Guess I am not incented by this jargon
While proofreading a client’s newsletter, I flagged this: A person quoted in an article about the switch of IT support to a call centre in India calls the staff “a well-trained, highly incented and duly rewarded group of employees.” UGH! I understand...
How to get a meaty quote
Writers love to interview someone who speaks naturally, compares a complex topic or object to something others can relate to and isn’t afraid to share personal feelings or thoughts. It just makes the whole writing process a lot easier. In the corporate world,...Attention-grabbing titles in the running for Oddest Book Title
It looks like it’s not too late to cast your vote for the world’s oddest book title, which will be awarded the Diagram Prize by The Bookseller, a British trade magazine. The winner will be announced March 28, with the spotter of the winning book receiving...
Song lyrics that touch the heart as the snow falls
Poets and musicians have a way with words. The snow falling as I write this brings to mind: my favourite Robert Frost poem, Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening (“He will not see me stopping here to watch his woods fill up with snow”) and Canadian folk singer Gordon...
Don’t wait; open that special bottle now
The Toronto Star wine critic, Gord Stimmell, alerted me to the fact that tomorrow is Open That Bottle Night. Started by Wall Street Journal columnists John Brecher and Dorothy Gaiter, the event is basically a call to wine enthusiasts to stop waiting for a special...
Email wrangling; it helps to turn off the wi-fi
Do you ever feel like you’re drowning in emails? My friend, podcaster and fellow writer Donna Papacosta has a great tip for dealing with the growing volume of mail: Use the telephone. Not only can it save multiple emails back and forth, but it also gives you a...Yeah, you can keep that kimono closed
Does anyone else find this a somewhat odd thing to say? “A successful blog kind of opens the kimono and from a brand point of view lets people know who you are.” This is a quote from Rob Frankel, a Los Angeles-based branding consultant, from an article called Business...