Weekly Roundup: A Tryst With Destiny

Today is India’s 63rd Independence Day (image: Rupal Vaidya, Creative Commons).

In tribute to my country of birth, this edition of Weekly Roundup focuses on writings by, from and of Indian authors (or authors of Indian descent).

1. Innovation and HR’s quest to be strategic, by Gautam Ghosh.

Why: Gautam is an excellent and prolific writer (and friend). He’s managed to parlay his social media savvy and business smarts into the realm of human resources, an area not typically known for either (sorry, HR people, but there you have it).

2. The age of surveillance from The Comic Project.

Why: First Saudi Arabia, then India, made the news by threatening to clamp down on RIM’s BlackBerry service. Anyone interested in transparency – what we deem one of the pillars of social media – should read this post.

3. The ideas of India, by Shashi Tharoor.

Why: A former diplomat, politician and prolific author, Tharoor is anything but shy when it comes to sharing his ideas. And he’s taken to Twitter like a tar ball to tennis shoes. Especially if you’re unfamiliar with India’s history, you should read this.

4. Day 831, by Amitabh Bacchhan.

Image: Kanishka Gangopadhyay, Creative Commons

Why: If you’re unfamiliar with Bollywood (it’s been around much longer than Slumdog Millionaire), the “Big B” is one of the most iconic and influential living Indians.

Think Tom Cruise and JFK rolled into one, then throw a crown on top. I’m not kidding.

The son of Harivansh Rai Bacchhan, one of India’s most beloved modern poets, AB shook the Indian silver screen once he climbed the Bollywood ladder, becoming not just everyman, but the quintessential angry young man.

Apart from being a terrific actor, he’s a gifted writer, both in Hindi as well as English.

This particular post is a poetic look at time and change. And if you can read Hindi, it’s even better.

5. The “Yes, and… ” culture, by Anil Dash.

Why: What if instead of saying, “No, but…” we said, “Yes, and…”? That’s what Dash of Expert Labs fame muses on here.

6. What can Steven Slater learn from a pillow fight on board Lufthansa, by Arun Rajagopal.

Why: first, Arun’s a friend of mine. Now that that disclosure’s out of the way, this is an interesting and different take on the entire Jet Blue ballyhoo.

7. A tryst with destiny, by Jawaharlal Nehru.

Why: I believe this is one of the finest speeches ever written, and given by Jawaharlal Nehru, independent India’s first prime minister, as the clock approached midnight on August 15, 1947.

Here’s a short clip:

What other great writings have you found from Indians and the Indian diaspora? Do share in the comments section below.

Happy Independence Day.

Of Early Adopters, Tenons and Henry Wood

“Technically mocking isn’t a sport… yet… though I have made a proposal for the 2020 Olympic games.” ~ Brian Meeks

This is the final post in a three-part interview with Brian Meeks, who goes by the moniker “Extremely Average.” In Part I, Brian talked about why woodworking makes him a better writer, and stinking in the dark room. Part II saw him discussing why he hasn’t decided whether or not Mrs. Johnson was evil. My questions continue:

Tell me a little about your use of social media, personal and professional.

Professionally

I manage the social media and customer relations for a company from Vienna, Va.  It is ironic that 3 weeks after I moved back to Iowa, I should get a job 30 miles from my old home.

For PreferredVendor, I focus on building relationships within the Human Resources and Recruiting industry.  PreferredVendor is a SaaS (Software as a Service) company, which means we offer tools to help people manage their recruiting.  It is my job to promote the company, handle customer issues, and generally stay on top of all things social.

Personally

I have been involved in the social media industry for four years now. My first three years were in the virtual world of Second Life, where I made my living building spaces for corporate clients. It was during this time in SL that I discovered Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook etc.; I believe I started during or near the beta for all three of those.

My connections in the virtual world industry were always on top of the new stuff coming out, and that helped me discover each of them.

I remember when I first joined Twitter, it was novel and I thought it was fun. I didn’t know how to use it as a tool for networking, building relationships, and helping people find one’s blog.

I wish I had better understood its power early on, but I guess I got there eventually. There are still many people who don’t use this platform, so I consider the people using Twitter for marketing to be early adopters.

I love “Henry Wood Detective Agency.” It reminds me of a cross between “Moonlighting” and Alexander McCall Smith’s #1 Ladies Detective Agency. How did it come into being? Are you going to publish it?

