Reflections on Copyediting

I’m reviewing suggestions from a copyeditor on my new book (Recovery at Work: Using Twelve Step Principles for Professional Success—more about that later!) and have a few observations about the editing/proofreading process:

• Editing is not proofreading. We teach students the difference, and this should be clear in the Business Communication and Character text. Still, what is called copyediting, at times, seems to include only proofreading. Not that proofreading isn’t important! But I’ve had to change my expectations about the type of assistance I’ll get during the copyediting process.

• Editions change. The copyeditor for my book suggested I hyphenate email and coworker, which the Chicago Manual of Style stopped suggesting with the 17th edition back in 2017. Guidance for formatting references changed since then too.

• Copyeditors can be wrong. In addition to the edition confusion, the copyeditor has different ideas about punctuation. Here are three “corrections”:

  • Do we “walk the talk” and “practice what we preach?"

  • What starts small, affects people in future generations.

  • If this is your introduction to Twelve-Step programs, you’ll see how they have helped millions of people not only get and stay sober but live more peaceful, productive lives.

  The first two errors are obvious to business communication faculty. The third could be debatable but not if we follow CMOS guidance (see examples of “graduate student housing” and “high school diploma”). Misreading as 12 step programs is unlikely. I also chose to capitalize and spell out Twelve Step to follow program convention.

• I have work to do. My annoyance and impatience about the copyediting process remind me to continue working on my humility and perfectionism. The copyeditor is an imperfect human just like me. A friend and colleague suggested I recognize that errors are likely in printed books. I’m trying to accept that.

Employees Unhappy After Amazon's RTO Message

Andy Jassy’s latest message to employees is a good example for students to see a CEO’s update—a mix of good news, bad news, and of course, persuasion. Employees aren’t happy with the part that most affects them: a return-to-office (RTO) plan.

News reports highlight that most signification part—requiring staff to work five days a week in the office—but the message starts neutrally:

Hey team. I wanted to send a note on a couple changes we’re making to further strengthen our culture and teams.

Jassy provides his goals and views of the company, and then lays out two points:

Two areas that the s-team and I have been thinking about the last several months are: 1/ do we have the right org structure to drive the level of ownership and speed we desire? 2/ are we set up to invent, collaborate, and be connected enough to each other (and our culture) to deliver the absolute best for customers and the business that we can? We think we can be better on both.

The first directive comes in paragraph 8:

So, we’re asking each s-team organization to increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by at least 15% by the end of Q1 2025.

The second comes in paragraph 10:

…we’ve decided that we’re going to return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of COVID.

He acknowledges, “We understand that some of our teammates may have set up their personal lives in such a way that returning to the office consistently five days per week will require some adjustments.” To solve this problem, he says, the implementation date will be January 2, 2025, which doesn’t seem like much time for families to reconfigure their lives.

Several surveys show employees’ negative reaction to the news. About 75% are “rethinking” their Amazon careers or looking for a new job. Speculators say attrition is a goal of returning to the office. If that’s the case, then Jassy’s message makes more sense. Presenting the change as insignificant and providing little support for employees to make the transition could be part of the plan. Employees can sign on for full-time office work—or leave.

Students might imagine a different message, one that encourages employee retention. Paradoxically, the news might be frontloaded—presented as the main point, with details following about potential paths and highlighting the benefits of RTO. Would employees have more positive reactions to the news? I’m not sure, but the messenger might seem more compassionate and sincere.

Image source.

Comms Around OpenAI Exec Departures

Three OpenAI leaders—the CTO and two research executives—join several others leaving the company just as it shifts from a nonprofit to a for-profit model. Students might analyze a resignation message and CEO Sam Altman’s response.

Most significant is Mira Murati’s resignation, posted on X. Murati is OpenAI’s CTO who, you might remember, was interim CEO for a hot minute when Altman was ousted for a weekend last year. Students might note that her post is entirely positive: She demonstrates grace and gratitude and mentions no company-related reason for leaving. But the three resignations came within hours of each other, and the timing is suspicious.

For his part, Altman responded in kind—with only good things to say about Murati’s leadership and contribution to the company during the past 6.5 years. But when he answers a question about the resignations during Italian Tech Week, he seems uneasy and a bit clumsy.

A Wall Street Journal article puts it plainly:

Turning OpenAI Into a Real Business Is Tearing It Apart

Executives and researchers have left this year amid disputes over the company’s values and fights among its leaders.

