Posts Tagged ‘communication’

Santa’s holiday crisis plan

Monday, December 19th, 2011

By Susan Matthews, APR, managing principal and Jackie Koumpouras, account manager

“You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, we’re telling you why…”

Even the big man in red has crises of his own every holiday season. He may be jolly old Saint Nick, but he doesn’t play games when it comes to his busiest day of the year.

Mr. Claus has a crisis communications plan of his own to ensure he still brings ‘joy to the world.’ The following highlights 10 tips to handle a crisis and exactly how Santa incorporates them into his own plan to guarantee ‘all is calm; all is bright.’

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Five email etiquette tips you won’t want to forget

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

By Jackie Koumpouras, account manager

Email is my primary form of communication. On average, I probably send between 75-125 emails a day. So why wouldn’t I use the same good manners and business etiquette in an email that I would use in a client meeting?

As public relations professionals, we pride ourselves on good writing, grammar and error-free communication to all audiences. Therefore, everything we do, write, say, post and tweet is a direct reflection on us and the companies we work for.

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Accessible Communication

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

By Tim Coxey, account coordinator

Last week, the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities held their annual convention – a gathering of more than 400 advocates and individuals with disabilities around the state focusing on “Celebrating Community.”  For me, the conference was more than the incredible keynotes by Glen Hiemstra, Aaron Bishop and Ceasar MacDowell. It went beyond the engaging workshops focused on building an inclusive, livable community.

I was captivated by the stenographer.

During each presentation, the stenographer diligently captured the spoken words and projected them onto a large screen for anyone to read. This observation took me back to COMM 101 – the transportation of a message between the sender and the receiver.  Throughout the conference, I observed so many different methods of message delivery:

  • Sign language interpreters
  • Braille note-taking
  • Low-vision aids
  • Hearing aids
  • Closed-captioning

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Top 10 Tips for Creating a Better PowerPoint

Monday, November 21st, 2011

By Keesha Richardson, account manager

PowerPoint slides are frequently incorporated into presentations. When they’re executed well, they can increase your audience’s understanding of your message. But a poorly created PowerPoint presentation can be worse than not using visual aids at all – and can distract the audience from the intended message.

Check out our 10 tips for creating a better PowerPoint, and let us know if you have additional advice for communicating to your audience during a presentation.

Meet Tim Coxey – 140 characters at a time

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

What better way to introduce one of our newest account coordinators, Tim Coxey, than by using one of his favorite pastimes: Twitter! Here’s a little bit about Tim, 140 characters at a time.

#Wisconsin born, Northern #IN raised, #Indy resident, #Eastcoast enthusiast. I absolutely love eating here every year: http://www.auntcarriesri.com/

Spent 4 yrs @uindy. Participated on @UIndyCPB #speechteam @UIndyTopDog @UIndyPRSSA and @UIndyMinute. BS in Communication, minor in Poli Sci.

My interest in govt communication led me to intern @Indianasos #FF to #teamoutreach @melanie_woods @burtonjeremy and of course @ToddRokita

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Send it in a letter, please.

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

By Andy Pollen, account manager

Newspapers. Landlines. Cursive. The music industry.

Just a few of the products, services or skills that have seen use and viability decline in the past decade. For all the benefits our technological advancements have brought, there are unintended – and diverse – victims. Now, we may add another.

With more than 230 years of history, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is on the brink of a breakdown, and could, arguably, be the largest and most dramatic casualty of the information age. But, as a recent CNN story asked, would it matter?

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Top 10 tips for surviving a crisis

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

By Susan Matthews, APR, principal

No one enjoys dealing with a crisis, but they’re a part of life. Sometimes, coming through a crisis means coming out the good guy. Other times, all we can hope for is survival. To survive and even thrive during and after a crisis, clear communication is key.

1.  Expect it. Even well-run businesses and organizations experience crises. There are things in life that you have no control over. If you expect it, you’ll be prepared, and you’ll be a step closer to surviving it.

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Like: Facebook Studio

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

By Mark LeClerc, creative director

Here’s a non-news flash: At 600,000,000 users and growing, Facebook offers marketers the potential to reach large amounts of consumers.

It’s the “how” of reaching audiences that spurs countless discussions, debates and arguments.

Help has arrived, however, from Facebook itself. With the creation of Facebook Studio, advertising agencies and marketing professionals can get a glimpse of how brands big and small are using the world’s leading social media site to sell their wares.

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Recipe for recognition

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

By Ryan Noel, senior art director

Our client Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) sponsors tons of worthy causes and community events. So we did a series of 12 ads focusing on how energy is well-spent in the following area: the arts, diversity, environment, social outreach, sports and education.

As you might imagine, the ads are placed in a wide range of programs and publications. Most recently the ad series appeared the Communication Arts (CA) Typography Annual! Pretty sweet, I admit.

But it’s still not as fun as getting to do work you love, with people you love working with (Jenn Berry, Creative Director; Bill Lovejoy, Account Director; Colin Dullaghan, Writer; Penelope Dullaghan, Illustrator). Awards and recognition… that’s gravy. Really delicious gravy.

What’s all the buzz about branding?

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

By Karen L. Alter, ABC, senior vice president

Branding is certainly not a new topic, but one that continues to get a lot of buzz as more and more companies understand the value of a strong brand, strive to differentiate themselves and work to remain competitive. (more…)