iClarify | Simplify | Engage

Organizations want their communications people to be well-versed in every possible avenue affecting communications, such as: communications strategy, planning & implementation writing, editing, managing written materials issues management, crisis management internal & intranet communications public relations media relations promotions, publicity development & production of creative materials marketing visual communications & graphic design web development & design social media It's not until you arrive at your position and see where the organization's needs really are and what they want to emphasize in practice that you truly know what you'll spend most of your time doing.  For example, I was hired to do a communications job where I thought I'd being doing things like:  Developing strategies and plans Writing key messages for senior executives and management Issues management & briefings Communicating with employees on beh...

Communication may eventually be your outcome, but it is not the key. It does not open the door. There is a reason Rene Descartes said: “I think, therefore, I am.” The key to good writing is thinking. Good writing often effectively delivers your message and can elicit a range of reactions and emotions, which lead to communication, but good writing does not happen without your brain kicking into action. You might coast in low gear for a while if you haven’t made up your mind yet about your focus or your topic. You might move into mid-gear if you have a sense for where you’re going and have thought about the idea in the past, you just haven’t written anything yet. You can take off into high gear if you have been musing for a while first and have a concept in mind, and you are just itching to get the beast off your chest and launch it onto the page or screen. You think, therefore, you write. When you write, and especially if you’re a beginner, if you’ve not done all your t...

Engagement is the intellectual and emotional inspiration that an employee feels in an organization, which propels them to always do their best at their job. It is also a state of mind that encourages employees to want not only to remain in the same workplace but also recommend it to their friends and family as a great place to work. When your employees are engaged, they are more productive and your business is made stronger and more profitable, as a result. Your employees also become your most important ambassadors of your company’s brand. Engage them and keep them engaged and it will be tough for you to fail. Engagem ent is not a one-time deal. “If you aren’t always moving it forward, you’ll end up slipping back,” says Peter Mayne, Director of Culture and Engagement from Farm Credit Canada. Farm Credit Canada scores more than   80% every year on their engagement survey, as established by Hewitt’s Engagement model. Treat employees the way you’d like to be treated. T ...

Clarity is number one for me. If the prose isn’t clear to the reader, then the writer has failed. Readers should not have to read sentences over again to understand their meaning. Novels, white papers, articles all need clarity. Simplicity is luxury and necessity in writing and harder to achieve than complexity. Keeping it simple and using plain language is not dumbing things down; it’s keeping things smart. Engagement is what everyone wants to achieve. When we have engagement, we get new clients, followers, readers, listeners, friends, relationships, accomplishments, successes and happiness. Novels, white papers and articles that engage, also sell, reach, inspire and captivate.    I do more than write; I clarify, I simplify and I engage.

I do more than write; I clarify, simplify and engage.