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...
3 ways to give numbers the context they need
Can you picture almost 80 million litres? Probably not. It’s a huge number, too big to understand without context. A client wants employees to understand the importance of managing energy like diesel fuel. To make the 80 million litres the company used in 2017 more...
Your mission: make the logo boring. (Nailed it)
Maybe “The Weed Store” was taken. For years, beer drinkers in Ontario bought their 12-packs and two-fours (24-pack) at an outlet called Brewers Retail. Unofficially, people called it “the beer store,” and The Beer Store it officially became in a 1985 rebranding. Then...
Twitter fails: Why these tweets are missing the boat
Maybe some people missed the message that Twitter is all about creating and sharing information with people. You know, making a connection. Usually, we tweet about links we find interesting, inspiring, startling or in other ways worth sharing. We pose and answer...