Hi all,
Brilliant Ink intern Cyrus here, and it seems almost comical that my second post is also going to be my last, as the time for me to return to school is fast approaching. My stay with Brilliant Ink was a fantastic place to learn, and they definitely know the communications industry. One of the things I had to learn in this industry was writing for businesses as opposed to writing for fun or for me.
Writing for a business obviously entails some stylistic changes from the writing I would normally do for, say, a short story. No swearing, no colloquialisms (typically), and a more or less established tone ranging from serious to ... 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 ...
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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 ...
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Unlike fiction writing, business writing demands clarity, simplicity and brevity.
Here at Brilliant Ink, we’re often asked to develop executive communications – memos, company-wide emails, blog posts and the like. Frequently, executives prefer to develop initial drafts themselves and we’re brought in to edit and refine, which usually suits us just fine.
But every now and then, we encounter the executive who’s harboring secret fantasies of being a writer. Perhaps you know an executive like this – someone with great ideas and solid business acumen, but who’s also prone to flowery prose, cringe-inducing adjectives and rambling drafts that take way too long to get to ... Read more »
Brilliant Ink got a nice shout-out last week from friend and colleague Dave Galanis on the Pebble Creek Partners blog. Thanks, Dave!
The blog post referenced a topic I tweeted about a few weeks ago – how to write an effective corporate memo. It’s surprising that companies still use this seemingly old-school tactic, but the fact is, many still do. If you’re tasked with writing a corporate memo, take a look at this article from the Ragan blog for some great pointers. And, keep the basics in mind – use clear, simple language, avoid jargon and always keep your desired outcome in mind.
What are your tips for writing a great corporate ... 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 »
How can anything possibly 'pre-exist'? It either exists, or it doesn’t.
It’s time for my semi-regular gripe about abuse of the English language. The phrase that’s currently driving me nuts is “pre-existing condition.” We all know that this is a term used by the health insurance industry to justify denying health coverage, but have you ever thought about what it really means? How can anything possibly “pre-exist”? It either exists, or it doesn’t. Seems to me that “pre-diagnosed condition” would be a more accurate description, but what do I know?
Unless you’re in the managed care industry you probably won’t have ... Read more »
Remember our top 10 list of words to avoid like the plague? We’ve added two more, and we’re taking suggestions. Check out the latest words to make the list:
“Ask” as a noun. I’ve now heard multiple people abuse the word “ask” on more than one occasion, which leads me to believe that this might be the start of a horrifying new trend. Here’s an example: “What’s our ‘ask’ of the client?” There’s a perfectly good word that serves the same purpose: “question.” Use it.
Execute. There’s too much violence in the world already – business people don’t need to contribute to it by “executing” plans. By the way, in case you accuse me of ...
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Have you noticed that everyone thinks he/she is a good writer? Even if you’re a naturally talented, brilliant writer, a refresher on the basics never hurt anyone. We assembled the 10 tips below for a recent workshop with small business owners – check ‘em out:
1. Know your audience. The better you understand them, the better you’ll communicate with them.
2. Proofreading is a must. Never send an important email, post a blog entry or finalize a document for ... Read more »
