Have you seen anything good at “the pictures,” lately? And what do you think of critics? Did you like Saltburn?

It's been a difficult week with some bad news in our family. I'll spare you the details, but we'll all be alright. Not to worry. At tricky moments I find it helpful to remember that things are...

If you’re like me, the New Year is a frenetic time. I call it “the Januaries.” But… let’s all calm down and take a breath before we communicate!

If you could bottle the benefits of volunteering and sell them back to New Yorkers, you would make a lot of money. That’s a very New York way of thinking about volunteering, I realize.

I made you a Croydon Christmas playlist on Spotify. It comes with all the joy of being a child in a pub in a South London commuter town in mid-December.

I love swag. There's nothing like it for building a sense of shared identity around a cause. On that note, I've had the most fantastic time over the last few weeks getting some t-shirts made for my...

…and that’s ok!

Monday night, I had a friend round for toast. I'm 44. There was a time when if I caught up with a friend, we'd go to the pub. These days it's a delight if they're willing to come round for a cup of...

You can’t ONLY buy a cheese plate. You do need to invest time and energy in other ways. But if you’re volunteering, here’s a good place to start. 🧀

People make mistakes when they move fast. It’s why experience has taught me the value of stopping under pressure. Just for a minute.

I’m not making light of the world’s challenges. But spending half an hour shooting a basketball helped me feel better for a while yesterday. 🏀

Moments of intense pressure bring out the toughness and resilience in many of us.

The show is about the Brink’s Mat gold robbery in London, in the 1980s.

Work is a meditative process which brings me joy. How about you?

A funny thing happened this weekend. I was chatting with two other parents at a local playground and found myself deep in the chat. It was one of those conversations where thoughts spark off each...

I was sick this past weekend. Our son started playgroup and brought a virus home ten days ago. I got it mid-last week. Then on Monday I had to take off work and stay in bed, which is a big thing...

I'm in the enviable position of living in New York's West Village. It's not something I take for granted. I love it here and am prepared to put up with no windows in our bathroom or kitchen, and six...

It's been an emotional week. I saw a piece in the New York Times about the high cost of childcare in the city. It's true. It's high. But my wife and I have found a nice, affordable cooperative...

I've been in Europe for three weeks. We went to see my parents in Southeast London, and then spent a few days in Italy. In Treviso, near Venice, we went with my friend Billy to a fish shop. It was...

Right now the only people speaking up about it are old white curmudgeons growling, “get back to the office.” NOPE.

I've made a slight pivot in my business over recent months. For the past three years I've been what I'd describe as a generalist comms and PR consultant. Now I'm dedicating most of my working life...

I always take a book recommendation, so tell me what I should be reading over the coming weeks!

I write for a living. I help other people write. I coach them on how to do it. Sometimes I do it for them and help them place it in the newspapers. Sometimes I develop long-term strategic plans to...

Fun times…

He may be adorable in photos, but he can throw a tantrum like any two-year-old…

It turns out, “le pause” is rather powerful.

On the right and the left, most people talk to people who agree with them. We hang out in the same spaces. We use the same language. We assume everyone agrees with us about everything. It drives me nuts. 

A friend of mine asked me on Tuesday what my ideal situation is. I looked around and realized, “this is it.” Still, I've been thinking a lot lately about what the future holds. It's a mystery to me....

The New York Times ran an explosive investigative story yesterday. It’s based on excellent reporting and I hope it has the impact it deserves.

There’s a path forward in life for everyone. No matter how hard it might appear at certain points, the path keeps twisting and turning.

I’m literally Googling you right now.

I grew up in England, where we like to drink this stuff. There is an awful lot in a cup of tea.

My mum says, “if you can’t say anything nice, Matthew, don’t say anything at all.” An obedient son would stop here, then, when it comes to events in England over the coming weekend.

I am wearing a tie, so I must be going somewhere important.

It works!

There’s no other written medium that is able to impact a person with such directness.

Sigourney Weaver carrying paper grocery bags is 50% of the reason I moved to New York City. And this is important why?

On average I write about 5,000 words a week. Without false modesty I can tell you that about once a year, I’ll write something really fantastic. But, how?

A white British #soccer star from a working class town is using his platform to further a public conversation about #race and #refugees. 👏🏻 #garylineker

Thanks for reading and sharing this important work.

To be, or not to be? That…well. I guess it’s the question.

How many more years do you want to do all the work without taking any of the credit?

It’s not fair to blame #nonprofits for failing to reach a broader audience. Because the #foundations doing the bulk of the funding of such organizations don’t incentivize it.

You get to choose which parts of yourself to share.

A 14-year-old boy beat me at squash a couple of weeks ago for the third time in a row. I asked him for some feedback on my game, and he told me, "even a lot of your good shots aren't very...

It's been a rough start to this week in America. Two mass shootings in California, a day apart, targeting Asian Americans, have left many of us unsure how to respond. I know it will be a few days...

Frank Pavich wrote a cool piece in the New York Times last weekend. He used an AI bot to imagine a film that doesn't exist. The images are incredible. My jaw dropped. Then I logged in to the same...

Prince Harry has had a rough time. I don't doubt that he has strong feelings about it. Or that he's right to have those feelings. My question is, should he have written a book? And done a press...

A big thing that prevents a lot of people getting into the news cycle is moving too slowly. Here’s how to gear up to catch those currents. #PR #communications #strategiccommunications

I’ve been living out my escapist fantasies this week on YouTube.

Here’s a revolutionary idea…

Do you know anybody who has gotten radicalized over recent years?

Often the clients with the deepest pockets will hire strategic communications experts for $$$$. Then they’ll pay them over the odds to ignore their advice.

