Networking gets a bad rap. Most of us imagine standing around in a sea of name tags, awkwardly explaining to the third person in a row what it is you do, or checking your watch while someone bores you to tears with the finer points of their seriously boring job. But networking can actually beRead… Read more »
Ghost Whisperer, iRobot, and many crime shows depend on detective work based on access to other people’s memories.Young people need expertise that gets them out of their chairs and to step away from their computers. Administrative ghost whisperers, younger staff or not, should seek out older staff. That experience should not be disregarded as a… Read more »
A few weeks ago, I posted recommendations on how to gain professional development in 15 minutes a day. Practicing what I preach, I spent 15 minutes one day last week on GovLoop’s blog and what I learned is already being used to better my organization. Customer Experience – I shared this blog with a teamRead… Read more »
You’ve found an informal mentor and set up your first meeting with him or her. These four strategies can help you effectively communicate and build a strong relationship with your mentor.
Have you ever opened your closet only to find that that your wardrobe is no longer suitable for your position? It is an important awakening. What you wear to the office makes a statement, whether you are aware or not. According to Forbes, career counselors still advise clients to dress for the job they want,Read… Read more »
If you’re like most office worker-bees, you’re probably spending more time sitting at your desk than you spend in any other place, besides your bed. Do you like it? Clutter, poor ergonomics, and stifling work environments can all contribute to a workspace that can actually damage your health and well-being. While grand, sweeping changes mayRead… Read more »
I had a really great conversation with one of my coworkers the other day about the concept of “plain language” which really got me thinking about writing across all parts of government–local, state, federal… Here in the federal government, we talk about plain language–which is the idea that language should be easy to understand forRead… Read more »
On Monday, June 8, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a final memorandum mandating that all Federal websites implement HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). By December of 2016, all Federal websites will need to implement HTTPS for all communications. Why the Mandate? Privacy, web communications, and encryption are certainly in theRead… Read more »
Keeping people’s attention is important for government communicators. When we tell a story, people need to remember more than one weird trick.
People move around a lot in the field of city and county management; I have an Outlook database that can prove it. And when the city manager or another leader leaves, it’s tempting for a government to try to have other staffers cover that work until someone new is hired. I think it’s almost alwaysRead… Read more »