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Here’s my blog on strategy, work, words and communications.
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Top of the viral world
Emirates Airlines had a win last week with their latest Fly Better release. The ad features a nausea-inducing shot of a flight attendant standing atop the world’s tallest building. Online chatter immediately kicked off
Honesty, hype and hyperbole
A former colleague set up a consulting practice some years ago and asked me to help with copy for the website. We talked through the services she and her partners were offering, the problems they solved for clients, and their combined expertise.
There’s a whiff of ‘judginess’ in the air
I’m not suggesting that I’m not judgemental – it is perhaps a universal human trait. The problems start when we express our judginess and give unwanted advice and opinions. It makes others feel judged – and that feels lousy.
Picking something that matters
As billionaires bustle to be first into space (Branson beat Bezos and Musk to it), I’m reminded of this JFK quote.
“We choose to go to the moon in…
![What [not] to do](https://louisacoppel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/checklist-1919328_640-400x250.png.webp)
What [not] to do
A To Don’t list is for actions that get in the way of achieving my To Do’s. Things I don’t want to do include:
– #unproductive work that feels urgent but isn’t important
Like artificial sweetener, this app left a bad taste behind
Bad writing wastes time. How many senior leaders spend too much of their day ‘red penning’ poorly written briefs and copy-editing case studies?
The cost of poor writing is profound, particularly in the public sector, when communities and stakeholders can switch off if communications don’t resonate.
Be short, be simple, be human
I rarely tweet, but I watch a lot of Twitter. If that watching is on the coronavirus pandemic (and how people respond to the work going on to curb it), I can be in turn infuriated, frustrated and despairing.
Changing the culture of the courts
While I was away, the report from Dr Helen Szoke’s Review on Sexual Harassment in Victorian Courts and VCAT was released. My colleague Helen McDonald and I have been working on this project since July last year, doing the comms strategy, brand, website, collateral and media management. Most of our work is strategy – we rarely get into the implementation side. But we choose to work on things that matter and programs that have a social impact. So every now and then, we roll up our sleeves. And this was a project that mattered to us.
Worn-out words and lazy language
Last week I was asked to include the following line as an action in a strategic plan: Develop a digital strategy.
I suggested perhaps we could add an explainer to help readers know what we meant by a digital strategy.
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