Do students buy Altman’s enthusiasm for the staffing change: “I have not been as involved in the tech recently as other things, because there's been so much going on, I'm excited to do that”? Feels like a stretch. But he did well transitioning to the company’s “new generation of leaders,” trying to refocus on the future.

Employee Engagement Example

Students might be interested to read about Prologis, profiled in a Wall Street Journal article. The communication lessons are useful for future company leaders.

Although not well known, the 2700-employee real-estate logistics company ranked seventh on the Drucker Institute’s Corporate Management Top 250 (shown in this clear but boring bar chart). Evaluating customer satisfaction, innovation, social responsibility, employee engagement and development, and financial strength, the index discovered model practices at Prologis. Here are a few that relate to business communication course content, mostly inspired by the chairman and CEO, Hamid Moghadam:

• Risk-taking. Risk is encouraged at Prologis, and Moghadam reflects on his experience: “I’ve never been told no.”

• Speaking up. “It’s safe,” he says, to offer suggestions.

• Initiative. Prologis ranks particularly high on these questions: “I have the authority I need to do my job” and “I’m empowered to make decisions to best serve my customers.”

• Regular meetings. Moghadam describes Monday Investment Committee meetings, which sound intense. He speaks last, and the VP of communications says, “He’s direct, and people love it.”

Students might relate these principles to their own experience. Reflecting on my experience in the academy, I wouldn’t use any of these descriptions. Other positive principles were at play, but not these.

Using AI To Take Meeting Minutes

Lance Cummings, at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, provides guidance for using AI to summarize meetings. Students might find his tips useful for team and club meetings and in the workplace.

Lance’s blog is a treasure trove of AI guidance, and this recent post is particularly useful for saving time and allowing the facilitator/host to listen more attentively during meetings. If you know Lance’s work, you know he encourages prompts that include task, context, and content criteria.

For meeting notes, he suggests providing AI with the agenda, notes, and the transcript. He highlights content during the meeting (he calls them “breadcrumbs”) for AI to improve the output. For example, you might say, “That’s an important point. Let me repeat it.”

Read more, including his full prompt that defines the audience and other expectations.

Image by freepik.

The Debate and BCom Principles

The U.S. Presidential Debate is ripe with topics to discuss in class. Without getting into political alignments, students can analyze the following:

• The initial greeting: VP Harris approached former President Trump to shake his hand. Was this a good choice? How did the greeting appear?

• Voice: VP Harris’s voice was unsteady at the beginning but improved during the debate. How did that affect her message?

• Presence and nonverbals: How did the candidates’ appearance affect their positions? Some commenters wondered how they would appear on stage because of their height difference—and cited evidence about past election winners. How did they compare?

• VP Harris’s “baiting”: Analysts said VP Harris baited Trump, for example, by talking about people leaving his rallies. They said this was intentional to rattle him, and that it worked—he became more emotional and said things that hurt his position. Did students detect this strategy when it happened?

• Gun ownership: VP Harris said that she and Governor Walz own guns. How would students verify this? What are they used for—and does that make a difference? What was the purpose of this statement?

• CNN verification: A couple of times, reporters contradicted claims on the spot (e.g., about pets and abortion extended beyond birth). How did students perceive these moderator interruptions? Did they seem fair or biased?

• Answering questions: VP Harris was asked about changing her positions, for example, on fracking. She evaded the question. How did her approach work?

• Audience: The debate was held in Pennsylvania. How did that audience affect what the candidates said? Did they adapt their message? Was that appropriate, given that no audience response was allowed and the program was televised nationally?

• Memes: What memes have students seen after the debate? How do they react to them? Are they funny? Do students believe they influence voters?

• Taylor Switch endorsement: How do students perceive Taylor Swift’s endorsement? Why did she choose the timing, approach, and signature line? What could be the effect?

• Winner: Who “won” the debate? What does it mean to win the debate? Will it matter for the voters who already have a preferred candidate—or for those who were undecided?

My hope is that these questions are neutral, but my own political views may have seeped in—and I understand this is a challenging class discussion. The Southeast region of the Association for Business Communication hosted a Teaching Circle for faculty to explore whether and how to discuss election communications in our classes. I presented with my Cornell colleague, David Lennox, and we’ll present at the Annual International Conference in October with Christy McDowell. More to come.

Image source.

Is Print Back? The J.Crew Catalog Is.

Inc. calls the return of J.Crew’s print catalog after seven years “old school” and “banal.” Students might relate to nostalgic brands and could expand their thinking about communication media choices.

