ceremony, usually undertaken at age 13 but one that can be studied for at any point later in life if it was missed at 13). As a follow-up, the rabbi The human instinct to respond to the new and unusual is something that we as communicators have to work around. How do we best engage our audiences on a subject that's not new – a fundraising appeal for an existing program; an overview brochure on a service organization that's been around for fifty years, with pretty much the same focus; or marketing services that we've offered for over a decade?

I've been doing a lot of thinking on this issue and was amazed when my rabbi sermonized on the same topic last Saturday. We had just witnessed a wonderful adult bat mitzvah (a Jewish coming of age ceremony, usually undertaken at age 13 but one that can be studied for at any point later in life if it was missed at 13). As a follow-up, the rabbi t

a subject that's not new – a fundraising appeal for an existing program; an overview brochure on a service organization that's been around for fifty years, with pretty much the same focus; or marketing services that we've offered for over a decade?

I've been doing a lot of thinking on this issue and was amazed when my rabbi sermonized on the same topic last Saturday. We had just witnessed a wonderful adult bat mitzvah (a Jewish coming of age ceremony, usually undertaken at age 13 but one that can be studied for at any point later in life if it was missed at 13). As a follow-up, the rabbi

ears, with pretty much the same focus; or marketing services that we've offered for over a decade?

I've been doing a lot of thinking on this issue and was amazed when my rabbi sermonized on the same topic last Saturday. We had just witnessed a wonderful adult bat mitzvah (a Jewish coming of age ceremony, usually undertaken at age 13 but one that can be studied for at any point later in life if it was missed at 13). As a follow-up, the rabbi

ue and was amazed when my rabbi sermonized on the same topic last Saturday. We had just witnessed a wonderful adult bat mitzvah (a Jewish coming of age ceremony, usually undertaken at age 13 but one that can be studied for at any point later in life if it was missed at 13). As a follow-up, the rabbi ceremony, usually undertaken at age 13 but one that can be studied for at any point later in life if it was missed at 13). As a follow-up, the rabbi talked about the power of opportunities (like a bat mitzvah) that enable us to look at things in a new way. He ran through the list of occasions – bar or bat mitzvah, new year or month, birthday, anniversary, religious new year as well as changes in job, family, location – that enable us to see things differently, to re-orient ourselves.

Since such occasions do not always occur naturally, we have to motivate ourselves to look at our organizations or clients in a new way so that we are able to communicate in a fresher (and more relevant) way. Here are a few ways to do so:

• Put your