rules and regulations? Learn the fundamentals of these requirements and the basics for implementing them into your… Read more »
General advice: Internships matter more than school Networking – meet and connect with as many people as you can, personally and professionally. Also mentors – reach out and ask! Be specific about what you want. Help other people – professors, students, maybe a local organization that needs support Reference letters – collect them from everyoneRead… Read more »
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” I’ve passed the half-way pointRead… Read more »
You have to understand that a brand is way beyond a logo now. You do understand that, because the Mad Men paradigm where we cook up Frankenstein in the lab and serve it up to you has been destroyed. In its place is an open kitchen where you can see me cooking, and if IRead… Read more »
I’ve been following the scandal surrounding NBC news anchor Brian Williams and judging by the huge amount of constant news coverage, I’m definitely not the only one. In fact, it all sort of reminds me of a slow-motion car crash that’s really hard to stop looking at. I’ve heard and read several different opinions aboutRead… Read more »
There’s a million witty words for bureaucratic language…. gobbledygook, gibberish, mumbo-jumbo, jargon, double-talk, bureaucratese, technobabble! There are probably so many words for it because it’s such a widespread, and exasperating, problem. Including in the government. It’s fun to use crazy words, but it’s certainly not a best practice in terms of government efficiency. Annetta Cheek,Read… Read more »
Are your workplace interactions motivating and engaging? Or stiff and stale? Other than email, in which format do most of your professional interactions take place? Presentations? Status reports? Discussions? Brainstorming sessions? Whatever your answer, ask yourself if the primary formats are particularly engaging or effective. If not, consider the contributions of “liberating structures,” an innovation broughtRead… Read more »
Use this checklist of email design best practices to deliver messages that are not only tailored to your audience, but also look professional, function properly, and capture the attention of increasingly-busy and multi-device-connected constituents to invite opens, attract clicks, and inspire action.
There are so many moving pieces that go into project management, that of utmost importance in keeping everything together is having all of the information about dates, deliverables, assignments, costs, etc. in one place. Here, I provide some of my favorite templates for government project schedules to help keep you sane. A variety of stateRead… Read more »