Monthly Archives: May 2014

Cram Your Suitcase to Become a Better Writer

By Dr. Laura Hills, Blue Pencil Institute, www.bluepencilinstitute.com

Packed SuitcaseI’ve always been a good writer. My essays and papers were well-received in high school and college. However, my writing quality went through the roof when I had a writing experience early in my career that taught me how to be clearer and more concise.

I landed a job writing an eight-page monthly subscription newsletter for dentists on how to market and manage their practices. The publisher told me that my job as the sole author of the newsletter was to pack as much good, solid, useful information into each issue as I possibly could. A packed newsletter, he said, gives readers their money’s worth and a reason to renew their subscriptions. “Cut a line here, a word there, and say whatever you have to say in the smallest space you possibly can,” he told me. “Overstuff each issue, just as you’d cram a small suitcase. Use every scrap of valuable newsletter real estate to pack in more great ideas for our readers.” 

 

I wrote that newsletter – every word, every issue – for seven years. And from that experience, I became masterful at trimming the unnecessary. The lessons I learned from this formative experience are these: A reader’s attention is precious. As writers, we have an obligation not to waste that attention. And, we become better writers when we stuff as much content as we can into the space we have.

 

What happens when your space is unlimited? Before you begin to write, imagine filling a small suitcase. No one wants to read text that rambles on. Write economically. Trim what isn’t needed. Pack light — only what you need — and use every inch well. Your reader will appreciate your brevity but more importantly, your writing will become clearer, better, and more concise.

Dr. Laura Hills is an author, speaker, trainer, and coach who specializes in personal and professional development for career professionals. She is the president of Blue Pencil Institute, www.bluepencilinstitute.com. This post is an excerpt from her latest book, They’ll Eat Out of Your Hand If You Know What to Feed Them: http://www.bluepencilinstitute.com/products/featured-product.html. Join her mailing list for updates about her latest books, articles, and programs at: http://eepurl.com/Owd55.


 

Don’t Be a Corporate-Speak Zombie

Dr. Laura Hills, Blue Pencil Institute, www.bluepencilinstitute.com

ZombieThere’s been a movement in recent years for career professionals to liken themselves to businesses. Concepts such as self-branding, personal mission statements, and being the CEO of a company of one are intriguing ideas. They borrow concepts from industry and are designed to help career professionals gain clarity about what they’re doing and to find ways to relate to their audiences professionally. However, it’s dangerous to take this strategy too far, especially when we communicate with others.

Career professionals are not corporations. We’re alive, mortal, and human. That’s our strength. When we speak before others, we have an opportunity to relate to them personally. A great deal of our effectiveness as speakers relies upon our willingness to show ourselves as genuine and human. Therefore, career professionals who communicate effectively don’t sound like walking, talking corporate-speak zombies. They avoid impersonal buzzwords, jargon, and clichés. Instead, they use more natural everyday language to convey their ideas.

 

Want some examples? Here are just a few of the words and phrases on my corporate-speak zombie list:

 

mission critical, zero-sum game, procurement, value proposition, re-engineering, mindshare, vis-à-vis, human capital, monetize, incentivize, operationalize, contextualize, and a host of other –ize words.

 

Do you agree that these words and phrases are overused and predictable and sound more corporate than human?

Dr. Laura Hills is an author, speaker, trainer, and coach who specializes in personal and professional development for career professionals. Join her mailing list for updates about her latest books, articles, and programs at: http://eepurl.com/Owd55.

 

Remembering Richard

By Dr. Laura Hills, Blue Pencil Institute, www.bluepencilinstitute.comMemoriam

I have had to say goodbye to my friend Richard, who passed away recently. He was 86, 30 years my senior. And of all the people I’ve known in my life, Richard has held a special place that was all his own.

I met Richard when I was in my 20s and on the speaking circuit for the first time. I was to speak to a professional audience in California at the annual meeting of a large association. The folks who headed the organization knew Richard well and asked him to sit in on my program, check me out, and report back to them what he saw. Richard gave me rave reviews, which helped to boost my career at that tender moment. He then reached out to me after the conference.

At first, I was suspicious of Richard and had my guard up. Back then, I was accustomed to men coming on to me. I thought he was just another guy whose wife didn’t understand him who looking for some fun. But quickly, I could see that he had something entirely different in mind. He wanted to encourage, support, and befriend me – and that’s all. And he did the day we met and for the next 30 years.

I was one of many lucky recipients to receive Richard’s “clipping service”. He loved to read articles, clip them, and pop them in the mail with a typewritten note attached. One of those clippings, from the early 90s, was an article Richard had read about a new profession called “coaching”. His note said it was a profession that was tailor-made for me. At the time I didn’t pay too much attention. But years later, it turns out that Richard was right.

Over the years, Richard sent me crates of oranges at holiday time; articles about investments; newsy letters about his model train club, biking trips, and family; a beautiful wooden rolling pin that he made for me in his workshop; and pop-up holiday greeting cards that decorated our home every December. And every year, we sent each other birthday cards on our mutual birthday, February 7.

I’ve never quite understood what I had done to deserve Richard’s generosity, support, and friendship these many years. But I am grateful nonetheless. He has made a lasting difference in my life and my friendship with him is one of my treasures. I will miss him.