Compromise

That’s something everyone in client service innately understands (or they should be in another business). As a PR professional, we provide our best counsel and then step back to listen and adapt.

However, add a ‘d’ to the word and it becomes compromised. One letter can mean the difference between a consensus and a failure.

I mention this because I got a call from the bank yesterday informing me that my debit card had been ‘compromised’. I thought that was a good way to explain the systematic withdrawal of funds from my bank account. (Don’t worry, I’ve been told they’re coming back.)

However, it also made me think about what I would have said if the situation occurred at home (I was robbed) or on the street (I got mugged).

Even though the outcome (barring physical harm) was the same, the words we choose to describe it tell a very different story.

Thank you

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honour of receiving the CPRS Toronto Mentor of the Year award.

That meant a great deal to me. I have always believed that senior practitioners should share their knowledge, experience and networks with young people entering the profession.

There are many ways to do this including information interviews, lending your time to speak at PR programs (or grading resumes…), or signing up for the CPRS Mentorship program which pairs mentors and proteges. (I hate that word, but you can’t say ‘mentee’).

As I said that evening, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have met and had the opportunity to get to know some really smart and talented people including Kristen Marano, Parker Mason and Erick Bauer. And I truly feel I’ve learned as much or more from them than they’ve learned from me.

So… before I need a tissue, I’ll just close with a heartfelt thanks.

Time flies and other cliches

It certainly does zip by. Which is my way of saying that it’s been far too long since my last post. But absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder. Sometimes, it becomes a self-fulfilling habit that’s not so easy to break.

Anyway, I am back now. And don’t worry, you won’t hear a litany of excuses.

Just a couple.

1. It’s been… let’s say a bit of a roller coaster at the office (and I’m more of a bumper car guy myself).

And 2… I’ve been working days and nights. Ahh, entertainment PR. We just finished another hilarious Yuk Yuk’s Laugh Off, a contest where all the comics pull their punches – er punchlines in an attempt to win the $25,000 grand prize. (Second prize? Mac and cheese.) Halifax sketch comic, Mark Little, won with an act that could best be described as wit in geek’s clothing.

This year, in addition to traditional media relations, we added a social media newsroom, Twitter feed and YouTube channel. So that meant we were not only spectators, we were reporting live from the joke-stained trenches. It was a lot of fun. And comedy, with its bite-sized, sharable content seems to be a natural social media fit.

Have a look and let me know what you think.