Ben Hardy on EastEnders and his new LGBTQ film Unicorns: We’re all multi-faceted. Why stick to one label?
How not to pitch: A lesson in awful PR November 22, 2017 Jamie sends an email: “Afternoon Elena, wondering if my offer to chat with [a well-known tech company] tickled your fancy?” No, Jamie, it absolutely did not. Few things do – and the prospect of listening to corporate drivel is not one of them. And, Jamie, a word of advice: stop using this saccharine expression altogether. [...]
Tinder’s ‘menducation’ doctrine dispels the notion that women are best served by other women October 17, 2017 A few weeks ago, Tinder announced a new chat feature. “Designed by the women of Tinder”, says the announcement, “the feature gives women extra tools to express themselves”. It concludes: “sometimes men need a little bit of guidance when it comes to communicating….” So many things are wrong with this pitch. Tinder’s new chat feature [...]
Stop sending me inane banal research September 27, 2017 This article is the product of profound irritation. The kind that nags at the periphery on most days, but transforms into full-blown rage each time another email titled “New research has found…” arrives. If you want to know what I mean, take a look at some of the “research” headlines gracing my inbox. A clothes [...]
Speechwriters, take a leaf out of Donald Tusk’s book September 5, 2017 I have a crush on Donald. No, not that Donald: not the illiterate, illiberal charlatan with a knack for whiny 5am tweets. The subject of my thoughts is the President of the European Council Donald Tusk. And my crush is strictly professional: I think he is one of the most skilled communicators around. This is [...]
Don’t be a Maybot – answer the question July 21, 2017 Does it drive you mad when people don’t answer your questions directly? The Prime Minister is the indisputable master of the genre. A few months ago, she told the BBC that the UK needed “strong and stable leadership” when asked about Harry Potter’s mugwumps. More recently, when asked by Channel 4 if the critics who [...]
Want to be productive in the office? Work fewer hours July 6, 2017 I received a press release the other day, which claims that half of the office workers in London are unproductive for up to an hour every day. If true, this would be excellent news, as it would mean that we are lucky enough to operate at peak level for at least seven hours every day. [...]
Shakespeare’s Cordelia would have made an excellent HR manager June 14, 2017 I always thought Cordelia would make an excellent HR and talent development manager. This job description, for example, was simply written for her: “Acts to support the human factor in the company. Proactively and respectfully challenges management and then mentors them…” Isn’t it exactly what Cordelia did with her father, the one King Lear? First [...]
Is LinkedIn the new Tinder? After several over-excited advances, I’m starting to wonder how anyone has time to do any work May 22, 2017 One evening two years ago, LinkedIn sent me this message: “Klaus viewed your profile 11 times today”. As Klaus’s LinkedIn viewing patterns merited a restraining order, I thought of calling the police. Then I opened his profile. Klaus, which is not his name, was head of equity capital markets at one of the largest investment [...]
You don’t need more ‘me-time’, you need to do your job better May 16, 2017 Have you seen a memo that Steve Harvey, the star comedian and host of the eponymous US talk show, had sent to his studio staff? If you have not, you should. The memo, leaked to a blogger last week, outlines the rules of staff conduct on set. “Do not wait in any hallway to speak [...]
When you answer a question, don’t stick to the script May 4, 2017 BBC: "Do you know what a mugwump is?" PM: "What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership." How I wish that Jeremy Paxman had handled this interview, which was broadcast by BBC Radio Derby last week. Would Paxman have launched a full offensive and asked May the [...]