STORYtoolz's facts & figures make copy more readable Plug in a chunk of copy, and STORYtoolz’s Readability Statistics will run it through seven readability indexes. The free online readability calculator also delivers a wealth of other readability information — 34 pieces of data in all, from your longest sentence length to the number of “to be” verbs. From words per … [Read more...] about Strength in numbers
Archives for April 2012
6 words about writing
Readers offer super-short tips Last month, in honor of Students First's six-word essay contest to best describe what it means to be a great teacher, we asked readers to send us their writing tips in six words. Here are the best of the bunch. “Dump. Cut. Cut. Cut. Cut. Enjoy.” — Ned Mann, Media Relations professional at Chubb Executive Risk Inc. “Long, dangly … [Read more...] about 6 words about writing
Make the medicine go down
Graphic storytelling gets patients to follow their RXs Women in rural Cameroon took 90% of the pills they were prescribed after seeing illustrated instructions. Those who received only verbal instructions took just 78% of the pills they were supposed to take. That's according to a 1997 study by L.N. Ngoh and M.D. Shepherd. For the study, the researchers gave … [Read more...] about Make the medicine go down
Writing in the wrong direction
PR pros give young professionals a failing grade Public relations supervisors give entry-level PR pros a failing grade in writing. In response, the supervisors plan to lower their expectations. That's according to a 2010 study (PDF) by researchers at Michigan State University and Calgary's Mount Royal University. In the study, more than 950 members of the Public … [Read more...] about Writing in the wrong direction
Ann’s touring schedule
Polish your skills at one of these events Alas, I can’t invite you to the in-house seminars I present for private organizations. But everyone’s invited to these upcoming public seminars in: Austin, Texas, on April 19-20: Best Practices in PR Writing, a half-day pre-conference session, and Think Like a Reporter, a one-hour breakout session, for Ragan’s Practical PR … [Read more...] about Ann’s touring schedule