That is high praise indeed. I loved Moonlighting and #1 Ladies Detective Agency, so perhaps they are sneaking into Henry’s world. Thanks so much.

As for how it came to be, when I first started the blog, I tried to avoid just giving a run down of what I was working on.

Many of my posts were stories with little bits of woodworking in them, and those bits were about what I had done that day. Henry Wood started out the same way.

The early chapters always related to what I was doing in my shop. The pictures were of my current project, which became Henry’s project. I felt that all the one off stories needed to be supplemented with a longer piece. So I started Henry Wood.

The response has been remarkable. I am, as of the writing of this response, at 22 chapters.

I think that if Henry makes it to 70,000 words, I will likely try to put it up on Kindle, Sony Reader, and the iPad. If he solves the mystery sooner than that, I may not.

I had delusions of grandeur with my novel that I mentioned, but haven’t done a thing with it.

So it is likely he may live forever on the blog and never venture out into the world. I would like to publish it though; it is more a case of me knowing how I tend to procrastinate with stuff of that nature.

What else do you like to do, other than writing and woodworking?

I love sports, especially Tennis, Baseball, College Football, and Mocking.

Technically mocking isn’t a sport… yet… though I have made a proposal for the 2020 Olympic games.

I feel I could be a world class mocker.

Last words?

I feel that if I added anything else, the people who have made it this far, would likely unsubscribe from your blog and curse your name, so I will simply finish with, “Thanks for Reading my Blog.”

It should be noted that “I can’t be trusted.” I said I was done, and yet I am still typing.

Dreadful.

There is one more thing, now that you mention it. I have a second blog, which I don’t do much with, but if you are interested, it is at http://socialmingler.blogspot.com.

Ok, now I am done.

Image of tenons © Brian Meeks, used with permission.

Brian Meeks used to make his living in the virtual world of Second Life, where he built spaces for corporate clients under the name Ecocandle Riel.  When the economy went south, he turned to Social Media and does this to feed and clothe himself.  In his free time, he does… well… social media… and publishes the blog Extremely Average. He can be reached by email at ExtremelyAverageOne (a) gmail (dot) com, or by carrier pigeon at the house with the big tree out front. You can also connect with him on Twitter.

Words, Meet Mouth

Words.

We think them.

We write them.

We hear them.

We say them.

We sing them.

Words.

Image: Hello Turkey Toe’s Flickrstream, Creative Commons

They are the stuff we humans are made of, ever since speech was invented (which itself is up for debate).

They are so much a part of our lives, they often become trite.

Yet for us communicators, they are our coin; what we use to demonstrate our knowledge of our craft, our proficiency at our trade, our ability to help our organizations and clients transmit the core of their businesses to the people they want to reach.

Speech writing is perhaps one of the most delicate aspects of our craft.

Because not only do speech writers have to be good writers, they have to, in a way, be John Malkovich every day.

They have to write words that others will utter, but write them in a way that seems wholly natural in delivery – at least, that’s what good speech writers have to do.

Which means getting into the minds of those they are writing for. They have to not just think like a reader, but think like a listener.

I imagine no one knows this better than Matt Teper, Vice President’s Biden chief speech writer.

Last week Matt spoke to IABC/DC Metro (disclosure, I’m current chapter president), and gave us a fascinating look into what a typical day in his life is like.

He didn’t exactly say this, but my guess is that the word “typical” has temporarily been suspended from Matt’s vocabulary, and I’m pretty sure you can guess why.

After the meeting, Matt sat down with me to chat about what communicators who write for others – for a living – can do to kick their work up a notch or two.

Here it is.

What do you think of Matt’s tips? Do you have others to add?

From French Credits To English Grammar

“It is possible that Mrs. Johnson wasn’t evil, though I am not willing to say for sure at this juncture.” ~ Brian Meeks

This is the second in a three-part interview with Brian Meeks, who goes by the moniker “Extremely Average.” In Part I, Brian talked about why woodworking makes him a better writer, and stinking in the dark room. My questions continue:

You’re clearly a skilled writer, anything but “extremely average.” Do you have a background in professional writing, e.g. journalism, or are you one of those natural talents we all wish we could be?

That is very kind of you to say. My background is in numbers. I have a degree in Economics from Iowa State University. I don’t believe I have ever gotten above a “C” in any class relating to English or writing.

