How to Fail in Business Without Really Trying
This is a real email I received a couple of days ago:
Hi Shonali,
I came across your company Shonali Burke Consulting and wanted to connect with you with regards to how you handle your issue/topic tracking in the media. Recently, I have worked with organizations who have needed help during issues or major events in their history to promote and protect their brand.
<REDACTED> has worked with similar large organizations such as Disney and Burger King to support their efforts to effectively manage their brand. I would like to set up a 15 minute phone call with you to demonstrate how <REDACTED> helps with:
Please let me know when would be a convenient time to set up this call. If you are unable to connect; however, feel there is another individual who would be more appropriate to connect with please let me know and I will connect with them appropriately. Thank you in advance.
Additionally, I will be sending out periodic communications regarding this topic – please feel free to unsubscribe at anytime.
Filed under Business, Marketing, Public Relations, Shonali Burke, Writing | Tags: bad pitching, building relationships, business development | Comments (54)Writing What They Don’t Want To Read: Bad News In Print
Let me just say first that I’m writing this with the certainty that one of you PR pros will fly out of nowhere, tackle me to the floor, and pin me there with a stern lecture straight from your training about how to do this.
But here goes.
I’m going to be discussing how to deliver bad business news in print, which I think is more important because of the fact that people keep records of bad news the way they keep lottery tickets: just in case.
You need to ensure you don’t open the door for that case with the kind of recorded communication lawyers love.
Be respectful.
There’s only one thing worse than bad news: bad news that insults the receiver.
Filed under Business, Guest Posts, Shakirah Dawud, Writing | Tags: clear communications, delivering bad news | Comments (2)2 Gr8 2 B 4Got10: Will Texting Kill Language As We Know It?
My wife, Clare, is a linguist. One of the superstars in the field of linguistics is a man by the name of David Crystal.
Image: Maggie Hannan via Flickr, CC 2.0
Mrs. Wigg is a big fan of the good Professor, and was always keen to hear him speak whenever he was in London.
A few weeks ago, Professor Crystal turned up in Malta.
The subject of one of his talks was “Internet Linguistics.”
Filed under Communication, Conway Wigg, Guest Posts, Media, Social Media, Writing | Tags: David Crystal, evolution of language, Internet linguistics, texting | Comments (20)
