Wylie's Writing Tips

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How to communicate during the pandemic

7 ways to write better — and stay connected — in tough times

Here are 7 tips for communicating — and keeping it together — during the COVID-19 pandemic:

  1. Struggling to keep up with all of the coronavirus messaging you need to produce? This writing process will help you write better, easier and faster. (Now more than ever, don’t skip step 3!)
  2. A friend writes to his team: “Does anyone know what the heck this headline or first paragraph actually MEAN? Don’t write like this. Ever. For anyone. Just say what you mean. If you string buzzwords together like this, I swear I’ll break quarantine to come slap you!”
  3. The key to writing crisis communications is to keep them simple — short messages, short paragraphs, short sentences, short words. These tips will help.
  4. Get free crisis communications resources — including a webinar series called Communicating in a Time of Covid-19 — from PRSA.
  5. Does your governor’s stay-at-home order mean you finally have time to work on that big writing project? Before pushing Send on your new creation, try my four favorite tools for measuring readability.
  6. How can you stay connected while sheltering in place? GM Financial’s Global Internal Communications team had a virtual coffee break Friday afternoon — kids, spouses and pets included. They sang “Happy Birthday” and shared jokes and smiles across the miles. It was a fun way to wrap up the workweek and kick off a weekend full of social distancing. How are you keeping your team members connected? Please reply with your tips.
  7. I’m spending my time at home writing for PRSA, presenting online workshops and cooking up a storm. My favorite from-the-pantry recipe: Combine a jar of oil-packed tuna, a drained and rinsed can of white beans, 1/3 cup of diced sundried tomatoes, ¼ cup of fresh minced basil leaves (or use a paste), 1/3 cup of balsamic dressing, maybe some salt and pepper. There’s Lunch 1. What’s for Lunch 2?

Please let me know what you need from me during the pandemic. I’ll try to address your needs in the next installment.

In the meantime, stay safe and have fun!