Expressive writing is your on-ramp to understanding
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
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
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
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
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:...
Dreaming up a new product? Think carefully about the name (ask Kim)
People are upset with Kim Kardashian because she tried to use (and trademark) the name “Kimono” for her new line of “shapewear.” Her plan was to call it Kimono Solutionwear. Apparently, the uproar was enough that she’s already backed down and is giving “careful...
Before & after: Wordy article gets a rewrite
One way to help people understood something is get to the point. Don’t bury your information in too much detail, ramble, or hide the action with passive language. While falling down the rabbit hole of internet links one day, I happened upon an article from 2015 that...
Wordnerdery: Part 2 of the inside view of employee comms
Having been on the outside of company employee communication for many years, I’ve recently gone looking for the current “inside” view. The June issue of my newsletter, Wordnerdery, continues a series where I report the results. In this issue, I continue to look at...