All Communications Articles
  • Start writing your annual leadership letter now

    Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    A leadership letter can be many things: an inspiring speech at a year-end event; a note sent to each employee; or a detailed account written as an act of reflection. Regardless of the audience, annual letters are a valuable tool for leaders. Meanwhile, the fastest quarter of the year has begun. The slower, longer days of summer have given way to workweeks shortened with frequent holidays and evenings interrupted with activities, engagements and annual events. That is exactly why we should start writing our leadership letters now.

  • How social listening can boost your digital marketing power

    Lisa Mulcahy Marketing

    Do you know how to incorporate social listening as part of your marketing strategy? If not, it's time to start harnessing its power. Social listening is the practice of crawling the internet to locate all the mentions of your brand on social media platforms as well as your brand's related keywords. This way, you can very specifically target the consumers who will buy what you're selling quickly and easily. To do it most effectively, you need a strategy of do’s and don'ts that will maximize your time, marketing focus, and your campaign effectiveness. Use the following science-driven tips to do it right.

  • A 3-step onboarding process

    Robert C. Harris Association Management

    Every volunteer leader wants to do a good job. Without a board training process, directors begin their journey at a disadvantage. Directors need access to information. Some of it will be in written form, such as the governing documents. Some will be association lore, such as the guiding principles. And some will be practical advice, provided by the experienced leaders. Develop a three-step approach to onboarding. The investment in a comprehensive, efficient process pays off in volunteer satisfaction, better governance and outcomes.

  • Getting a job at McDonald’s is now as easy as talking to Alexa

    Linchi Kwok Food & Beverage

    McDonald’s recently introduced the world’s first voice-initiated job application process, called McDonald’s Apply Thru. Now, job seekers can initiate the job application process through McDonald’s Apply Thru by talking to either Alexa or Google Assistant. McDonald’s Apply Thru is now available in nine countries, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. It will be made available to other countries in the coming months.

  • 4 little-known costs of church events

    Deborah Ike Religious Community

    Hosting events throughout the year is how many churches are able to expand their reach within communities. Church events allow a unique space for fellowship and a chance to share the Word of God outside of Sunday services. From Vacation Bible School to marriage retreats to Christmas concerts to Easter celebrations, churches have plenty to plan. But while ministries are frequent event hosts, it’s rare to find one with a standard process for planning those events.

  • Research-backed tips for getting your content noticed on LinkedIn

    Sheilamary Koch Marketing

    The potential for leveraging relationships on LinkedIn is still on the upswing — with a 145% increase in users last year, LinkedIn’s growth topped all other social media networks. LinkedIn experts agree that creating quality content is one of the best ways to increase your visibility and build credibility on the network. You can showcase your leadership, expertise and personality by posting status updates and writing articles as well as engaging with other people’s posts. Here are some tips based on recent research for creating content people want to read and share.

  • I think my child has a reading disability. What should I do?

    Howard Margolis Education

    It’s 6 a.m. on the first day of school. It’s time for Julio to wash up, dress, make sure he packed all his school supplies, and have breakfast. He grumbles and says, "I’m not hungry. I don’t want to go to school. I won’t open a book." As his eyes well up with tears, he murmurs, "I can’t read. The other kids know. They’ll call me stupid." You ask yourself, "Does he have dyslexia? Some other reading disability?" Then you shutter. You fear the future. You’re certain Julio has a reading disability.

  • Mark your calendar

    Debra Josephson Abrams Education

    What day is it? Your answer could be anything from Monday through Sunday. But if you ask me, I could easily say, "It’s National Women’s Equality Day! It’s National Dog Day! It’s National Cherry Popsicle Day!" (August 26, as I write this. Of course, there is a National Cat Day, October 29.) Whatever day it is, it’s a good day to explore an adaptable activity that engages as much integrated content as you choose, including language skills, history, government, and civics, cultures, and physics and math as well as critical and creative thinking and analysis, multiple intelligences, and learning styles.

  • 3 ways to stop good employees from leaving

    Simma Lieberman Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    I was recently hired to coach a COO who was having a hard time retaining people on his team. When I interviewed his current direct reports and people who had left, I heard the same complaints. "Working for him is like a guessing game. We don't know what our roles are or what we are supposed to do." We presented our findings along with our recommendations for change. Below are three reasons employees were leaving, along with ways to get them to stay.

  • It’s true at work: No good deed goes unpunished

    D. Albert Brannen Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Life is full of sayings that can apply to work. Some of them might include: "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," "turn the other cheek," "walk the high road," and "kill them with kindness." But, unfortunately, this employment lawyer has learned that when it comes to work, one adage always seems to ring true: "No good deed goes unpunished." It often seems that the more breaks an employer gives an employee, the more often the employee asks for a loan or pay advance, files a charge of discrimination, or starts a campaign to get a union into the workplace.