A.wordsmith in August
I had the best of intentions to write this communication in July. Alas, like much of the past five months, the days and weeks seem to inexplicably pass by and before I know it, another month has arrived and now it’s mid-August!
No one could have predicted this is how we’d be spending our spring, summer, fall, most likely winter and [deep breaths] next spring as well; we couldn’t have guessed we’d be fighting to maintain career motivation and creativity through screens; parents were blissfully unaware that we’d not only be trying to raise our children but educate them as well; and we didn’t know that we would be part of a historical social justice movement that demands all of our attention.
We’ve tossed aside terms like “return to normal” and embraced sayings like “the next normal.” We’re getting real about shortcomings that exist personally, professionally and in our community and how we can enact positive, lasting change as we move forward. And even though it would be easy to not, we keep logging into Zoom day after day, showing up for our teams because we are most definitely stronger together.
At A.wordsmith we have spent time over the past several months bringing our own best practices and opinions to the forefront, drinking our own thought leadership Kool-Aid, if you will.
- TIPS & TRICKS: You can download tip sheets we’ve put together on three different topics that are timely and important right now: Social Media During COVID-19, Messaging Amidst Disruption and Compassionate Internal Communications. I hope you find them relevant and useful.
- GETTING INK: We have had several team members published in industry outlets, notably Vice President Gretchen Hoffman in MarketingProfs and Bulldog Reporter, Director Lisa Hildebrandt in Target Marketing and Senior Manager Natalie O’Grady in Multibriefs.
- BLOG IT: As always, you can catch up on our thoughts in our blog. If you haven’t already, make sure to read the important perspective on racism in our industry and what we can do about it that was written by Associate Amber Luckett.
There is much change in our industry – from the media landscape to what stories demand attention and how unique opinions can stand out – but the need for clear, effective communications remains and is perhaps more critical now than ever. We are proud to partner with so many organizations that really are telling the important stories right now:
- Corporate allyship from PDXWIT
- Remote work strategies from Prialto
- Student athlete health impacts from pandemic by Brave Care
- Foster care realities in a pandemic by With Love
We can’t do things the way they’ve always been done and that’s ok – we are proud to be on the frontlines, and always up for a challenge. Thanks for your ongoing partnership; it feels good knowing we are in this together.