I recall in 8th grade trying to learn how to diagram sentences from Mrs. Johnson. It was a nightmare.

I didn’t learn what verbs and nouns were until I started studying French. After spending a summer in France, in 1995, and obtaining a bucket full of French credits, I had a basic understanding of English grammar.

Though I now knew the difference between an adverb and an adjective, and could use a semi-colon on occasion, I still didn’t enjoy writing.

My feeling was that writing was something one did when their evil 8th grade English teacher was punishing them.

For some unknown reason, in March of 2009, I started writing.

I wrote a novel in about 21 days.  I believe it has around 78,000 words.

It is rubbish. Nobody has seen it. I did it just to see if I could.

I am not sure if that was when I got bitten by the wordsmithing bug, as a few years before I had started writing horoscopes for friends at work. This was probably the first time I wrote something I enjoyed. Each one usually ended in tragedy, they would have been more aptly named ‘horror’ scopes.

The blog started on Jan 2 of this year. I was bored, and felt compelled to write about woodworking. (Image of a business card holder © Brian Meeks, used with permission).

I have written every day since then, and done a few guest blog pieces, so I am at around 190 blog pieces year to date. I find writing to be a joy.

It is possible that Mrs. Johnson wasn’t evil, though I am not willing to say for sure at this juncture.

Can you share some dos/don’ts on good writing, especially for those who are in the business of communication?

That seems like a good question. Sadly, I am without formal training, so I am not sure how many do’s and don’ts I could come up with.

In fact, only one springs to mind,

don’t get your writing advice from a middle aged, untrained drivel writer, who mostly tries to figure out ways to include monkey, cheese, and Boutros Boutros-Ghalis into as many posts as he is able, without being pummeled and buffeted about the pate by his annoyed readers.

Another bit of advice, now this makes two, I am on a roll, try to avoid using all of your favorite words that nobody has heard of.

I believe I have used, ‘aft gang agley’ three times this year already, it is becoming problematic and I may need an intervention.

Another great don’t, try to avoid using; “I digress” in 83% of your posts. I don’t know how many times I have used it, but I am sure that it is well above 83%.

So, as you can see, I am not one to take my own advice. A 12-step program for writers may be in my future.

There are several blog posts and bloggers who write about blogging “musts” and “mustn’ts.” You seem to break many of those “rules.” What’s your take on good blogging?

I am new enough to blogging that I am not familiar with those rules. I have read that one must keep it short.

I think that it is conventional wisdom to try to stay between 400-800 words. I find that if I am on a roll I will hit 1,300.

I also don’t worry about filling my blog with SEO words. It may be a blogging mistake, but that is who I am.

If there were other rules, I would love to know about them, and be happy to address each of my violations in mind numbingly dull detail. So feel free to lob a few more my way.

Brian Meeks used to make his living in the virtual world of Second Life, where he built spaces for corporate clients under the name Ecocandle Riel.  When the economy went south, he turned to Social Media and does this to feed and clothe himself.  In his free time, he does… well… social media… and publishes the blog Extremely Average. He can be reached by email at ExtremelyAverageOne (a) gmail (dot) com, or by carrier pigeon at the house with the big tree out front. You can also connect with him on Twitter.

How Woodworking Makes Brian Meeks a Better Writer

“The sheer volume of dreck which my fingers spew forth has helped me to become, albeit only slightly, a more polished writer.” ~ Brian Meeks

This is the first in a three-part interview with Brian Meeks, who goes by the moniker “Extremely Average.” I stumbled upon Brian’s writing on Amplify (how’s that for social media references?), and was fascinated by what he writes about and the way he writes it. So I asked him:

I’ve searched in vain for the almost-obligatory “About Me” on your blog, but couldn’t find it. You’re like Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery. Who are you?

Obviously I have done a poor job of site design, as I have hidden it in the top right hand corner.

I am, at my core, someone who is fascinated by all that I see. The blogging has become a new passion of mine, but it is not the first. It is a bit of a running joke among those who know me well, what is “Meeks’ current hobby?”

I have, at various points in my life, been interested in chess, badminton, table tennis, and once tried to teach myself Korean while secret shopping for KFC and Taco bell, out in the pan handle of Oklahoma.

