By Eleanor Pierce
On the sixth day of Christmas, Spin Sucks gave to you… six communicator gifts, five communications trends, four free webinars, three strategy games, two Crazies secrets, and the PR win of 2014.
Does everyone have the 12 Days of Christmas stuck firmly in their brains yet??
I hope so! Because we’re only six days in!
And I have a confession to make: This is an especially fun post for me to write, because in a past life, I was a consumer and shopping reporter for a daily newspaper (and yes, I used the heck out of HARO in those days).
Christmastime was always fun because it meant lots and lots of gift guides. Gift lists for pet lovers! For moms! For golfers!
So this year, writing a gift guide for communicators, well, it almost made me feel like I was back in the newsroom.
Except without quite as much swearing. And with much nicer copy editors.
(If any of my old copy editor pals are reading this, I’m kidding!)
(Sort of.)
So onto the list… on the sixth day of Christmas, we’re bringing you the Top Six Gifts for Communicators on your Christmas (or Hanukkah, Solstice, or Festivus) list!
Selfie Stick
I just love that this is a thing! It’s a stick you can use to hold your camera farther away when taking selfies, enabling you to get more friends into your selfies. Or, if you don’t have any friends, you can get more background in your selfies. It is perfection for the Instagram addict/social media star on your Christmas list.
(Or, really, even for someone who likes to travel but is too shy and/or cautious to ask strangers to take their photo in front of landmarks.)
There are more expensive versions out there, too, if you think your selfie aficionado needs something a little on the sturdier side.
Spin Sucks
If you’re a regular reader of Spin Sucks, you already know the value of Gini Dietrich’s communications advice. If you’re not, take my word for it: She knows what she’s talking about.
The book’s super relevant for all kinds of communicators, and it’s written in Gini’s breezy, easy-to-understand and read prose.
I’m not just saying this because she signs my paycheck—it’s more like, I wanted to work for Gini because of the kind of advice she offers up in Spin Sucks.
So if you have a communicator on your Christmas list who hasn’t yet read Gini’s book, Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age, get a copy, wrap it up, and deliver it.
Strunk and White’s Elements of Style
In my humble opinion, every professional communicator should already own a copy of this book. But on the off chance we’re talking about someone who doesn’t own the definitive manifesto on writing well, it makes an excellent gift.
Moleskine Notebooks
Yes, today’s communicators are largely digital communicators. We live by our laptops, our tablets, and our smartphones. But there is something inherently satisfying in writing notes and ideas longhand.
And doodling. Doodles are an essential part of the creative process! And in my view, there is no notebook brand that’s done a better job of aligning in the popular imagination with writerly pursuits than Moleskine. I love mine.
Bonus: These Evernote Moleskine notebooks seem like a really cool idea for anyone on your list who uses Evernote. They can just take a photo of a page from the notebook with the Evernote app and it’s available and searchable in Evernote.
A Good Magazine Subscription
Good communicators need to always be reading.
Always.
Magazines are particularly great because they help keep us up to date with what’s happening in the world and with current trends (always important for communicators), and of course reading a lot sharpens our communications and writing skills.
I’m partial to The New Yorker (if anyone is interested in re-upping my subscription … hint cough hint). But depending on the communicator you’re talking about, there could be a number of good choices; The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, or, depending on what kind of communications we’re talking about, perhaps Forbes, Garden and Gun (I LOVE this magazine!), or Rolling Stone.
Touchscreen Gloves
OK, I know not all professional communicators are addicted to their smartphones.
But most of us are.
And in the winter, there are few things more handy than a pair of gloves that allow you to still tap away on your phone without having to take your gloves off.
And in my view, gloves are a totally acceptable duplicate gift. You can get someone a pair even if they already have some—if the person you’re shopping for loses gloves as often as I do, they’ll always appreciate having an extra pair on hand.
(Get it? On hand? See what I did there?? Heh.)
That’s my list of six gifts for communicators. Share your ideas: What’s on your communications pro Christmas wish list?
photo credit: Shutterstock