It turns out, being mad is a great media relations tactic.

Join me for a conversation with Dietlind Lerner about the history of strategic communication.

I don’t play it up a lot in my life as a communications consultant, but I’m a qualified yoga teacher. I also meditate often.

My brain works like a lizard’s. The best thing I can do (apart from plenty of yoga) is use it for a good cause!

Not every communications consultant likes to stick around.

There’s a simple test anyone can take to figure out what might be going on.

Join us for a chat about the power of street interactions!

If you’ve got a big goal, I’m here to help you move closer towards it.

Join us on Sept 21, or watch the recording after!

These are tough times for Britain. Friends from childhood are telling me they're worried about their electricity bills. Inflation is forecast for 18 percent by January and a recession is due by...

Thinking about how film can help you meet your strategic goals? Join guest speaker Liz Bloomfield and me on LinkedIn Live on August 31 at 11 a.m., EST, 4pm U.K. time. We'll be talking about how film...

When should you close your nonprofit? Take a tip from Kenny Rogers.

The chart above is from a new project examining how we talk about poor people.

Got the mid-career scaries? Facing layoffs? Afraid of "falling behind"? Join mid-career coach Selina Yankson and I on Wednesday for a frank and helpful chat on LinkedIn Live. You can sign up to...

Too many organizations have gone silent of late, rather than take a risk on saying the wrong thing. That’s a misstep.

Brag alert. I'm excellent at communicating. But that doesn't mean it's easy for me. One of the reasons I'm so good at it, in fact, is because I find it so hard. I'm more of an introvert than you...

I’ve found the best way to communicate so you become a priority for other people is as follows…

It’s Father’s Day on Sunday and I haven’t written much about becoming a dad since our son arrived. Freddy is 15 months old now, and the days are long, but the years being short.

The reason most people think they buy things is not the actual reason they buy things.

“The first time you turn down work and you know why, it’s a major step forward as an entrepreneur,” she said.

Just as defunding the police was a major narrative in 2020, the new popular narrative is that police are under-resourced, and crime is out of control.

The news cycle is a rollercoaster right now. If you enjoy rollercoasters, good luck to you. I tend to feel sick and regretful as soon as I get on one.

Public relations people are powerful. We do have the power to shape public approaches at key moments. So it’s important to stand up for what we believe in.

There’s something particularly nourishing about it during the clusterf__kery of recent days.

My most rewarding client relationships come from mutual trust. That means it helps to be authentic from the get-go.

I recently got rid of almost all my suits. Here’s why.

Typical of me to get it just as New York is reopening for everyone.

My friend Rebecca has a new book about riding a pushbike on her own to Tehran.

Unlike 92% of freelancers, I’ve been able to book a week out of town.

It’s Women’s History Month and yesterday, March 15, was Equal Pay Day. That’s how far white women in America must work to earn what men earned in the previous year for doing the same job. And if...

My wife and I got rid of 15 bags of stuff this weekend during a spring clean. I like the Marie Kondo organizing method of asking yourself, "does this spark joy?"I also love having more space to...

This weekend I passed an old church in Upstate New York. Outside a sign said: "EPISCOPAL CHURCH. Organized February 20, 1811 by Rev. Samuel Fuller who built church in 1815 and served as Rector for...

I prefer to use canaries in coalmines as metaphors. In this case, they’re the predictor for the presence of toxic gas in your communications.

My friend Selina is a mid-career executive coach. One of the things she tells people often is that hard work alone isn't enough. As you build a career it's important to not only do good work but to...

Many organisations have complex strategic plans and large marketing teams. They have editorial calendars written months ahead. But when it comes to Monday morning and your newsletter is due out on...

I had a client dispute an invoice last month. I'd got them into a prestigious publication at short notice. I took the job before the holidays when I didn't have the time. But their representative...

Organizations and people lose focus. It messes with our ability to get press coverage. Journalists can't see where we fit into their stories. If we can be the go-to for a quote on a given subject,...

When I'm not working, playing squash, or spending time with my family, I'm a spy. At least, that's my fantasy. Except I left my native England and took American citizenship. They don't tend to...

I've been on a few calls this year where people haven't been able to even feign enthusiasm. It's the first time in my career I can remember when people have been this "over it". I've been reflecting...

People often ask me “how do I get unstuck and write something?” They also ask me: “What should I write about?” The answer lies in one of the best jobs I ever had. I had to write a weekly politics...

Remember: Everything always works out better when I loosen my grip and have confidence in myself and the future.  That's the best resolution I made last year and if I look back, it's the one I wish...

Happy Holidays. I hope you buy the biggest tree and hang it with the most ornaments. I hope you’re able to be of good cheer and find generosity in your heart. Especially if like us you’ve had to...

Christmas parties are dangerous for reputations and careers. And not only the one in Mad Men where the lady runs over a colleague’s foot with a John Deere tractor. Love that TV show. Case in point....

One of my favorite things about being a teenager was being in a band with my mates Ben, Ron, and Billy.  That’s them, left to right, with me second from left looking manic in the picture. Our...

I’m reading a lovely French book about a kimono artist in Japan. In it, the author describes watching an encounter between the kimono maker’s wife and a fishmonger. The fishmonger and the kimono...

This year, I'm grateful for a lovely family and a thriving business. For a dynamic life in Manhattan and for living around the corner from the Village Vanguard. I never dreamed I'd be so lucky. I'm...

People love to care a lot about things that don't matter a great deal. For example, do you watch The Great British Baking Show on Netflix? If you do, I bet you have a strong opinion about whether...