There have been other interests, photography being one, which has held my attention since I was 16.

My photography teacher said, “Brian, you take a nice picture, but you stink in the darkroom.”

It was with that encouragement that I focused on time with the camera, and avoided chemicals and red lights. Fortunately for me, the age of Photoshop arrived and digital became the way to go. So now I am able to have the joy of the darkroom without the horrible results.

I love art as well. When I lived in DC, I was a docent at the Corcoran Gallery, which is the 3rd oldest gallery in the U.S. This opportunity was a joy and let me learn more than I ever could from books.

Speaking of books, I love them, not as much as I love an accidental segue, but quite a lot.

I like how they look on the shelf, the joy of reading them, and the wonderful insights one can gain from wondering around their pages.

There is more, but at this point, I am as tired of writing about myself as I am sure you are of reading it.  So I will move on.

Your blog is subtitled “My Journey in Woodworking.” Is that your profession? Hobby? What’s your “real” job?

That is a great question. No, my profession is in social media.[Woodworking] is purely a hobby, one that takes a long time to learn, but is very satisfying.

Image of chiseling a mortise © Brian Meeks, used with permission

I had wanted to take up woodworking for about 20 years, but never lived in a place with adequate space for the requisite tools and such.

When I moved back to Iowa from DC, in July of ’09, I decided it was time to start. I began by building a workbench, and moved on to some saw horses based upon a design by Krenov, and next built a router table.

It is my intent to focus on building projects that will aid me in woodworking, and as such, develop my skills without worrying about the mistakes, which one who is new is apt to make.

“Extremely Average” seems to be a fairly new blog. Did you blog elsewhere before EA? Why do you blog?

Yes, Extremely Average was started on Blogspot Jan 2, 2010. I think it was sometime in March when I purchased my domain and moved everything to the current location, the site with the hidden “about” section. I believe I have 3 or 4 posts out there in cyberspace somewhere under Ecocandle, though I can’t say for sure.

I tried blogging out 3 years ago, for about 2 weeks, but never considered trying to get people to read my blog.

The environment is much different today; even a neophyte will get some traffic. I am thankful that I have Google Analytics to help me watch the traffic and learn how different approaches help add eyeballs.

Of course, many things I have tried have failed miserably, but even a failure can help one learn.

I blog to motivate myself to keep progressing at woodworking, which motivates me to keep progressing at writing (I don’t think my computer considers “blog” to be a verb, and it is giving me some guff).

It is a symbiotic relationship; without one, I doubt if I could do the other as well.

If I stopped blogging, I would likely spend less time each week woodworking. If I stopped woodworking, my weekly writing would drop off. I believe I am writing around 10,000 words per week.

The sheer volume of dreck which my fingers spew forth has helped me to become, albeit only slightly, a more polished writer.

Title image: Ross Mayfield, Creative Commons

Brian Meeks used to make his living in the virtual world of Second Life, where he built spaces for corporate clients under the name Ecocandle Riel.  When the economy went south, he turned to Social Media and does this to feed and clothe himself.  In his free time, he does… well… social media… and publishes the blog Extremely Average. He can be reached by email at ExtremelyAverageOne (a) gmail (dot) com, or by carrier pigeon at the house with the big tree out front. You can also connect with him on Twitter.

When Extremely Average Is Anything But

I’ve been thinking a lot about good writing lately.

Trying to read it as well, but thinking about it even more. And I have a feeling – no, I’m certain – you can blame Ann Wylie for that.

Ever since I attended this brilliant woman’s wunderbar writing workshop a few weeks ago, I’ve been trying to pay attention to not just the words I use, but the picture they paint – not just figuratively, but literally.

Are they readable? Do they draw you, gentle reader, in?

Am I using the optimal number of words in a sentence (14), and in a paragraph (42) to draw aforesaid gentle reader in?

Am I using alliterative triads to their fullest potential? (Paragraph 3, Sentence 4: yes, I am).

I jotted down my impressions of Ann’s workshop a few days ago, and if you haven’t been able to attend one of them as yet, I strongly recommend you do so. It will change not just the way you write, but teach you to think strategically about writing, and when was the last time someone did that?

With Ann’s words of wisdom swirling in my head, it’s become even more difficult for me to not assess, in two or three seconds, the visual representation of words on a page, or a screen.

You see, I’m an avid, but impatient, reader.

