Stiff

Cheers to !
We’re putting the spotlight on two powerful reads that have shaped how we approach the work we do with our clients.

“Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger” by Soraya Chemaly

A book about how anger is gendered, and how the very emotions that brand men to seem strong and good leaders, brand women as controlling, negative or hysteric. The book, which was published in 2019, is about how women can use anger as a technique to take back power. We use the teachings in this book to help give voices to the women in the communities our clients serve.

“Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism” by Amanda Montell

A study of cultish language and behaviour that can be used to brand groups of people working counter to popular culture. The book, released in 2021, shows how powerful language can be, and as humans, how easily we are controlled by it. She wrote Wordslut, if you’ve read that.

These books inspire us to keep digging, to question everything, to challenge norms and to help organizations and their audiences (who are usually marginalized or silenced) to find voices and reclaim their identities.

Have you read any of these books or similar ones?

Over the past few months, the Stiff team sat down with Nurse Practitioners (NPs) across Newfoundland and Labrador to listen to their frustrations, take in their pride, and work together to tell the story they need the public to hear: NPs are powerful, important and independent healthcare providers with a unique role in the healthcare system.

‘There’s an NP for that’ is the result of those conversations. The Registered Nurses' Union Newfoundland & Labrador and Stiff created the campaign to bring clarity and respect to what NPs do.
NPs are not gap fillers. They are not substitutes either. They are highly trained professionals that provide primary and specialized care.

The campaign includes a series of digital and out-of-home ads designed to educate and to elevate public understanding.

Visit npforthat.ca to learn more about the first phase of this initiative.

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are powerful, independent professionals with a unique role in Newfoundland and Labrador’s healthcare system. They deliver high-quality primary and specialized care across the province in urban, rural, and remote communities. Yet NPs often feel unseen and that their roles are misunderstood. We heard their frustrations loud and clear. Change starts now. “There’s an NP for that” is a public awareness campaign to bring visibility to the essential contributions of NPs that are making healthcare accessible to all—whether it’s in a hospital, a long-term care facility or a community clinic. Get the facts about what NPs can do at http://npforthat.ca Share with your friends, spread the word among your colleagues, and join us in advocating for the recognition these healthcare professionals deserve.

Gone are the days when etiquette was about knowing the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork. Modern etiquette is about creating meaningful relationships through thoughtful communication.

Stiff’s digital marketing specialist, Michelle Nguyen, finds this parallel between good etiquette and communication interesting in modern etiquette and public relations expert Astrid-Maria Ciarollo’s column.

As marketers, we can learn a thing or two from Ciarollo’s tips for hosts. We can create genuine connections with audiences by communicating in ways that leave them feeling heard, appreciated and respected.

Read the article: https://www.glory.media/ask-astrid-dinner-party-etiquette/

The simplest tales often reveal the most profound meanings. That’s the message from our senior writer John Phillips after he read Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.”

The play is a seemingly straightforward look at the lives of members of two families in a typical small town. Its stage is bare, language spare, characters archetypal.

Yet look again. The strength of “Our Town” is deceptive. Its unassuming presentation has a subversive power to stir us emotionally, to compel us to think deeply, to reveal a truth we’ve always known without being fully aware of it. And isn’t that the very purpose of art?