Here are seven things communicators can’t live without:
1. AP Stylebook. AP style has been a part of my world since journalism school. What would we do without this handy guide by our sides? It’s indispensable when it comes to checking things such as titles, numbers and, of course, the Oxford comma. (It’s used sparingly in accordance with AP style.)
2. A simple way to create images. As images become more and more important to what communicators do, we need an easy method of creating images to accompany our social media and blog posts. Although there are many choices, the two I use most often are Canva and Pablo. Pablo integrates images from Unsplash and Pixabay, my two favorite sources of royalty-free images, making it even better.
3. Coffee. Although we might not all be caffeine addicts, I suspect many of us are. I know a lot of my fellow communicators couldn’t live without their cup of joe—or maybe three or four cups, truth be told. We all probably have our favorite coffee shop. Because I work from a home office, my Keurig is a necessity. (Peet’s Major Dickason’s Blend is my favorite, by the way.)
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4. A sympathetic ear (and eye). We all need that fellow communicator who’ll join in as we roll our eyes when we get back a piece of copy covered with questionable edits. This trusted cohort is probably the same colleague we ask to proofread our copy before we submit it for approval.
5. An expert to which you can turn. Everyone has an expert to look to for inspiration. One authority I follow is Ann Handley, best-selling author of “Everybody Writes.” I also regularly check out articles from the Content Marketing Institute. Everyone needs a creative catalyst.
6. Tunes. Whether you rely on Spotify or another streaming service, many of us need background music to be productive. Spotify’s Happy Hits is one of my favorites to keep the creative juices flowing on those lengthy writing projects.
7. A break from the grind. When I need to refresh and recharge, I like to tune in to a Twitter chat. My favorite? #RaganChat. Here, I meet up with communicator friends and make new ones. I also get new ideas for blog posts and tools to try, while I stay current on industry trends.
Fellow communicators, what do you rely on to get you through the day?
Michelle Garrett is a PR consultant and writer at Garrett Public Relations. Follow her on Twitter @PRisUs or connect with her on LinkedIn.(Image via)
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