Our Blog
A blog for the global network of Northeastern communication, digital media, and human resources professionals
Work that matters: An approach to change in the public sector
It has been said that the slowest systems to change are often organizations in the public sector. However, it was interesting to hear how Accenture drives change in the public sector and the perspectives from Kristin McElderry, Accenture Management Consulting...
Charting a career path with a French accent
Have you ever considered living and working in another country? Our alumna Gina Dunn, CPS’15, did just that, moving to Paris in 2016 and applying her communication expertise as an independent consultant. In this interview, I ask Gina about her decision to work in...
CommTech – what’s all the fuss about?
As communicators – and communication educators – staying on top of the trends that are driving our field is imperative. One those trends: The explosion of digital technologies. As organizations increasingly use data in all aspects of the enterprise, in how they make...
Diversity and inclusion — going beyond the slogans
As PR Week noted in 2018, like many other industries and professions, “the communications sector has a diversity problem, with too few people of color – and far too few diverse individuals in high-ranking positions.” PR Week also created a video that underscores what...
Are you suffering from Zoom fatigue?
Meetings have been a fixture of organizational life for as long as…well, as long as there have been organizations. But the Covid-19 pandemic has brought into sharp relief why meetings can be so frustrating, unproductive, and stress-producing. So, what can we do about...
Stories create experiences and make careers
For Dr. K. Dawn Rutledge, who graduated from our program in 2012, storytelling has been a constant thread throughout her life and career as a communicator. Dawn vividly remembers entering a poetry-writing contest in eighth grade. “I actually won first place in that...
Find your alumni network!
Northeastern University is a network spread across the United States and around the world. From special interest groups to local geographic communities, and everything in between, there is a part of the network for everyone. One example is our community in...
Are you applying the principles of persuasion?
Persuasion. Isn't that what communication is all about? Effectively and ethically applying Richard Cialdini's six principles of persuasion can make all the difference in whether a message has impact, or not. The six principles - reciprocity, scarcity, authority,...
Alexa, chart my career path!
Stefanie Potgieter graduated from our program in 2015 and now works as a senior program manager with the Secure AI Foundations team at Amazon. Her role has several different components. She is the Business Operations Manager for an organization of 5,000+ employees...
How we’re ‘revolutionizing’ experiential learning
College of Professional Studies students have a firm grounding in experiential learning through capstone projects with corporate partnerships. Recently, we tried a new twist on the capstone experience. Students from two master's programs, Corporate and Organizational...
A step-by-step guide to B2B social media marketing
Because of its popularity and relatively low-cost, social media is frequently used by small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) as a marketing tool. Organizations with various sizes, including SMBs, can use social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, Facebook,...
Making ‘lifelong learning’ a reality
The term "lifelong learning'" has gained a lot of currency in recent years, but what does it really mean? A standard definition is that it is a form of self-initiated education focused on personal development. Learning, of course, takes place in many ways and...
Taking advantage of possibilities
Gina Dunn, an alumna of our Corporate and Organizational Communication program, is a marketing and communication professional helping organizations connect with their target audience via strategy development and implementation. Gina lives in Paris, and has just...
How organizations can foster positive electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in an e-commerce environment
There has been an accelerated digital transformation amid the pandemic. Many consumers either choose to shop online or utilize multiple channels to shop. Even we are moving into the new normal, the trends for online shopping and digitalization will continue. ...
The power of employing communication skills to reach the goal
There was that moment when Zirui, Sahar, and Patty moved from researching three cases to present at a conference to agreeing, “We should write a book!”. Considering the pandemic and many barriers we were facing, there was also that moment when we agreed, “We have...
A day in the life of a public relations intern
Software security, cybersecurity, application security – before working at Veracode I had a general understanding of these types of terms, but I did not truly grasp the depth and breadth of this industry and its critical role in society. The significant disruption...
Rising to the occasion: how a class assignment morphed into an award-winning project
Corey Ortiz, a student in the MS in Corporate and Organizational Communication program, was one of 22 recipients of this year’s RISE research awards (and one of two graduate student honorees in the Business and Entrepreneurship category) from more than 400 entries!...
Experiential learning can be transformational — here’s proof!
Raissa Talehata, a student in the Digital Media master's program, graduated in December 2021. She was one of three Northeastern University students to be recognized with an Outstanding Graduate Student Award in Experiential Learning, honoring graduate students "who...
Exploring consumer behaviors amid the COVID-19 pandemic with predictive analytics
The Eastern Communication Association (ECA), the largest regional communication association on the East Coast, hosted its 113th annual convention in Philadelphia, PA in April with “Reunion” as the convention theme. It was my honor to present my award paper,...
How organizations are preparing for the future of work
The media has been buzzing with reports of the ‘Great Resignation.’ COVID-19 has certainly changed the way many Americans think about work. Another consequence of the pandemic has been a seismic shift in how we think about workplace learning. This was the subject...