The Art of the Apology
Here Are Suggestions On How To Navigate This Sometimes Public And Sometimes Interpersonal Exchange. By Thomas J. Roach Apology is a communication genre that is as old as civilization. When people live and work together, they have tacit expectations and…
Leadership and Participation
While The Principle Of Delegation Is Clear, The Means Of Carrying It Out Are Often Not. Thomas J. Roach Most managers understand that a work environment of participative decision-making is preferable to one where only supervisors make decisions and subordinates…
Managing Unreceptive Audiences
Here is What to Do When It Is Necessary To Speak To Groups Who Lack Interest Or Disagree With Your Position. By Thomas J. Roach Last month I had the privilege to speak to the members of the American Coal…
Internal Communication Specialists
What Do Internal Communication Specialists Do, And Who Needs Them? By Thomas J. Roach The chief responsibilities of the internal communication specialist might include overseeing a company intranet site, editing an employee newspaper, writing internal announcements, and conducting an employee…
Performance Interviews
We All Need To Know Our Work Is Recognized And Appreciate Direction When It Comes From A Well-Meaning Mentor. By Thomas J. Roach Many books and internet sites offer advice on job interviews, but employee review interviews are largely ignored.…
Who Do You Say You Are?
When We Write We Should Ask Ourselves What Personas We Are Projecting. By Thomas J. Roach As more work is performed online and even remotely, the image our co-workers have of us becomes more defined by our writing and less…
Speaking to a Group
There Are A Few Strategies, Or Tricks, That Can Work For Almost Anyone. By Thomas J. Roach Most of us reluctantly take speech classes in high school and college, but as we advance through our careers, we come to realize…
Arrangement in Communication
It Is Useful To Think Of Arrangement Not Just Of One Communication Step, But Of A Series Of Interactions. By Thomas J. Roach When we consider arrangement in communication, we mostly think about how to order our arguments in a…
Praise and Blame
We Need To Establish Parameters For Behavior If We Are Going To Live And Work Together. By Thomas J. Roach Ancient Greeks believed there should be an ongoing public dialogue of praise and blame; it was called epideictic discourse. It…
Remembering the Pandemic
COVID-19 Taught Us Lessons That Are Changing The Way America Works. By Thomas J. Roach The pandemic of the 21st century may not be over, but in the United States we are seeing a distinctive ebb in its development, and…
Look for the Pony
Business Success Is Driven By Difficult Adaptation. We Must Adjust To Changing Needs Of Customers, Employees, The Market And The Community. By Thomas J. Roach During the pandemic, organizations changed the way they do business. When the pandemic totally recedes,…
21st Century PR
The Role Of Public Relations Practitioners Is Not Manipulating Communication, It Is Facilitating Communication.
The Communication Gap
The Learning Curve For New Technology Can Take Decades, But Human Will Is The Ultimate Determinate Of Change. By Thomas J. Roach The 20th century ended with vast expansion of the global communication network. Now, as we near the quarter…
Understanding Public Opinion
Common Ground Must Be Discovered And Rapport Must Be Built Through Good Faith Negotiation. By Thomas J. Roach Public opinion is arguably the most powerful force impacting corporate America. To survive, companies must maintain a degree of consensus with neighborhood…
Standing Tall
Hubacz-Kiley Flips The Script On Community Outreach, Noting Operators Should Be Proud Of What They Produce. By Therese Dunphy Historically speaking, aggregate producers have kept a low profile, operating under the philosophy that out of sight equals out of mind.…