Posts By Lauren Girardin

5 Public Speaking Tips from the Oscars Speeches

You don’t need the promise of a golden statuette in your hand to polish your presentation skills. While you may never take the stage at the Oscars, the acceptance speeches can serve as examples of what to do and what not to do when it comes to public speaking. This isn’t about debating the politics in some of the speeches, though there was politics aplenty atRead… Read more »

9 Management Lessons From House of Cards’ Frank Underwood

What wicked wonders await us in the next season of the hit series, House of Cards?  If you’ve been binge watching, you know that the main character, Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, is a politician with some violently strong management methods. With Season 3 of House of Cards premiering on Netflix on February 27, 2015, it’sRead… Read more »

Federal Data Finally Gets Its Time in the Sunlight

What might be the largest index of government data in the world is about to come to light. How did this radical big data reveal come about? Back in May 2013, President Obama signed the Open Data Executive Order to make government data more accessible to citizens, companies, and entrepreneurs. The order required agencies to create indexes of the datasets theyRead… Read more »

The Best Government Conferences of 2015

There are so many worthwhile education, learning, and networking events for government employees in 2015. How do you choose? This list of the best government conferences will help you pick the ones that provide the richest professional development opportunities. Since GovLoop’s last roundup of government conferences in 2013, there’s been quite a bit of turnover in events and conferences in theRead… Read more »

5 Storytelling Best Practices at the Heart of Humans of New York

Everyone is talking about Humans of New York. It’s a success story worth the airtime. It’s also an inspiration that can help you find the heart in your storytelling and communications. Recently, Brandon Stanton, who runs the popular photography blog, shared a photo of a 13-year-old boy who attends school in one of the mostRead… Read more »

9 Valentine’s Cards for the Love of Your Life in Government

#GovLove is spreading this week. Send your co-worker the punny valentine of your dreams. direct.govloop.com/gov-vday-cards1 Love and government make strange bedfellows. What if the object of your infatuation happens to work for the government? These Valentine’s Day cards can help you win their love. There’s a lot of variety in these Valentine’s Day cards — you can find one justRead… Read more »

The 5 Most Unforgettable Blogs by Government Agencies

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about the “death of blogging” or about its already-in-progress resurrection. Yet a stroll around the blogosphere reveals a lively culture of content creation and sharing that seems untouched by any death throes. Blogging started as—and often, at its best, continues to be—an online personal journal perfect for oversharing. So, one might not think thatRead… Read more »

Can Your Agency Win the Oscars of Social Media?

Nominations are open for the Shorty Awards, which celebrates innovative and creative content on social media—including the best in government and politics. Dubbed the “Oscars of social media,” the Shorty Awards recognize winners in categories that change from year to year as social media trends come and go. For several years, some variation on the Best in Government andRead… Read more »

26 Government Playmakers That Stop the Super Bowl from Getting Sacked

Football players may bear the brunt of the work on the field, but in the weeks, months, and even years leading up to the Super Bowl, dozens of government agencies go on the offensive. While it’s no shock that local city, county, and state agencies have a front-and-center role in the NFL game, many federal agenciesRead… Read more »

The State of the Union in GIFs

If you missed President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union address or just want to relive the highlights, these GIFs show the moments that government workers—and the nation—got either giddy or giggly about. 1. The ultimate comeback It was the mic drop moment that caused a social media sensation. When some of the crowd cheered after Obama said, “IRead… Read more »