Oh nerds. You work so hard and you are so excited about what you do. Those data! That policy! That legal brief! So hot. If you could just get people to read your FAQ, then they’ll understand. And why should you have to summarize it in an FAQ anyway? That graph on Page 5 says it all! Amiright?
I grew up taking ballet lessons at a little single-studio school in a converted house on Bainbridge Island. My teacher was a woman named Nora, who, in addition to instilling me with a love of dance, I now realize was partially responsible for raising me and a core group of my dance sisters.
Public relations, marketing, corporate social responsibility, content strategy…. Whatever our professional specialties, as communicators, it’s our job to influence how audiences perceive the organizations we work for. We stay tuned in to what’s happening outside the organization so we can help equip executive leaders make good decisions.
When I was an undergrad, I had this brilliant idea: The Lung Brush. This handy little device would remove the burden of moderation for party people everywhere. Chain smoke all night! Then simply brush away your hacking cough when you wake up the next day – whenever and wherever that may be – and you’re ready to paint the town red all over again!
Comms pros at environmental agencies spend years of their lives trying to get people to pay attention to air quality: How pollution is measured and regulated; what it does to your health. They do audience research, craft strategies, implement tactics and track metrics. No one seems to be listening.
I built my career as a communication advisor to the nerdiest among us: Scientists, engineers, attorneys, regulators and policy wonks.
My professional roots are in journalism and the bulk of my career has been in public service – mostly environmental agencies with a dash of transportation. I have also supported manufacturing, senior living, municipal and financial organizations, because, as it turns out, they need help communicating about complex topics, too.
Like any good Pacific Northwesterner, I love coffee, IPA, books and the outdoors. My husband and I are parents to our amazing teenage daughter and a Carolina Dog named Stella. We live east of Seattle, surrounded by evergreen trees and the Cascade Mountains.