Nov 8 2010

Referrals – is there a downside?

Referee

I’ve been thinking a lot about referrals this week. I’m trying to figure out how I feel about them – so forgive my unformed rambling here, as it is a product of my musings. Referrals can almost seem to be a double-edged sword. I’m not talking about formal references or testimonials, which, lets face it, can tend to be a little contrived. I mean the type of recommendation you make about an individual, (‘you should hire Jenny Jones – she’s a good fit for you business and does good work’), or a business – (‘I’ve used Alphabet Soup Copy Writers a few times now – they’re not the cheapest, but they understand my needs and deliver on their promises). Despite the incongruity of it, there do appear to be some tacit disadvantages to receiving a recommendation. Continue reading


Nov 1 2010

The productivity dilemma

Pomodoro timer

I am a procrastinator. There I’ve said it. As if you didn’t all know it. With the best intentions of to-do lists and detailed schedules, despite looming deadlines, I still manage to distract myself from the task at hand. Even if it’s something I want to do – like this post, for example.

Part – okay, most -  of the issue is my personality. Continue reading


Aug 13 2010

Tendering for big business in the new media era

IABC Queensland

This blog post really started as a comment in response to PR Warrior, Trevor Young’s post, Communicating in a Hyper-connected Marketplace,’ the topic of conversation to be addressed at next week’s IABC Queensland Be Heard® event.

The facilitated discussion, led by Trevor, promises to bring some lively debate to the table as we explore how organisations are navigating the new media landscape. Continue reading


Apr 28 2010

Models of organisational communication: why do our businesses speak the way they do? (A chicken-or-egg discussion)

In the first post of this ‘conversation evolution’ series, I discussed my observations about the types of conversations undertaken in organisations and how, if they are to be constructive, they should fit, (at least partially), within the existing conversational paradigm – even if the discussion seeks to effect change to a new one. In this post, I’d like to explore why these paradigms came to exist in the first place.

Continue reading