Print rarely comes to mind as a go-to communication channel, but J.Crew is bucking a trend, hoping to attract new consumers. After filing for bankruptcy in 2020, sales are up, and the company is hoping they aren’t a fad like disposable cameras and vinyl records. The Inc. article explains the sales value of a catalog:

In 2023, direct mail advertising had the highest return on investment compared to other ad campaign mediums, including email and paid search. And increased privacy restrictions have made it harder—and therefore more expensive—for brands to see payoff from paid social campaigns.

Can students think of other ways to use print as a stand-out communication method? An interesting class exercise could invite students to observe print messages around campus: flyers, table cards, newspapers, etc. What is their value compared to online messages? How can print be part of a presentation—handouts, note cards, etc.?

The J.Crew catalog looks more like a magazine. Featuring people from the 80s like Demi Moore (do students know who she is?), it has a classic feel, which seems “old money” and attractive to young consumers. One page is titled, “At Home on the Coast,” and a collection is called “Sussex.” Sort-of related: This reminds me of the social media trend, “I’m looking for a man in finance, trust fund, 6’5”, blue eyes.” (More here.)

Poppi Soda's Prebiotic Claims

Students can analyze Poppi’s claims to see whether they pan out. Spoiler alert: You can find better ways of getting fiber into your diet than drinking soda.

Poppi’s marketing campaign embraces the "soda” label. If we believe the ads, Poppi has “none of the bad stuff.” Previously, the can label read, “Be Gut Happy (and) Be Gut Healthy.”

A lawsuit argues that Poppi is essentially sugary water. According to the plaintiffs, with only a few grams of prebiotics in each can, someone would need to drink multiple cans to get the dietary benefit. The sugar content, which is unhealthy and causes digestive issues for some people, offsets any potential benefits. To be fair, 5 grams of sugar is much better than the 39 grams in a Coke, but it’s still 5 grams more than, say, water.

The company responded:

We are proud of the Poppi brand and stand behind our products. We are on a mission to revolutionize soda for the next generation of soda drinkers, and we have diligently innovated to provide a tasting experience that millions of people have come to enjoy. We believe the lawsuit is baseless, and we will vigorously defend against these allegations.

Notice no mention of gut benefits in this statement—or in the ad, which is post-lawsuit. The suit is still pending, and Poppi may be downplaying previous claims, focusing instead on the taste, which is good. After all, it’s soda.

VP Harris Gives Presentation Advice

I’m looking for neutral (non-political) communications related to the U.S. presidential election and believe this fits. VP Kamala Harris offers young people advice about delivering a presentation.

In the video, VP Harris suggests, “It’s not about you.” Then she offers an analogy to the Titanic: If you’re the only one who knows the ship is sinking, you’re not going to worry about “how you look and how you sound.” It’s most important that people “know what you know.”

Clearly, she’s focusing on content, and I like the approach for these young people, who are typically self-obsessed. VP Harris is also offering a lesson in humility. (By the way, the girls are adorable in how they respond to her asking whether they learned about the Titanic. They launch into whether they saw the movie or it was their favorite—as though the Titanic is just a movie.)

Students could watch this clip and offer their own advice or analogies for young people to improve their public speaking. They also can use the tool I created, How To Feel Confident for a Presentation and Manage Speech Anxiety, to identify strategies to use before, during, and after a presentation.

Bud Light Ad, Demographics, and Visual

An AdAge article describes a new Bud Light ad and references a movie from the 70’s, raising questions about the target demographic.

The scene is a dean’s office, with a student being accused of plagiarism. The joke is that others admit to failings just to get a cold bottle of Bud Light.

The AdAge writer describes “a scene recalling Dean Wormer admonishing the Deltas in Animal House.” Although the movie is of my generation, I have no memory of that scene and wonder whether others do. It was a cult film at the time, but still, the cohort is in their 60s now. Maybe students know the movie—or think the ad is funny regardless.

Bud Light’s target demographic is younger, according to this report:

While among Baby Boomer beer drinkers Bud Light has a brand popularity score around 30 percent, it’s almost 40 percent among Gen Z consumers. Similarly, around 40 percent of Millennials have consumed Bud Light in the past 12 months, as compared to 24 percent of Baby Boomer respondents.

