A March 2020 McKinsey & Company article “Beyond Coronavirus:  The Path to the Next Normal” discusses the dramatic change in how businesses must now function and outlines considerations for the “next normal.” It has thought-provoking insight for business communicators. Authors Kevin Sneader and Shubham Singhal outline five stages leading from the crisis of today to…

After nearly a decade in public relations, I’ve learned a lot about what reporters don’t like. I’ve made the awkward phone calls. I’ve had an editor tell me to call back when I did my homework. And I’ve had those great conversations that lead to a front-page story. Nothing can guarantee coverage when pitching a…

Whether you are a graphic designer, a marketing director, a videographer, a freelancer, a salesperson or even a maintenance person, it’s important to always have a big head. That sounds bad, right? I’m not saying you need to be overly proud, arrogant, self-aggrandizing or full of yourself. You don’t want to be that kind of…

Intellectual property can be one of a company’s most valuable business assets. It builds brand awareness and loyalty, drives innovation, and can give a company a competitive edge. It also has an intrinsic value that may be sold, licensed, or leveraged for profit. Yet many companies do not adequately protect copyright as one of these…

If you ask members of IABC Central Oklahoma what they value most about their membership, many of them would tell you that connecting with and learning from other members is high on the list. Some would also tell you specific stories of how they’ve been mentored by others in the chapter. Informal mentorship has been happening in our chapter for a long time, and we decided it was time to formalize it a bit.

 When cultivating a garden, you sometimes have to prune away the dead wood so sunlight and nutrients can encourage new growth. When cultivating business for your clients or your own company, pruning the dead wood is also an important part of the process. Pruning doesn’t mean whacking away in a slash-and-burn mode. It means deliberately…

 Back in the 1960s, Dr. Eric Berne developed the concept of transactional analysis and published the popular book, “Games People Play.” Whether you realize it or not, transactional analysis affects your communication and even your success with something we at Sandler Training refer to as The Belief Wheel. Berne’s theory was that for the first…

Are you ready to take your career to the next level? Professional certification is one way to make that happen, and now is a great time to pursue certification as a professional communicator.

Maybe this has happened to you or someone you know. You’re working with what seems like a great digital marketing company that’s helping you rank better in search engines like Google. You only started working with them a few weeks or months ago, but you’re already seeing great results.

If you’re a business owner or marketing professional, chances are you believe strongly in the product you sell or the service you provide. You’ve likely invested a lot of time crafting your website content to showcase just how awesome you are, in addition to talking about it on social media. But does anyone believe you?