Are your sentence lengths starting to feel bloated? Starting to feel like your writing is a steady diet of junk? Maybe it’s time you put your writing through a little physical fitness to trim the fat.
Here are three ways to put your writing through a workout routine. The best part about this routine? No monthly fees. No memberships. No cardio required. No sweat. Sounds like a breeze? Give it a try and measure your results.
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Thing: An unspecified object or item (Oxford Dictionary)
Want to frustrate your readers or listeners? Tell them about things. Lots of things. Like that thing you did last weekend. Or that thing that drives you crazy. Or maybe it’s a thing you’ve been thinking about doing for months.
Here’s the thing: Unless you elaborate, nobody has a clue about the thing.
I think.
We all use these two words. Over and over again. I use them too. Darn, it’s hard to break habits of vocabulary. But let’s try.
When being interviewed by media, the purpose is to find out what you think. So, you don’t need to begin sentences with “I think.”
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I’ve seen some really, really bad cover letters over the years. But there’s one that has stood out as a terrific educational tool for helping others gain insight into what not to put in a cover letter. It’s an incredible example of how words can obliterate personal branding. I say personal branding because, after all, even a cover letter is your opportunity to build your brand and make someone want to grab hold of you — or at least want to meet you to learn more.
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We all make mistakes. Some are embarrassing. Others are just downright sloppy. Either way, they happen. Some people like to hide their mistakes or never admit to making mistakes. Since this entry isn’t about Mr. and Ms. Perfect, we’ll leave that topic for another day. Instead, let’s agree that few people are perfect and the smartest people acknowledge that lessons are learned every day. Approach every project, task or assignment as a learning experience and you’ll take something away that will serve you very well in the future.
You have less than 30 seconds to capture the attention of a reader. If you fail, the reader will put down your news release, or worse, throw it in the waste basket. When that happens, all the time you’ve spent creating the news release is a waste too. Here are 10 tips to give your news releases instant readability: [Read more...]
At one time or another, we’re all called upon to write. Maybe it’s a brief summary to an internal manager. Or maybe it’s a news release to partners or customers. Perhaps it’s a corporate newsletter or press release. Whatever the medium, the writing matters.
Here are 10 simple steps to ensure your writing is readable and efficient:
