Teamwork is an essential value, in both our social and work lives. Many of us played team sports as kids. Most of us have had to describe how and why we consider ourselves to be “team players.” And teamwork and team-building exercises are staples of most workplaces. So why do we often end up feeling like we’re on a team of one? Too often the team environment is inauthentic — only lip service or corporate talk. […]
This week’s blog is by recovering journalist and guest blogger, Cindy Filipenko. She still makes a living from writing the truth. You can visit her at www.cindyfilipenko.com. Journalism used to be about getting to the truth. Today it’s become a game of getting it first instead of getting it right. […]
In early April, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) BC Chapter invited me to be part of an event entitled, "What I Know Now That I Wish I Knew Then". They invited 10 senior communicators to impart five minutes [...]
Like millions of others, I watched in fascination as Commander Chris Hadfield and his crew on the International Space Station returned to earth this week after five months in space. Living and working aboard the Space Station for five months is an impressive and taxing feat, but I’ve been even more impressed by Chris Hadfield’s command of public engagement. […]
Within seven days of reading this, British Columbians will head to the polls to elect our next provincial government. Election day is Tuesday, May 14. So, never mind the standard question, “Who are you going to vote for?” How about [...]
So I went to a hockey game and a public meeting broke out. Sorry — I had to. Following up on last week’s blog, I attended a public meeting in Pemberton last Thursday to learn more about the potential community-owned independent “run of river” power project on Pemberton Creek. While this “CPP” as it is more commonly known, had been a very quiet concept for several years, it recently grew into a contentious issue. This was triggered by the Village of Pemberton’s call for Requests for Expressions of Interest (RFEI), inviting independent power plant operators to submit a proposal outlining their interest in this particular project. […]
Last week, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) BC Chapter invited me to be part of an event entitled, "What I Know Now That I Wish I Knew Then". They invited 10 senior communicators to impart five minutes of [...]
We need to coach, empower and encourage them to stretch their wings. But when a team member first takes flight, it's important to provide a safe place to land. It's not always easy to take that first leap if one [...]
This week I attended a local community information meeting about independent power projects (IPPs). The meeting was organized by area residents who are concerned about the development of IPPs and the lack of engagement on the issue from our local [...]
Being in the public engagement and consultation business, I pay attention to the timing of invitations to attend open houses or notices directing people to public engagement information. What I observe, more often than not, is the lack of lead-time [...]
