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Archives for October 2011

Paint the schnauzer

Find examples to illustrate your point The other day, I was brainstorming with clients for ways to make this abstract lead more concrete: “As the weather warms up and the end of the school year looms, a familiar dread emerges among parents of preteens, middle schoolers and high school students: What will keep their children busy this summer?” To make an abstract idea … [Read more...] about Paint the schnauzer

Get to the verb faster

Avoid long parenthetical phrases Quick! Where’s your verb? For clarity’s sake, put it near the front of your sentence, right after your subject. It’s harder to follow sentences with delayed verbs, like this one, where the verb doesn’t show up until 28 words in: “The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), one of the largest mutual life insurers and a … [Read more...] about Get to the verb faster

Banish the grammar police

Don’t let the editor in When I started writing this piece, I wasn’t sure how to spell Robert Cormier’s last name, and I didn’t know what he’d written. But if I’d stopped writing long enough to hunt down his credentials and to confirm that Cormier isn’t spelled with a “U,” I would have made the transition from writer to editor. When you’re freewriting, don’t stop to look … [Read more...] about Banish the grammar police

Go social for PR

Journalist shares which tool to use for what Which social media channel works best for private communications with journalists and bloggers? Which for time-sensitive announcements? And which should you never, ever use? Robert Niles, founder and editor of “Theme Park Insider,” shares his insights on which tool is best for which PR function: Twitter for announcing … [Read more...] about Go social for PR

Ann’s running out of time

Time to book 1st quarter 2012 workshops Have you been thinking about bringing me in for a writing workshop early next year? If so, let’s act fast. I ran out of 2011 workshop dates in August this year — several months earlier than usual. (Thank you to all those of you who brought and are bringing me in to work with some fabulous communicators in fascinating organizations … [Read more...] about Ann’s running out of time

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Jan. 31, 2025

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