I wrote this tale of intrigue and academia for the St. Ambrose University alumni magazine, the Scene. It’s a good example of the kind of interviewing, research, writing and editing that you can count on from Flansburg-Sivell Communications!
How to Succeed as a Public Speaker
I speak in public - and teach public speaking - for a living. You’d never have guessed it from my childhood and young adulthood, though. The first time I appeared in front of an audience, I turned my back to the crowd and delivered my lines to the curtain. I was in kindergarten, but still. …
Introducing Elizabeth Flansburg, Legal Communications Strategist
When I was a child, I wanted to be a lawyer, a reporter or a spy. As an adult I achieved all of those goals (although most of the spying was done on my kids when they were up to no good). I’m not the only journalist turned lawyer. But I’m one of only a few who honed those skills under some of the best journalists in the trade…
How to Treat Empty-House Syndrome
One of my favorite clients has some advice to share for anyone who is sick of looking at their same old stuff!
Choosing the Right Direction
We all have times when we feel ... unsettled. Off-kilter. Uncertain. Sometimes we know what’s causing our unease, but not always. Maybe we feel just feel agitated and unable to settle down. Maybe we have suffered a loss or are facing hard times and don’t know what to do. Maybe we long for something more, but don’t know what it could be.
Wisdom figures from ancient times to the present suggest such feelings point to deep questions in our lives, questions of purpose, path, and next steps.
Accepting Change … and Growing
Sister Jozefa Seskar was 14 years old when the Nazis showed up on her family’s farm in Slovenia. Reacting quickly, she climbed a tree to hide. Although she escaped capture that day, her ordeal had just begun. It lasted for years.
Rolling into Surgery: One Woman’s Hip Replacement Journey
By Day #3 post-op, Saint (Husband) Alan was grumbling I hate feet as he jabbed a towel at my wet toes after my shower. By Day #5, he tossed a sock at me and said, Put it on yourself. Well. I couldn’t. I had just had a hip replacement. That said, I could maybe have been just a tiny bit less demanding. (He is a saint, after all. Just ask him!)
Girls in Science: Cool & Helpful
Ashley studied her father as he drilled, sawed and soldered in his Texas workshop. She sat as close as she could without getting in the way, asking questions and helping when invited. By the time she was 10 years old, she knew what she wanted to do when she grew up. Build things.
Who are Your Wisdom Figures?
Early on in my career as communications director for a wonderful community of Benedictine Sisters, I had difficulty coming up with stories to write for their newsletter. My then-prioress, Sister Phyllis McMurray, suggested I write about wisdom figures.
Opting to Age in Place? Smart Homes will Help!
Mrs. Creeger needs a smart home. Like anyone, she wants to live life on her own terms, which - in her case - means getting the spices she needs to cook with. Trouble is, her arthritis has gotten so bad that she can no longer reach higher than the first shelf in her kitchen, and the spices are on the top shelf. She needs a safe way to retrieve them, because climbing on a chair is a recipe for disaster.
Telling Stories that Matter
I met Michele last week during an interview for a client’s end-of-year appeal letter. We had a lively phone conversation, full of laughter. The laughter ended, though, as she shared her story. It was why I had called her.
How Benedictine Spirituality Lighted My Way Forward
I wonder how long this will take, I thought. I’m hungry. This was not my finest moment: it was uttered – silently, thank God – two hours before my mother would die.
Exposed: Feeling Like a Pretender
“Imposter Syndrome” affects up to 70% of people at some point in their lives. Here’s a quiz to take to find out if you have it.
The Wisdom of the Yews
The first snowfall of the season has weighted down the branches of the rangy yews along the north side of the house. Those branches have been bent before, and considerably. They remind me of the adage that we must learn to bend, so that we do not break.
Missing Sister Marilyn
I lost a great friend recently. Sister Marilyn Ring was warm, welcoming, generous, wise and loving. She never said no to a cup of coffee and a chat. She was what another Benedictine friend calls an Amma. Mother.
How Cats (Nearly) Ruined Everything
There must be more abrupt ways to end a meditation session. But I haven’t experienced any.
FSC Helps Launch New QC Nonprofit
When Alan Sivell and I launched Flansburg-Sivell Communications, we decided to gift our skills and talents to one nonprofit a year. This year’s organization was Quad Cities Yoga Foundation, a wonderful choice.
What to Do - and NOT to Do - as You Compete for Google Rankings
I just returned from a conference in Arizona. It was good to see old friends, and great to learn - and be reminded of - some key things. Here’s one of the most important:
Helping Others See what You See
It’s a steep hill to climb, to help others see things the way you see them.
Making a Difference, One Appeal at a Time
Last winter I was asked to write an appeal letter for University of Utah Health’s transplant program. I interviewed a patient who had already received 2 kidney transplants. He was only 33 years old.