According to this Statista chart, Baby Boomers consume less Bud Light than the other demographic groups. Students might redesign the chart. To be fair, the main point isn’t about consumption but is about all key performance indicators (KPIs) of the brand. Still, one obvious problem with the chart is the similarity of colors, which makes them difficult to distinguish in the legend. We’re also missing the total, which is greyed out in the legend. In addition, students might question the order of the KPIs on the x-axis, which, at first glance, appear to be in rough numerical order, but that doesn’t hold when we see the Buzz group. Maybe a radar or bubble chart would work better—or at least a horizontal bar.

OOO Messages That Allow a Break

Out of office (OOO) messages are getting new attention, as people feel increasingly inundated with email and desperately need a break. Students can compare messages and draft one of their own.

Examples show how OOO communication objectives have changed. In the past, the main objective might have been be let people know we won’t respond in our typical timeframe; in other words, we managed their expectations while we were away. More recently, people want to manage expectations on their return; they won’t be responding to 1,000 emails on day 1. People also want to reduce the email they receive to avoid the onslaught when they do get back.

OOOs seem to be getting more personal too. In the past, we might read that someone’s “away" or “on vacation.” Today, it’s more likely to read what they’re up to, for example, why they’re away, where they are, and the importance of taking a relaxing break. These messages follow trends towards authenticity, including employees’ willingness to share more personal information.

I’m curious how these messages affect senders—and those away. Are fewer emails sent, or are they saved up for the person’s return? Or does someone (as I just did) write a long discussion thread post awaiting the person’s return? (My thinking is that it’s better to read one post than 15 emails. Right?)

Striking the right tone in OOO messages can be tough. Here’s one example:

I am out of the office having way more fun than communicating with you. I will likely forget to email you back.

Maybe students will have better ideas. Here are 100 examples, but students may want to identify their communication objectives first. If they want to ease the email burden before and immediately after their break, these need editing.

Zoom Leader Interview About Office Work

Zoom’s chief product officer supports meeting in person and shows how Zoom can help. The interview illustrates how company leaders keep their products relevant.

In a BBC interview, Smita Hashim explains that even Zoom employees work hybrid schedules. The article author explains the company’s goal:

According to the company, this means Zoom's business is about far more than video call. It wants to be regarded as a workplace company—and known for Zoom Workplace, its suite of collaborative tools.

Hashim knows she won’t convince people to WFH forever, so she needs to show the company’s adaptability. Her communication is best illustrated in the answer to this question:

How much is Zoom wanting to shake off the remote working tag? Do you want to be known more for hybrid working—or something else?

We love that Zoom is well known to so many, and they use us for connecting all the time. But we see the future of Zoom as really an AI-driven open collaboration platform that modernises the work experience. We've gone in this direction based on customer feedback. We've always had video calls, and built in phone infrastructure, chat capabilities and now Zoom AI Companion. Our AI works in the background to even recommend a desk for employees to sit near their teams for their office days.

That last sentence seems odd but is explained by Zoom’s new AI-enabled Intelligent Director. Cameras are placed around a room, so people sitting together at a table appear as though they’re on individual laptops. Seems weird. I’ve certainly been in meetings with people who are on laptops and Zoom, so the effect seems to be the same.

In addition to analyzing how well Hashim met her objectives, students might talk about how they have used Zoom in the office and how it could be used more effectively.

Image source.

New Starbucks CEO's Offer Letter, With Big Perks

A public filing shows students a sample executive offer letter. In this case, the new Starbucks CEO gets benefits that raise questions of integrity.

Earlier, I wrote about the GLAAD executive chief’s benefits—in the $25,000 range for a summer place. Starbucks is grappling with optics on a different scale: a 1,000-mile commute for the CEO, which runs counter to the company’s sustainability image. A company spokesperson confirmed that Brian Niccol, rather than relocate, will make the trek from his home in California to Seattle three days a week, which is required by the company’s hybrid work policy.

Niccol’s offer letter indicates a $1.6 million annual salary, up to $7.2 million in bonuses, and up to $23 million in stock. All that isn’t (perhaps shockingly) outlandish considering other CEOs’ compensation. But the environmental impact is an issue of integrity. The company is making a big, visible decision inconsistent with its stated values. “Planet” is featured prominently on the Starbucks website and includes this promise:

Our vision for the future is to become resource positive—giving back more than we take from the planet. And we know we can’t do it alone. It takes all of us.

Does “all” include the CEO?

The Value of MBWA for Students to Consider

Managing By Walking Around (MBWA) is getting new attention because of a field study at a Latin American bank. The authors conclude what business communicators know: It’s good for managers to actually speak with their employees.

