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Now what does this yellow rectangle remind you of? Is it a picture of animals roaming through the wilderness of the Serengeti? Or a postcard-worthy view of mighty Mount Everest? Or portraits of aboriginals of Australia? Source - www.nationalgeographic.com In my mind, this rectangle would conjure an image of the ‘Afghan Girl’, mainly because I have read a few articles about how this picture came about to be one of the most celebrated portraits of our time; one of the few lightly likened to the Mona Lisa in terms of the emotions they subtly convey. I know for a fact that this portrait was featured in a magazine that bears the yellow rectangle as its logo – National Geographic. Afghan Girl | Source - upload.wikimedia.org It’s fair to say that most people tend to remember images better than words. It’s just how our brains seem to work; visual over verbal. For those of us who are familiar with National Geographic, the associations we make (safari, Africa, the Himalayas) wit...

As a way to enhance their effectiveness and reach, as well as to position themselves as the top alternative news medium in the country, The Malaysian Insider (TMI) used an unconventional approach to draw closer to their readers and followers. Being non-conforming in the way they tell their news, the online news portal hosted a series of gatherings they called Thought Leadership dinners. These gatherings were a platform for them to engage people in civil society discussion as well as to initiate a debate about contemporary issues among people with different perspectives. In line with their commitment to freedom of expression / speech, the sessions were considered a success among those who attended. The first round of the series witnessed TMI’s entertaining columnist Art Harun talking to the crowd about issues of interest at the time. It was a good old debate session with a slightly tense aura in the room; different people convincing their interpretations of all sorts of issue. ...

So, the selfie has been taunting us for the past few years – but regardless of our personal opinion of the phenomena, it is fascinating to see just how embedded into our popular culture it has become. We have seen the typical selfie, the wefie, but today we witnessed a new extension of the selfie – this time, at an important political and media event. No, it wasn’t the audience turning its back on Hilary (although, some of us would certainly understand the attraction of that), it was an orchestrated media-savvy move for the second Clinton to show that she is “in touch” with the younger generation. Note the appropriately positioned raised platform for her to stand on (and not the stage that she was speaking from either!), the crowd-readiness with their selfie sticks, and the overwhelming enthusiasm of the entire crowd as they each get a chance to ‘selfie with Hilary’ in this unique opportunity. Clearly staged, but rightly so, and executed brilliantly. It’s all about crafting that ...

Even a minute can make a huge difference. That’s what most people would agree on when it comes to tragic situations or emergencies. Time becomes a luxury during such events, and these situations call for immediate action not exclusively from the first responders, but the civilians in near proximity. Having someone to be well-equipped with the right knowledge and skills to handle crisis the moment it strikes, and before responders arrive, would mean a difference between minor and major damage, controlled and chaotic situations, and between lives saved and lives lost. Albeit having the right mind-set and good attention, a lot of people have no idea how to react during a disaster. The Emergency Action Force of Malaysia (PTCM), a community volunteer organisation, didn’t want to pay no heed to this problem. As a way to fully utilise the buffer time during a crisis, the organisation provides a series of emergency response training sessions for the willing members of the communit...

A typical response to a complaint would be something like “We apologise for the inconvenience that you have to face due to our mistake… We appreciate you pointing out our error and helping us improve… Please accept this voucher as a token of our appreciation and apology”. Although there’s some level of human touch to it, it still feels distant and hostile to some extent, partly because the response is rather generic and well, typical. Depending of course on how a customer presents a complaint, sometimes there’s a chance for a representative to respond accordingly rather than just robotically. It’s not wrong really to occasionally joke around on social media while helming an organisation’s social media handle. In terms of perception, audience would really discern that behind a corporate brand’s digital platform, there are humans at work. Just recently, a hilarious conversation on Tesco UK’s Facebook page wall between a concerned customer, Wes Metcalfe, and Tesco’s social media ...

Source - upload.wikimedia.org Imagine you’re competing in a dance competition. You have practiced all the new moves you choreographed, thinking that it would definitely ‘wow’ the judges. You focused on creativity for your training throughout, thinking less about the purpose of you competing in the first place – to get to first place. Now, to get first place, creativity wouldn’t suffice. Getting first place depends on a number of factors, namely your entry into the competition, the fee you have to pay, the rules and regulations, terms and conditions, etiquette on stage, sportsmanship, and your presentation as a whole. If you wowed the judges with your creative moves but ended up being turned down, what does this suggest? You might have omitted something crucial in regards to entering the competition; you might have wrongly addressed the judges, or the judges might have realised a certain criteria you failed to meet, or others were simply better? Due to these, you ended up g...