Reading time: Just over 1 minute Writing about science is not easy but at least it’s logical. The main point to understand is the the absence of a study never proves anything…. I was on holiday for much of August so I didn’t have time to weigh in on the dental floss brouhaha when it was […]
How not to write about science Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute Not all copying is dishonest and a bad idea (as in the photograph, above). If you do it right, the value of copying can be enormous… When I edited a cookbook more than three decades ago — my first entry into the professional book publishing business — I learned
Why you should copy others Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Do you need to sell someone with your writing? Here’s how a Venn diagram can help you… I was working with a client this morning who needs to make a big “ask” of some potential funders. For reasons of client confidentiality I can’t give you the details, but I can
How to make your writing more persuasive Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes I didn’t get to travel when I was young because I had to work at a family business. Nor did I get the chance when I had my own family, because my kids were triplets. I’m making up for lost time now… I’m hoping you didn’t realize I’ve been
Cooking lessons from the heart of Italy Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Does your company need some communications training? Here’s how to hire a trainer… I’m negotiating with a potential client right now about delivering a series of communications workshops. Today, I thought, we might be getting close to signing a final contract. Instead, I learned, they’re feeling jittery. And they have
How to find a communications trainer Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Have you ever faced the challenge of serving different audiences with your writing? Here’s how I handle that… When our children were about five years old, we started priming them for a key duty. We wanted them to throw us a party for our 25th wedding anniversary in 2014. We
How to give readers their just desserts Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute If you were asked to come up with a creative way of communicating about a deadly virus would the idea of an ebola song ever have occurred to you? The hottest pop song in Liberia right now goes by the title “Ebola is Real.” Not surprising, perhaps, given the devastating impact of that
Ebola song is real… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes When I say there’s value in writers collaborating I DON’T mean “writing together” as Google suggests. I’m referring to a more generic type of collaborating — more like helping and supporting each other. My kids inducted me into the Nerdfighters club, curated and executed by best-selling author John Green and his
The surprise value in collaborating as writers Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Over the last two weeks, I’ve written about why and how to paraphrase. If the thought of this still makes you nervous, here’s a guide to a faster, better approval process from the people you’ve interviewed… Many corporate communicators go crazy with what’s known, euphemistically, as the “approval process.” Usually, a
My ninja secrets to a faster, better approval process Read More »
Are your communications strategies so antique they belong in the Edwardian England of Downtown Abbey? Remember: you need to adapt with the times… I recently had lunch with a colleague — a senior vice-president — and heard her confession that she had just “unlocked” the privacy settings on her business-related Twitter account. “My communications people
Don’t “Downton Abbey” your communications Read More »
