Ann Melinger
Senior Communications Strategist
Ann has long been intrigued by the power of words to persuade, inspire and motivate people. After studying writing and communications in grade school and college, she is thrilled to have found a career that allows her to harness the power of words every day. Read More »
Ann has spent her career helping companies communicate effectively with their most important audience – their employees. As part of the Brilliant Ink team, she’s worked on employee communications programs for clients including Cord Blood Registry, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Novo Nordisk. She’s also led the development of Brilliant Ink’s writing workshops designed to help companies improve their peoples’ writing skills.
Prior to joining Brilliant Ink, Ann was a vice president with communications consultancy Insidedge, where she led the development of employee communications programs for companies including Bristol Myers Squibb, the Dow Chemical Company, the Federal Aviation Administration and Quest Diagnostics. Ann has also worked for Fleishman Hillard and GCI BoxenbaumGrates, where she provided consulting and writing services for a broad range of clients including Dell, The Coca-Cola Company, Principal Financial Group and General Motors. During her time at GCI BoxenbaumGrates, Ann worked closely with the firm’s senior leadership to develop a graduate-level employee communications course at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communication.
Ann graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University with a dual bachelor’s degree in public relations and policy studies. She lives in New York City with her husband, Dan, and their son, Jack.
“There is no such thing as an attention span. People have infinite attention if you are entertaining them.” — Jerry Seinfeld
This insightful quote comes from a recent PC World article about whether the web is dumbing us down. We’ve all heard the argument that in this world of webisodes and Tweet-sized content, our online attention span is short at best. But this article asserts – correctly, in my opinion – that while people do skim online content very quickly, they actually spend more time reading content than offline readers once they’ve found something that interests them.
The article goes on to challenge anyone writing online content to ensure everything they’re producing ... Read more »
Back in December 2008, we lamented the annoying AP Stylebook rule about how to properly write “Web site.” This seems to be a huge point of contention for many in our industry. I’ve heard it come up in conversation countless times, and when teaching a writing course that includes a section on AP Style, several people have told me this is their biggest pet peeve.
Well, it seems the folks at AP finally heeded our call. Earlier this week, the AP Stylebook announced it was officially changing the rule – changing “Web site” to “website” – in response to reader feedback. The change went into effect immediately on Stylebook Online and ... Read more »
Anne Frank
Here on the Brilliant Blog, we are commemorating Women’s History Month by sharing our thoughts on some of the women who inspire us.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved writing. And that passion was certainly inspired in no small part by Anne Frank. I read the Diary of Anne Frank when I was 13 years old – around the same age of its eponymous author. Of course, I was moved by the story of a young girl and her family as they hid from the Nazis and were eventually captured. But more than that, I was inspired by the words of a young girl who used writing as ... Read more »
Are you still reading? Unfortunately, those opening words often cause readers’ eyes to glaze over.
This time of year, many companies are working on their annual reports, one important element of which is the “Dear Shareholder” letter. The purpose of this letter is to summarize the past year, highlight key milestones and preview what’s ahead. The challenge is to tell a story that is compelling, engaging and most importantly, inspires confidence in the organization. Not an easy task, but keeping a few important best practices in mind can greatly improve your “Dear Shareholder” letter:
Be concise – This seems to be a huge challenge for many companies. Yes, it’s tough to summarize ...
Read more »
Here on the Brilliant Blog, we periodically take time on Fridays to celebrate some of our favorite words. You know the kind – those words that just feel good rolling off your tongue, but that you never seem to find enough opportunities to use. We always get great feedback on these posts, but we need your help to keep them going. Please tell us your favorite words in the comments below, and we’ll be sure to feature them in a future post.
Here are our latest and greatest favorite words:
Bucolic – rustic, pastoral
Furtive – done with stealth, obtained underhandedly
Scrumptious – delightful, delicious
Ameliorate – to improve, make better
Burgeoning – growing, flourishing
Have a ... Read more »
| Date: October 23, 2009 | Author: Ann Melinger | Category: Our Favorites |
When I was a freshman in college, in PR 101 class, I was forced to memorize and recite a lengthy definition of public relations – if memory serves, it was about a half page long. My professor’s intentions were good, but the whole exercise seemed a bit futile.
However, even with 10 years of industry experience under my belt, I find that I still struggle to explain public relations to people outside the industry. And apparently I’m not alone. I recently came across a couple of blog posts that discuss the definition of PR. The comments are the most interesting parts of these blog posts – it seems people have pretty ... Read more »
My bookshelf is stocked with a couple of really great writing-related books and I thought I'd share a couple of my favorites.
We spend a lot of time on the Brilliant Blog talking about fantastic online resources, but sometimes it’s nice to just sit down and open up a good book. My bookshelf is stocked with a couple of really great writing-related books and I thought I’d share a couple of my favorites:
“Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation,” by Lynne Truss – Highly readable and entertaining, this book takes a conversational approach to educating readers about punctuation basics.
“Keys to Great Writing,” by Stephen Wilbers – The author offers 10 keys to great writing, with a chapter devoted to each, as well as guidance on the writing and editing ...