A concept from the 1980s, MBWA means leaving one’s office and visiting employees throughout the workspace. This study found positive results; as one author says, “The pattern of our results points to MBWA working through improved employee motivation, instead of any monitoring or employee learning effects.”

The study methodology and conclusions raise a lot of questions for me. But a useful class discussion might focus on students’ reflections on management behavior in past jobs and internships. Did they appreciate a manager’s presence? Under what conditions did visits improve or decrease their motivation? What did the manager do—speak informally with employees, or just walk around? Did the manager’s personality or the student’s relationship with the manager affect how they perceived the visit? What if a manager spends time with some employees but not others?

In addition, how could MBWA be replicated in a virtual environment? I don’t know anyone who likes surprise Zoom or Team meetings. But, how else can managers “pop in” on employees to demonstrate support and reinforce good performance rather than appearing to monitor or criticize?

Image source.

GLAAD and Crisis Management

GLAAD, an LGBTQ advocacy nonprofit, is in the news because of the chief executive’s “lavish spending.” With a particular eye on the nonprofit organization, an article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review highlights what we teach in crisis communication classes.

Joan Gerry, a nonprofit leadership expert and coach, uses the GLAAD example to remind nonprofit leaders, including boards of directors, how to avoid similar crises. She offers advice in the the following areas:

1. The media loves scandals … and if you take on the powerful, prepare for backlash.

2. All decisions have optics. Optics matter.

3. Building leadership is about more than one person.

4. Board members must understand their role, and be ready to play it.

What differs in Gerry’s advice for nonprofits compared to for-profit businesses is that they often operate from a place of scarcity. For example, executive director recruitment may be more difficult, so extravagant packages may be offered. In addition, what might be commonplace in a for-profit company’s CEO package is scrutinized in a nonprofit leader’s package. The contrast between a staff member’s benefits and clients’/recipients’ needs can seem shocking. The disparity makes the “optics” worse for nonprofit leaders and raises questions of integrity.

Crisis Comms Around Food Bank's Meth Candy

A New Zealand food bank unknowingly distributed candy with high concentrations of methamphetamine to local families. Students can analyze crisis messages from the organization and the candy manufacturer.

The Auckland City Mission has a clear, short message on its home page:

The organization is also reaching out to the 400 or so people who received the candy, which was likely part of a drug smuggling scheme. Fortunately, the “candy” tasted so bad that people spit it out immediately; still, three people were hospitalized.

For its part, the candy manufacturer, Rinda, published a statement on its website (text below). The message meets its objectives, which students might identify as expressing sympathy, maintaining the company’s reputation, and distancing itself from the incident. However, the message is bare-bones, as these go. It sounds corporate, meaning I don’t read it as an authentic recognition of harm done—it protects the company primarily.

Beginning with “Statement from Rinda…” and “the safety and well-being of our consumers is our highest priority,” the message might cause immediate eye-rolling. “It has come to our attention” removes the possibility of any potential emotion on the part of company leaders and leaves us feeling as though they are checking a box—writing a statement after consulting with their team of lawyers. As they admit, they want to “protect the integrity of our brand.” Well, of course. No one faults them for that, but they don’t have to say it explicitly.

Instead, they could show a little compassion for people who are unhoused and food insecure, some of whom have addiction issues. These families seek support and care from the Auckland City Mission, which also suffered reputational damage. Can people trust the organization to give them food that’s safe? Maybe, in addition to upholding its own brand, Rinda could include a statement for the agency as well.

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Here’s the statement text:

Statement from Rinda Food Industries Sdn Bhd

At Rinda Food Industries Sdn Bhd, the safety and well-being of our consumers is our highest priority. It has come to our attention through recent news reports in New Zealand that our products may have been misused in connection with illegal substances, specifically methamphetamine. We want to make it clear that Rinda Food Industries does not use or condone the use of any illegal drugs in our products.

We recognize the seriousness of this situation and understand the concerns it raises. We believe that the New Zealand authorities are currently conducting an investigation into this matter, we will work closely with law enforcement and relevant authorities to address this issue and protect the integrity of our brand. Our company is dedicated to ensuring that our products meet the highest safety and regulatory standards.

We encourage anyone with information related to this situation to contact us directly or to reach out to the appropriate authorities.

Yelp Exec on AI and Authenticity

An interview with Yelp’s Chief Product Officer offers an example of an executive positioning his company in light of AI advances.

