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Sadly, communicators aren’t immune to jargon

Sadly, communicators aren’t immune to jargon

by Sue Horner | Sep 22, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog

Last week, IABC members received a short email from the chair of its International Executive Board with the subject line “IABC Leadership Changes.” Within the email are two classic bits of corporate speak: Two people “are no longer with the...
Timeless writing advice from Don Ranly

Timeless writing advice from Don Ranly

by Sue Horner | Sep 12, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog

Writers are always eager to learn from the masters. We’re told to read widely, and model our writing on the work of those we admire. Years ago, I was lucky enough to meet the famous (in communications circles) Don Ranly, Ph.D., IABC Fellow and professor emeritus of...
8 lessons for writers from Dancing With the Stars

8 lessons for writers from Dancing With the Stars

by Sue Horner | Sep 5, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog

September marks the launch of the latest season of my guilty pleasure, Dancing with the Stars. You might think the show is mostly about the women’s scanty costumes, or possibly B-list celebrities getting some visibility. But the real point is to take non-dancers,...
Wordnerdery: Surprised? Print’s not dead

Wordnerdery: Surprised? Print’s not dead

by Sue Horner | Aug 22, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog

Print seems to be having a moment: IABC relaunched a print magazine in June. Its former Communication World was once printed monthly and more recently became online only. The new Catalyst will come out twice a year. Mentalfloss.com joined forces with the Paper &...
Is your writing ‘as smooth as Tennessee whiskey’?

Is your writing ‘as smooth as Tennessee whiskey’?

by Sue Horner | Aug 15, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog

Country music has a reputation for sad songs involving drinking, trucks, love gone wrong, and more drinking. While that’s still often the case, today’s stars are often more thoughtful about looking at and learning from past mistakes. They also put on a master class in...
Expressive writing is your on-ramp to understanding

Expressive writing is your on-ramp to understanding

by Sue Horner | Aug 9, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog

My word-a-day calendar is famous for sharing words that make you go “huh?” True, they are often the “perfect” word for a specific situation (like petrichor, as I’ve talked about before).  But they are more likely to set up a roadblock to meaning than open up an...
Here’s how to keep emails short and sweet

Here’s how to keep emails short and sweet

by Sue Horner | Aug 1, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog

Smart communicators use multiple channels to reach employees, and email remains a constant for most workplaces. But dealing with the “excessive volume” of communications is a challenge for companies around the world, according to State of the Sector 2019 –...
Wordnerdery: Part 3 of the inside view of employee comms

Wordnerdery: Part 3 of the inside view of employee comms

by Sue Horner | Jul 26, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog

Having been on the outside of company employee communication for many years, I’ve recently gone looking for the current “inside” view. The July issue of my newsletter, Wordnerdery, continues a series where I report the results. In this issue, I look at how Chartwell...
Puns welcome in this ‘misbegotten brainchild’ of a contest

Puns welcome in this ‘misbegotten brainchild’ of a contest

by Sue Horner | Jul 17, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog

Who doesn’t love a slice of deliberately bad writing? Yes, word nerds, gather ’round. It’s time to celebrate the Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest, “where ‘www’ means ‘wretched writers welcome.’” The contest awards the best of the worst opening sentences, or what the...
The best of the Red Jacket Diaries so far in 2019

The best of the Red Jacket Diaries so far in 2019

by Sue Horner | Jul 11, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog

You know the year is already half over when it’s pool season in Canada. That means it’s time to look back at the most-viewed posts on my Red Jacket Diaries blog so far in 2019. I’m often inspired to blog about what’s going on around me, such as in these posts:...
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