Read more »
Imagine – an electronic, fully searchable version of the “journalist’s bible” right in your pocket, any time you need it.
I suppose it was just a matter of time. Earlier this week, the Associated Press announced that a 2009 AP Stylebook “app” is now available for purchase, allowing you to take the Stylebook with you on your iPhone or iPod touch. Imagine – an electronic, fully searchable version of the “journalist’s bible” right in your pocket, any time you need it.
For now, I’m sticking with my online subscription, but the announcement got me thinking about how often I find myself referring to the guide – there are certain entries that trip me up every time. Here’s a quick rundown of my oft-referred-to sections:
Always use figures for percentages, and always write ...
Read more »
“This is nothing less than astounding. The FDA is seeking input on social media and pharma.” – Mark Senak, Eye on FDA blog
Yes, today’s quote for the day may be a bit over-dramatic. But for anyone who works in or with the pharmaceutical industry, this is BIG news. Earlier this week, the FDA announced that it will host a public hearing to examine the issue of drug promotion via the Internet and social media.
As discussed in an earlier post on the Brilliant Blog, the pharma industry has been reluctant to dive into the world of social media. That’s because there’s been a lack of clear guidance from the ... Read more »
It’s been a long week here at Brilliant Ink so to celebrate the fact that it’s almost over, we thought it was time to bring back Favorite Words Friday. Without further ado, here are our latest and greatest favorite words:
Annexation – the act of attaching, especially in terms of a territory
Morass – a tract of low, soft, wet ground, or a confusing or troublesome situation
Efficacious – capable of having the desired effect
Hiatus – a gap or break
Dictatorial – arrogantly overbearing, befitting a dictator
Tell us your favorite words in the Comments section below and we’ll feature them in a future post.
Have a great weekend!
@annmelinger
Read more »
| Date: September 18, 2009 | Author: Ann Melinger | Category: Our Favorites |
“The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity and suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy, such numbness to the pain of a child or the desperation of a parent, is not innate; nor, history tells us, is it unique to a particular culture, religion, or ethnicity. It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, and may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics. Most often, though, it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.” – Barack Obama, September ... Read more »
“I’m so sorry to hear about your mother passing away. LOL. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Can you imagine receiving that text message from a misinformed but well-intentioned friend? Unfortunately, this person thought “LOL” meant “lots of love,” when in fact, the popular texting abbreviation stands for “laughing out loud.”
This sad-but-true tale was included in a recent Wall Street Journal article touting the importance of understanding texting lingo. As the article points out, even if you’re not a Gen-Y speed-texter, it’s important to know the basics. After all, if the Merriam Webster dictionary and the AP Stylebook both include definitions of the most popular text abbreviations (IMO, ... Read more »
After a brief hiatus, Friday Favorite Words are back! Before you head out for a night on the town this weekend, be sure to study up on our latest batch of words to impress your friends:
Fringe – something that is marginal
Diaspora – a dispersion of people from their homeland
Equipoise – equally balanced
Sangfroid – calmness, composure
Ballyhoo – clamor or outcry
Our stash of Favorite Words is dwindling, so please submit yours in the Comments section below and we’ll include them in a future post.
Have a great weekend!
@annmelinger
Read more »
As internal communicators struggle to find new ways to connect and engage employees, they will continue to see solutions from social media.
Slowly but surely, companies are realizing that their employees are using social media both in and out of the workplace. I’m encouraged to see that more and more companies have begun harnessing the power of social media to connect and engage people internally.
For example, Sprint’s intranet – Sprint Space – includes more than 1,300 employee blogs. Employee-generated content from these blogs is displayed on the Intranet landing page, meaning employees are driving the internal conversation rather than the other way around. Healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente is using social media to help its 160,000 employees connect and collaborate with one another through blogs, online communities and wikis. The company also built ... Read more »
A successful social media strategy requires the involvement of a number of departments beyond PR and marketing.
As more and more companies are entering the Twitterverse and launching Facebook pages, one question keeps coming up – who should “own” a company’s social media efforts? A recent report from PRSA, iPressroom and Korn/Ferry International found that PR leads social media for 51 percent of organizations, with Marketing trailing behind at 40.5 percent. (Note: You need a subscription to PRWeek to read the full article, but can view an excerpt here).
The report has sparked a good amount of conversation, and most of the blog posts I’ve seen make the case for PR owning social media, including this one, where the author points out that most social media activities revolve ... Read more »
Anyone who reads the Brilliant Ink blog knows we’re big fans of Twitter. For us, Twitter is more than a way to stay connected to friends and colleagues – it’s a resource that helps us track industry news, understand trends and build relationships. So for today’s edition of “A few of our favorite things,” I’d like to share a few of my favorite people and organizations to follow on Twitter:
Nieman Lab – Updates from the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University explore the future of news.
Kevin Dugan – One of the marketing geeks (his label, not mine) behind The Bad Pitch Blog uses Twitter to share his musings about the ...