If a wicked turn of phrase grabs me, I devour it. If the most brilliant prose is prosaic, I dismiss it.

With Ann’s readability tips having been granted green card status by my brain, I feel as if I’ve been given carte blanche to ignore anything that’s not immediately readable with a haughty, “I wonder what Ann would make of that!”

And then comes along someone who throws the mechanics of readability out the window, simply because what he writes is So. Frigging. Brilliant.

Let me introduce you to Brian Meeks, who goes by the moniker “Extremely Average.”

Ha. Average, Brian is not.

I first came across his writing when Lisa Byrne Amplified a post of his with this pronouncement:

With such a compelling headline, how does one not click through?

And then, I come across this, which Brian wrote as a guest post, titled “The Top 7 Things I Hate About Top 10 Lists“… on a building blog, no less.

It begins:

James Henry Winston, III always wore finely tailored suits, lived alone in a flat in London, and drove a vintage Jaguar.  He liked history.  He didn’t like change.   The sound of the metal lock clicking as he entered the flat always brought a level of comfort to James, as he liked security.

Once, a few years back, the cleaning lady who came every Monday and Thursday had left the door unlocked.  Though nothing had been disturbed, he had felt uneasy ever since.  And Mrs. Poleridge had been dismissed.

The locked door though comforting was offset by the feeling of horror which overcame him when he saw the tiny overcoat hanging on the 4th hook in the hall.  It was on this hook he had expected to hang his umbrella.  For a moment he was more concerned with breaking his routine and with being forced to use the hook next to it than he was with regarding the probability that someone was in the flat.

See what I mean?

The beginning of the post has absolutely nothing to do with social media. But it’s so interesting, that it draws you in, 14-words-to-a-sentence-or-not.

I’ve become fascinated with Brian’s blog which is about, of all things, woodworking, with a healthy dose of Dick Tracy thrown in for good measure. Read it. You’ll see what I mean. And I defy you to not want more.

I couldn’t tell

if Brian is a professional writer who enjoys woodworking, or a professional woodworker who’s a gifted writer, or neither, or both.

Fortuitously, we struck up a conversation on Twitter, and then on email, and turns out he’s …

Well, I’m going to share what I learned from him in a three-part interview over the next few days. Look for the first one on Thursday.

Working in PR, I come across good writers every day. But this is a great writer and gifted storyteller. I wish I could write like him.

And I know Ann would approve.

By the way, I have no idea why I picked Christina Castro’s Creative Commons-licensed image of Spiderman to illustrate this post. It just felt right.

How To Think Like A Reader With Ann Wylie

Yesterday was a bit of a red-letter day. It was my husband’s birthday (and he thanks you kindly for all the good wishes, both here as well as on Twitter), which is a pretty big deal in and of itself.

Over and above that, though, IABC/DC Metro (y’all know I’m current president, right? Disclosure and all…) hosted a very special event: a three-hour writing workshop, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University (additional disclosure, I teach there) and Marketwire, with the renowned Ann Wylie, who promised to teach us all to “Think Like A Reader” and “Cut Through The Clutter.”

I’ve been a fan of Ann’s writing and teaching for years, but this was the first time I got to meet her in person.

Quite frankly: she’s amazing. She’s friendly, down-to-earth and has a fabulous dress style (and her hair is pretty fabulous as well).

As you may have seen, I live-tweeted a fair amount of her workshop (with Ann’s permission). There were so many nuggets that it’s tough for me to give you all of them, but here are a few:

• “Irrelevant information is not benign; it hurts. It costs attention, and that’s one thing no one can afford to spill.”
• “Would you put a stamp on it?” That’s a good rule of thumb to help you decide whether to send a communication or not.
• The definition of a paragraph: cover one idea, and then hit “return.” So think about packaging your information into smaller ideas.
• “Go from we to you. Stop talking about yourself. ‘You’ is the most re-tweeted word in English.”

If you haven’t already, you should definitely sign up for Ann’s writing tips via her free e-zine or, better yet, Revving Up Readership. And no, she didn’t ask me to say that; I really think you should.

Here are a few more tips from the master. I’d say “mistress,” but somehow that doesn’t feel right…

How You Say It Matters Too: Lessons on Blogging via Geoff Livingston

A couple of days ago my friend Geoff Livingston threw the blogosphere – at least the PR/SM one – for a bit of a tizzy when he announced he would no longer be writing regularly for the extremely popular Buzz Bin.