Craig Saldanha begins with a clear objective—to focus on the core business success:

Just to set the table, our stated mission hasn’t changed. Our goal is to connect consumers with great local businesses, and that hasn’t changed over time. 

Then he achieves the following:

• Explains the company’s early adoption of AI (which any business leader will say and is true—at a basic level)

• Describes how newer (generative) AI improves the customer experience, particularly in parsing reviews and search

• Reinforces Yelp Assistant, a new voice technology to connect consumers and businesses (video of Saldanha here)

• Assures customers of human reviews and connection

His examples illustrate each point well. However, he claims they’re using generative AI to help people write reviews:

we are now using AI — and specifically Gen AI — to give you gentle nudges and prompts to help you remember what made your experience special. So as you’re typing, if you talk about the ambience, it will give you a little tag that says, “You’ve checked off the ambience, now you can talk about the service, you can talk about the food, etc.” We’ve rolled this out for restaurants, we’re rolling this out for other categories. That really helps with the depth and the quality of the reviews.

The support is minimal. I started typing a review, and yes, a little green box shows when I mention service, but that’s it. I don’t suppose that people want more guidance, particularly to avoid misleading, inauthentic reviews. But why mention it? Saldanha has stronger points, including upcoming features, for example, the ability to find a business based on a photo or video.

Overall, Saldanha does what we expect an executive to do. He represents the business well.

Proposed New Rules on Political Robocalls and Texts

The Federal Communications Commission is proposing tighter guidelines for AI-generated political campaign messages. Students can identify the objectives and assess whether they think the plan will work.

With the U.S. presidential election three months away, candidates are sending more robocalls and robotexts. According to FCC rules, these require consent, but messages sent manually do not.

New proposed FCC guidelines include the following areas:

The proposal seeks comment on the definition of AI-generated calls, requiring callers to disclose their use of AI-generated calls and text messages, supporting technologies that alert and protect consumers from unwanted and illegal AI robocalls, and protecting positive uses of AI to help people with disabilities utilize the telephone networks.

Of particular interest to the FCC are technologies used to mislead, for example, voice cloning and caller ID spoofing, which falsifies a caller’s origin.

Citizens can eliminate (or maybe just reduce) unwanted calls:

• Reply “STOP”

• Forward texts to 7726 (or "SPAM")

• Silence unknown callers

• Report texts as junk

I’ve been doing the latter on political texts to no avail. I imagine that robotext comes from a different source, so my efforts are equal to deleting each without the “report junk” part.

Students might have other ideas and their own experiences to share. Do they get a barrage of messages? Are they concerned about election misinformation?

Image source.

Google Pulls Gemini Ad

Google's decision to pull its Gemini ad offers lessons for how students might interact with LLMs. The big question is, Does the girl need help?

In the ad, which is still on YouTube but no longer runs during the Olympic games, a father asks Gemini (formerly Bard) to help his daughter write an appreciation letter to U.S. hurdler and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Professor of Advanced Media Shelly Palmer's blog post explains the many issues with the Gemini ad. The post itself is an argument students can analyze. To me, his most influential point is the overstatement of LLMs' ability to convey human thoughts and feelings—and a lack of confidence in a young girl's ability to express herself without the help of technology. As Palmer says, "Give me a heartfelt message over a grammatically correct, AI generated message any day."

In response to controversy, a Google representative said, “We believe that AI can be a great tool for enhancing human creativity, but can never replace it. Our goal was to create an authentic story celebrating Team USA,” and “While the ad tested well before airing, given the feedback, we have decided to phase the ad out of our Olympics rotation.” We don’t hear a lot of regret, apology, or learning from this response. I wonder how the disconnect happened between the ad testing and public response. That is one lesson Google could take away from the incident.

20-Something Hiring in Radar Charts

Students might be interested in seeing their employment potential in radar charts. Not a traditional type of business chart (i.e., line, bar, or pie), a radar chart shows multiple data points and is visually interesting.

A Wall Street Journal article presents radar charts to illustrate job and financial prospects in four parts of the United States: Northeast, Midwest, West, and South. For their favorite city, students will want to see a large, equilateral triangle reaching high percentages in all three areas—wages, hiring, and affordability.

The visuals are easy to understand and compare—within a region. Because different regions are in different tabs, users can’t see cites across the United States side by side.

The article starts, “Go South, young grad,” but that conclusion isn’t immediately clear from the layout. Still, the points are clear—and students might be interested in data.