Read more »
TGIF! That means it’s time for more Friday Favorite Words:
Divisive – creating dissension or discord
Behoove – to be necessary or worthwhile
Philanderer – one who engages in many love affairs, especially with a casual attitude
Resplendent – shining brilliantly
Antiquated – obsolete, discredited by reason of age
What are your favorite words? Share them in the Comments below and we’ll be sure to include them in a future post.
Have a great weekend!
@annmelinger
Read more »
“If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time—a tremendous whack.” – Sir Winston Churchill
Who better to give advice on clear, persuasive writing than one of the greatest politicians of all time? Some trivia: Winston Churchill was also the only British Prime Minister to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, so clearly he knows what he’s talking about!
We found this and several other spot-on writing quotes on the Ragan blog. Enjoy!
@annmelinger
Read more »
TGIF – time for some more favorite words! We’ve recently had a surge in submissions but we promise we’ll get around to posting everyone’s favorite words. Please keep them coming!
Badinage – light, playful talk
Gutsy – having a great deal of courage or nerve (a personal fave)
Cantankerous – disagreeable, contentious
Obstreperous – unruly, boisterous
Titillating – exciting
Thanks for all the great submissions. Please add your latest and greatest favorite words in the Comments section below.
Have a great weekend!
@annmelinger
Read more »
“Poor (William) Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the $10 words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.” - Ernest Hemingway
Such a poignant quote from one of my favorite writers. And in deference to Hemingway, I’ll keep this short. Never use a long, complicated word when a simpler, shorter word will convey the same thought.
Want to learn to write like Hemingway? Check out his top five writing tips.
@annmelinger
Read more »
But in today’s Web 2.0 world, how can pharmaceutical companies hope to connect to consumers without social media?
Throughout my career, I’ve done a lot of work with clients in the pharmaceutical industry. So I know all too well the unique challenges this highly regulated industry faces. Pharma companies are bound by rules set forth by the FDA that govern their PR, marketing and advertising activities. Every tactic is scrutinized by internal marketing and sales teams, and even more carefully evaluated by the legal and regulatory teams, weighing the perceived risks and rewards.
Even as social media is becoming a “given” for most major companies, many pharmaceutical companies are holding back. While some have taken the leap into the world of Twitter, Facebook and blogging, most are still reluctant, ... Read more »
All policy-related communications should answer the question, “What does this mean to me?
I recently came across an interesting blog post about the importance of having a social media policy. This got me thinking about the challenges of communicating policies and procedures to employees. By nature, policies tend to be prescriptive and dry, but nonetheless an important part of your company’s operations. So, how can you ensure your people understand and comply with your policies? A few tips:
First, make sure the language in the policy is clear and easy-to-understand. As much as possible, eliminate jargon, acronyms and legal-speak.
All policy-related communications should answer the question, “What does this mean to me?” Make sure you’re helping employees understand why it’s important to comply with company ...
Read more »
Hi everyone – welcome to another Favorite Words Friday. As always, we’re including some of our favorite words that we never have enough opportunity to use. Please leave your favorites in the comments below.
Vacuous – lacking intelligence, inane
Woebegone – exhibiting great sorrow
Pulchritudinous – physically beautiful (can you believe this one was submitted twice?)
Ineffable – indescribable
Ubiquitous – existing everywhere at the same time (don’t we all wish we could do that?)
Bumbershoot – an umbrella (my personal favorite!)
Incessant – continuing without interruption
Prolegomena – a preliminary discussion, prologue
Plethora – excess
Palindrome – a word or phrase that reads the same backward or forward
Thanks for your ... Read more »
Here in New York City, concerns about swine flu have reached a fever pitch. Currently, 17 schools across the city are closed because of suspected swine flu cases, and an assistant principal died this week after contracting the H1N1 virus. Luckily, my son is not yet school-age, so this is just a minor distraction for me. But perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of this issue – at least for a word nerd like myself – has been the prominent role of language.
Early on, the term “swine flu” was used almost exclusively in news reports and government agency discussions on the topic. But this term brought a fair amount ... Read more »
Last week, I faced an enormous writing challenge – one of the most daunting I’ve faced in a long time. I had to write a speech for my younger sister’s wedding. I struggled for weeks to come up with the appropriate balance of genuine emotion, humor and storytelling. Thankfully, the speech was a rousing success, but the writing process got me thinking about what makes a really great speech.
Here are a few tips I’ve gathered over the years:
• There’s an old adage about public speaking: “Tell them what you’re going to tell them; then tell them; then tell them what you told them.” Believe it or not, that’s the ... Read more »
Because some words are so overused, they become like white noise and add very little to our writing.
We recently came across a brilliant analysis conducted by blogger David Meerman Scott. He analyzed every press release distributed in the U.S. in 2008 and identified the top 25 most-used corporate clichés, which he calls “gobbledygook.”
Here are the top 10 words from Scott’s analysis:
1. Innovate
2. Pleased to
3. Unique
4. Focused on
5. Leading Provider
6. Commitment
7. Partnership
8. New and Improved
9. Leverage
10. 120 percent
I’m willing to bet all of you have been guilty of using these phrases at one time or another in your writing – I’ll admit I’ve overused a few of them myself! But as communicators, this analysis sends us a strong ... Read more »
