Sue Horner is a freelance writer in Oakville, Ontario, who blogs about writing, newsletters, communications and running an independent business in The Red Jacket Diaries blog.
When it comes to explaining complicated material, one helpful tool is what I call “expressive writing.” That’s using analogies – similes and metaphors – to spark an “aha” moment of understanding. (And couldn’t we all use a shortcut to understanding...
I’m always looking for reminders about good writing, and here’s another collection of advice. While I’ve shared these on social media, what are the chances you happened to be on X or Facebook or LinkedIn at the right time to see them? There are 12 basics of...
Many communication professionals have just marked Pride Month by showing how their companies support diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. If that’s you, good for you. But are you also carrying out those activities the rest of the year? Unfortunately, June is...
Summertime, and the networking is easy. Well, it’s easy at the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) World Conference. In my experience, its professional development is also great, the social events are terrific and the people are warm and...
The easier we make it to read what we write, the more people actually will read it. Even more important, they’ll understand and remember it. That’s a key part of plain language: Helping readers find what they need; understand what they find; and use what they find to...
Welcome to another roundup of links you might have missed from posts I’ve shared on social media! In this edition, you’ll find plenty of writing tips, including some specific to storytelling, and one fascinating story about squirrels. STORYTELLING How to turn numbers...
A non-disclosure agreement or NDA is a common contract between contractors and large companies. It’s kind of a prenup covering the relationship, where we writers and other contractors promise not to divulge the secrets to be shared with us. You can bet the lawyers...
We all assume retirement will be a natural transition, but experts say you need to learn how to be retired. My client, RTOERO, wanted to share in its quarterly magazine how its members stayed motivated when they retired. I looked for some expert advice and talked to a...
Were you among the 19.5 million viewers who tuned in to this year’s Academy Awards (21.9 million in its last half hour)? If so, you may be wondering if that number is a lot, or a little. Were we a large group of trendsetters watching Oppenheimer walk away with Best...
“Click here.” That’s a classic example of anchor text or hyperlink text done wrong. (Anchor text is a clickable link on a website, usually highlighted and underlined.) That’s because people want to know where a link is going to take them. Also, people who are visually...