“End your internship with the same enthusiasm you started it with.” I was given this advice by a speaker in one of my public relations classes prior to starting at O’Connor Connective. The speaker continued by saying, “Don’t be the intern they want to see walk out the door forever, be the intern they want...Continue Reading

Recruiting a coach for communications will help you win the employee-engagement game.   Coaches. They push us when we need it. They get us in line. They challenge us to try things differently. And if we work hard and follow their lead, we more often than not win the game. Just ask the highly successful...Continue Reading

As a newspaper journalist for more than 25 years, I can’t help but think just how “prehistoric” the process of cultivating stories was when I broke into the biz as a college student working for the school paper in the early 1990s. Research meant occasionally walking about a mile across campus to the library to...Continue Reading

If you’re like most organizations in the New North, you’re trying to recruit talent that has a culture fit. And you want to retain the talent you already have. This is an exciting time for business growth in Northeast Wisconsin, but it’s also a challenging time for filling positions. In a recent article from Forbes...Continue Reading

Now that we’re in the new year, many of us are energized to implement new tactics and strategies to not only achieve, but exceed, our company’s goals. But how do you factor in customer research? Insight from your patrons – or donors, if you’re a nonprofit – should be an integral element of your strategic...Continue Reading

Prior to social media, organizations didn’t have as much direct and immediate feedback with consumers and the general public as they do now. How fortune we are today to have ongoing communication with those we seek to engage. However, this constant feedback can be a bit overwhelming. As an organizational leader, what do you need...Continue Reading

An article grounded in academic research to ensure teams stay positive and productive. Organizations rely on teams to improve productivity, work quality, employee engagement, organizational harmony and attitudes. However, these group environments aren’t always positive. Negative communication can occur if not well managed; leading to frustration, distraction and employee departure. Ultimately, negative communication hurts, distracts...Continue Reading

All kinds of rites of passage are happening in Wisconsin the next few weeks. Young children are entering school for the first time. Adolescents are moving on up to high school. Older teenagers and adults are starting college. And working professionals with college undergraduate degrees are expanding their knowledge and career opportunities by jumping into...Continue Reading

Strategic marketing communications helps bring a vision to reality, and through a solid communications strategy, you can make smart, strategic decisions for growth – one might say it can even give you a green thumb. Here are four steps to help your strategy grow—not too different than nurturing your favorite flowers this time of year....Continue Reading

Here are four recruitment and retention strategies to put the right people on your team.   Gone are the days of “employer choice,” where organizations freely select whom they hire and when. Today’s workforce is different. This spring, we will have a new group of college grads looking for the best fit for them. So,...Continue Reading