It’s true, you CAN make legal statements readable (Wordnerdery)
Are you a Fitbit fan? I am. I’ve been wearing the step tracker since December 2014, and it encourages me to look for reasons to take a few extra steps, like parking further away from a store or the train station, or taking the long way home after a short walk with...
In a job transition? 7 steps to update your LinkedIn profile
You may have left a job, or you’re looking for a new job with a different focus. Maybe you retired but are still open for something new, even if you aren’t actively looking. It’s time to update your LinkedIn profile. I’ve been helping a friend do just that, and...
Why walk when you can fly?
Our neighbourhood is atwitter (sorry) with robins this spring. One scurried along the sidewalk ahead of me the other day, tiny legs flashing, just edging out of my way. “Why would you walk when you can fly?” I wondered. It suddenly hit me that we could ask ourselves...
So many ways to get words wrong
Stumbling over a few misused words recently brought to mind the 1987 movie, The Princess Bride. Vezzini (Wallace Shawn), the “mastermind” hired to kidnap the princess, constantly describes unfolding events as “inconceivable.” Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) says, “You...
Wordnerdery: 9 ways to ace your endings
So, you’ve crafted an interesting opening to your story, article, blog post or other writing. You’ve taken readers through the details and why the piece is important. Don’t let your writing screech to a halt as if you’ve hit a dead end sign. “From our earliest years,...
Podcasting: What communicators need to know in 2018
This American Life. Canadaland. CBC’s Quirks and Quarks. For Immediate Release (FIR). Reply All. WNYC Studios’ Death, Sex & Money. Members and friends of IABC/Toronto’s Professional Independent Communicators called out the podcasts they listen to – are maybe even...
Reach for success by conquering your fears
The funny thing about success is that people usually know what we should do, but fear often holds us back. Here’s what I learned from a discussion with the members of Communicators Connection, who shared secrets to success at a networking event earlier this month:...
I love the spirit, but the words are ‘recondite’
Wayne State University is again trying to draw attention to some of the English language’s “most expressive — yet regrettably neglected — words.” Its annual list shares words it says “deserve to be used more often in conversation and prose.” I love the spirit of...