Love it or hate it, email is a fundamental part of the way we communicate at work. Here are five ways to streamline your email writing. 1. Be purposeful. Knowing why you’re writing is almost more important than what you’re writing. Do you want to inform the recipient, persuade them of something, ask for something, […]
READ MOREWe Need to Talk about Thought Leadership
It’s time. Gather around, public relations practitioners and other marketing types. Bring your friends in content, and while you’re about it, bring the journalists and editors too. We need to have a serious talk about thought leadership. Why? Because for a term that is bandied about with reckless abandon, there is very little consensus about […]
READ MOREHey, Boss? After you…
Many of the requests I get for writing training start with, “My boss says I need to learn some writing skills.” Once these people are on my course, however, I start to feel the pushback: “If I write like that, my boss will kill me!” Many of our ideas about business writing are rooted in […]
READ MOREWhy I’m not ‘a natural’ when it comes to writing
From time to time I produce content for a client that gets feedback along the lines of, “You’re a natural!” Or, “Wow! You’re so talented!” There’s always a faint air of suprise at my ability to express what they want to say in exactly the right words, or admiration at my “gift”. This is like […]
READ MOREBad Business Writing And Your Bottom Line
What’s the first thing that tells you you’ve just received email from a spammer? Well, maybe you haven’t entered the British lottery, or you bank with a different institution. But there are also all kinds of clues in the writing. Often tehre are errors and poor language use. Web credibility research out of Stanford University […]
READ MOREWhy lack of transformation is negatively affecting your company’s publicity
Companies who are hoping to position themselves as market leaders would do well to look at the diversity of their companies, and ensure their spokespeople are representative of South Africa’s people. Twenty-four years after apartheid fell, as a journalist I still struggle to find sources – particularly in big corporations – who are people of colour. […]
READ MOREHow Feedback Helps Your Remote Worker
The gig economy is the future, we’re told. I’ve been an active part of this economy for just over two decades, and there are two major skills required to make this work. The first is being able to give a clear brief, and the second is the ability to give feedback. Part of the reason many […]
READ MOREBefore you decide to do a newsletter…
So, you’ve decided your company needs a newsletter. You’d like to connect with your clients and customers, keep them updated about innovations or changes at your firm, and you think a newsletter would tick several of those boxes. I’ve worked with several companies on their newsletters, and we always run up against the same obstacles. […]
READ MOREWhy I Deleted Your Press Release Today
Dear Pee Arr I hope this letter finds you well. Actually, I don’t really – I haven’t even met you – but since you always start off that way, I thought I’d do it too. So look, I love you, really I do. Some of my best friends are Pee Arrs. But we need to […]
READ MOREWriting Short
“I’m sorry this letter is so long; I didn’t have time to write a short one,” is a quote variously attributed to Cicero, Blaise Pascal and Mark Twain. Whoever said it hit the nail on the head – writing something short that has both impact and depth of content is much more difficult than banging […]
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