A blog about public relations may not be the first place you’d turn for inspiration. That’s Oprah’s realm, right? Well I beg to differ.
You see, words are powerful. They can inspire you to do great things. They can change your mood and change your mind. They can introduce you to new people, or help you see old friends in a new light. There’s really no end to what a few well said (or written) words can accomplish.
PR people know that, possibly better than anyone. After all, we try to use words to our best advantage every day. Today I woke up to a great story on NPR about unlikely word origins. It started me thinking about just how much I enjoy words, and especially finding the ones that will inspire others to take action.
That’s why a list of inspiring words is a perfect fit for a PR blog. So here’s a list of five words that I find inspiring and that I enjoy working into my writing at every opportunity.
1. Intuitive. For me, this word has all kinds of great associations with things that work. Is there anything more inspiring than something that does its job easily and well?
2. Animated. It makes me think of all the wonderful people I know who can’t talk without using their hands. And of course there are all the good associations with cartoons, too.
3. Eponymous. To be honest, I just like the way it sounds. Unfortunately, R.E.M. isn’t a client, so I don’t get to use it very often.
4. Complementary. Isn’t it inspiring to think about things that seem destined to go together? Maybe that’s why I’m such a sucker for Reese’s.
5. Pithy. I had to balance out all these long words with a good short one. And it’s inspiring because it’s something I strive for in my writing.
What’s on your list?

As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Matt helps organizations protect and advance their reputations and bottom lines through strategic communications programs. Using creativity, planning and flawless execution, he works with a team to deliver compelling public relations campaigns that produce results and support clients’ business objectives.
As senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman specializes in building and maintaining relationships with the media and has an excellent track record of landing significant placements in print and broadcast media including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Money Magazine.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.