This, Geoff said, is why:

“Why, you ask? I have run out of things to say (image: Elyse Patten, Creative Commons). I found last summer when I wrote the “for me, social media is dead” posts that I had run out of things to say. As we moved on to a group blog format again, Mondays were still a struggle to add something new to the conversation.

“Two years ago, I ended the Now Is Gone blog for similar reasons. I feel like I am repeating myself. For example, while you may think FourSquare is a great new thing, I already blogged about it eight months ago! Yes, there’s room for continuing coverage, but… You get my point.”

Several months ago, the Buzz Bin saw a change when it became a CRT/tanaka (Geoff’s former employer which acquired Livingston Communications) property. And then he told us that come 2010, he’d be starting anew; we now know that new venture as Zoetica Media.

Having had the pleasure of getting to know Geoff a little over the course of the last several months, I can tell you one thing: the man does not run out of things to say.

Moreover, what he does say, he puts across in a unique fashion.

I’m not going to argue with Geoff – after all, if he thinks he’s run out of things to say, who am I to question him?! – but I think we can all take classes from him on how to say things when we blog, regardless of whether those are our personal or professional blogs. Here are three (and there are many more) that have particularly touched me:

Nothing strikes a chord like brutal honesty.

Check out Geoff’s post from 2008 on his five worst professional mistakes. He goes into quite a bit of detail on his career progression, examining not his highs, but his lows, sharing what must have been agonizing moments from his past. For example:

We’ve all made mistakes, and they’re never fun to remember. When we’ve made particularly bad mistakes, the most we can hope for is that the sting of memory recedes with time. And Geoff not only goes into them, but shares his lessons learned, with equally brutal honesty.

Takeaway: When you share pieces of your life with others – and if you have the courage to do so frankly – it makes you more approachable and personable… and it helps to engage your readers. Look at the number of comments Geoff got on this post. If blogging is about two-way conversation, Geoff nails it.

Use multimedia to a fault.

I thought what Geoff did to raise money for cancer research – getting himself tattooed at SxSW – was a great approach to personal fund-raising (I think the queen of it has to be Beth Kanter, who’s inspired several people, Geoff and myself included, to generate support from their communities for causes they care about).

What Geoff does really well, though, is incorporate different media into his posts. He’s an avid photographer, plays with just about every tech tool you can think of and uses them, and even brings you video of himself in what must have been, at the very least, an uncomfortable situation.

Takeaway: the more ways you give people to understand what you’re trying to say, the greater the chance of them actually getting it. By now everyone should have gotten over their fear of creating visual content, what with Flickr, Flipcams, et al. This stuff is easy to do. Do it.

Be generous to a fault.

A hallmark of Geoff’s writing is that he links liberally to other posts and online references. Look at this post of his on sponsored media.

There are eight (count ‘em) links to other posts, including an image credit, as well as a screenshot of comments he got on Facebook when he posited the question there.

This isn’t rocket science, but we often forget to do this – or don’t take the time to do it.

Guess what? When you link that liberally, people appreciate it. Which increases the chances of them linking back to you and engaging with you. And if you use images you’ve sourced online to add some zest to your post, always, always make sure to give the photographer his/her due, after making sure the image is licensed in a way that allows you to use it.

Takeaway: People are generous by nature. Being generous to a fault when you’re blogging is one of the greatest virtues you can have. And if you haven’t as yet figured out Creative Commons, now’s the time to do it.

As far as not having anything to say goes… Geoff will still be talking. He’s just going to do it his way, in a different place. And I, for one, couldn’t be happier that you can’t shut him up.

I could go on for a while, but those are three of the greatest gifts Geoff has given us. What would you add? Which other master bloggers have inspired you, and why? I’d love to know.

IABC/DC Metro to Host the Wonderful Ann Wylie

Cross-posted from IABC/DC Metro’s blog, Capitol-Cast.

This kind of news is too delicious to keep to one’s self, so here goes: we’re thrilled that renowned writing coach, Ann Wylie, will be visiting Washington, D.C., early summer to do a half-day workshop for IABC/DC Metro on the wonderful world of writing.

