Reading time: Less than 1 minute ‘Avoid jargon,’ corporate writers are often told. My advice regarding jargon is a lot more specific than that… Does jargon ever have a place in corporate communications? You might be surprised to hear me answer ‘yes.’ But let me quickly define exactly what I […]
What’s the use of jargon? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about two metaphors from Steven Galloway…. I read the Steven Galloway novel The Cellist of Sarajavo in 2013 and found it slow going. Set in Bosnia, in the 1990s,
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Reading time: Just over 1 minute Increase your vocabulary and you’ll make your writing much more precise. That’s why I provide a word of the week. Today’s word: tycoon. Right now I’m reading the non-fiction book, In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides. (Thanks so much to the reader who recommended it.) It tells
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a New York Times article written by Marilyn Katzman… I admit it: Jargon makes me crazy.
Are you baffled by buzzwords? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute Email is fast and efficient, but it also comes with risks. If you’re a smart communicator, you’ll be wary of the shortcomings of email… If you work in communications, email is likely your superhighway. You use it to connect with clients, coworkers, media outlets
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a simile from Martin Cruz Smith… I read, a lot — a minimum of 52 books each year. (See my latest summary here.) That’s why I find it
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Reading time: Less than one minute Increase your vocabulary and you’ll make your writing much more precise. That’s why I provide a word of the week. Today’s word: celerity… While on holiday last weekend I was reading a novel that I’d describe as chic lit meets the Da Vinci Code. Not
What does celerity mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Video: Just under 7 minutes Have you ever struggled with mindmapping? Here is a video, and a post, designed to teach you how to create a mindmap… Like a cardiologist who see nothing but hearts with problems — and therefore finds them easier to
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss an article written by William Novak….. I’m always interested in the ego of writers. Thus, when
Where walls are lined with shimmering new books… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes When people are busy they sometimes feel as though they don’t have time to plan. Here’s why that idea is so wrong-headed… If you work in media relations, I know you’re busy. This is not so much because I know the field to be
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