The way we communicate with one another has changed fundamentally since early 2020. Meetings that once occupied fluorescent-lit conference rooms now occur via Zoom. Collaboration and decision-making take place electronically. We depend more on email, chat, and even old-fashioned mail and phone calls. The emergence of new social platforms might lead us to believe that…
Category: Language and ideas
It’s time for a confession. We hate writing. Too often, it’s slow, arduous, and painful. The pain is compounded by the pressure that comes with knowing someone else might see – and judge – what we’ve written. This confession may come as a surprise. At Consummate Prose Consulting, we’ve been writing (and editing) for decades.…
As we close the door on 2020, we’d also like to close the door on 2020 jargon. We’re passionate anti-jargon activists, but we’re aware that jargon is a touchy subject and a moving target. Terms that come into common use create shared understanding and experience, providing a valuable communication shortcut. However, overuse dilutes their meaning,…
We’ve discussed at length the challenges of holiday messaging as well as the importance of language when building a brand and a company culture. Today, we take a closer look at end-of-year employee communications. Entrepreneur Keith Miller shared a “top 25” list of year-end messages on the Future of Working website that look straightforward –…
On this day in 1941, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor in the first direct attack on the United States by an Axis power. The following day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his “date which will live in infamy” speech. Roosevelt had been delivering fireside chats via radio since 1933. His voice was well known to…
Writer’s block is real, and everyone has an opinion about it. Maybe that’s because even respected veteran writers battle it – to say nothing of the junior copywriter facing a deadline and a pissed-off manager. Potential solutions abound. But many of them boil down to personal accountability and initiative, and writer’s block strikes equally among…
“Clarity in business writing is not a luxury.” –Richard Branson Writing is an indispensable skill, but it’s one we all do battle with. It’s the bane of every college student’s existence — even those who have an aptitude for it. That dread doesn’t expire when they have degrees in hand. This anti-writing mindset has inevitably…