When ChatGPT went public a year ago, I responded to the buzz about generative AI with my post What nonprofit communicators need to know about AI content generators. I had been thinking about AI tools for a few months and felt optimistic about those designed...
Internal copy review pet peeves – and help with getting useful feedback [includes swipe copy]
When you request an internal copy review, how often do you get the subject matter guidance and input you’re seeking? How often do you get a mess of unhelpful revisions that you have to sort through? Last year, I worked on a big copy project for a client at a large,...
50 minute work segments: my key to maximum productivity
What do I do when I really need to get things done? I get things done. How? Through 50 minute work segments. I’m always entertained by the countless applications and ‘hacks’ geared to accomplishing more in a workday, because for me, it’s simple. If I need to write,...
Are you giving yourself time to think when writing?
Have you ever noticed that the busier we get and the more that we are expected to deliver, time to think is getting sacrificed? It feels to me like we’re expected to just jump straight into every single task – whether answering an email or writing a speech – with a...
Building nonprofit communications capacity, Part 1: five good ideas
This week, I had the incredible honour of presenting for the Maytree Five Good Ideas event series, facilitating a session on building nonprofit communications capacity.
In keeping with the Five Good Ideas model, I started the session by presenting my ideas on building nonprofit communications capacity. Understanding that pressing needs for nonprofit communicators include skills development, time and resources – and that the latter two are simply part of the reality of working in the sector – I suggested five ideas for taking capacity building into our own hands.
Getting unblocked: when a writing project looms large
In the last month, I’ve tackled an unusually large volume of work. Great news for any freelance professional, but a challenge nonetheless: having to be both creative and prolific under pressure. In my current situation, writer’s block would be deadly.