Ann’s a fixture on the speaking circuit, at the stratospheric level, that is. She’s won more than 60 communication awards, including 2 Gold Quills, has been designated an “IABC Recommended Speaker” for her top ratings at IABC International conferences, and serves as the Public Relations Society of America’s national writing coach.

If you subscribe to her newsletter, Revving Up Readership, you know just how terrific she is. Or, you may have caught her at one of IABC’s or PRSA’s international conferences… and she probably left you wanting more. New or senior communicator, Ann’s tips are timeless and workshops enthralling.

And *we* get her to ourselves for a bit. W00t!

Date, etc., tbd, but we’re looking at late June/early July, so please check our website often for updates. Space is likely to be limited for this premier event, so once it’s announced, make sure you sign up quickly.

The Truth About Communication

I don’t remember exactly how I stumbled upon J.D. Roth’s Get Rich Slowly blog (probably because I was trying to find tax information online, duh), but is easily one of the most interesting blogs I’ve ever read.

I mean, just look at this post on “The Truth About Taxes.” It’s about the dreaded “t” word, which would normally have me running for the hills. It’s a long post, to be sure, but not once did my eyes glaze over. The information JD’s posted is easy to understand and clearly laid out. There are plenty of references and links, not to mention excellent use of visuals with some pretty cool charts (that he created himself).

And when was the last time you saw the words “for more exciting information about taxes” and believed the writer actually meant them?

This isn’t just a blog about finance, in my opinion. It’s a lesson in communicating clearly and well on a subject the author feels passion for.

And that’s what good communication is about.

Have you come across other non-communication blogs that you feel the same way about? Please share, I’d love to know.

Image: Darren Hester

Writing: PR’s Sleeper “R”

My foray into the U.S. public relations world dates back to 2000, when I had just moved to this country. Apparently “networking” was the way to go (in India we called it the “old boys’ club”) and, dutifully following the lead of more experienced professionals, I plunged myself into monthly meetings of the San Francisco Bay Area Publicity Club (which we fondly called “The Pub Club”).

Of all the characters – some offbeat, some extremely colorful – that I met, no one left a more lasting impression on me than “Mr. T.” I can’t remember his full name, but I do recall that his first name began with a “t,” was older than the average Pub Clubber (20-something), had worked primarily in Tech PR, and had recently been laid off (we’re talking late 2000/early 2001 here).

Mr. T said to me, “I can’t write, but I don’t think that’s important. I know how to do PR, and there are enough writers to go around.” (Or words to that effect.)

I remember being quite taken aback by that pronouncement. However, being a (fairly) well-brought up Bengali girl, I smiled politely and moved on to exchange pleasantries with the less-outré attendees at the event. But Mr. T’s words stayed with me. Every now and again, I wondered if he was right.

I don’t think so.

If you’re a journalist, author or successful blogger, you already know why.

PR professionals – especially those who are new to the industry – if you ever had doubts about the importance of being able to write well, consider:

Your communications with clients, the media and internal constituents invariably comprise a high volume of writing. How will you convince them of the validity of your plans, pitches or whatnot if you can’t express yourself well in the written medium?

We live in an age where short attention spans are not just the norm, they’re “ADOS,” as Peter Shankman famously describes himself. Lose your audience before your first paragraph is complete, and you risk the possibility of losing their attention for good.

We are trying to survive through a time of record job losses and the fear and self-questioning that accompany them. If ever there was a time to showcase the diversity of your talents, it is now.

Getting Started on Writing Well

Being able to write beautifully may be a gift, but being able to write well – both succinctly as well as with meaning – can be learned. Here are just a few ways:

Give yourself a précis exercise. One of the most useful high school English classes I had to go through was “précis,” or the practice of distilling several, often long-winded, paragraphs, into a finite number of words without losing the essence of the original writing. Try it: create a table in Microsoft Excel of “x” number of cells, and allow yourself no more than one word in each cell (punctuation marks can be included after a word). How good are your compression skills?

If you haven’t already jumped on the bandwagon, get thee on Twitter. What better exercise in expressing yourself succinctly than in being restricted to 140 characters?

Capture your soundbites. While this word may have been bequeathed to us by audio-visual media, there is nothing more potent than a catchy phrase that rolls off the tongue, that not only captures the essence of what you’re trying to say, but can be used across many mediums, be they press releases, op-eds, or messaging documents.

You may be well ahead of me and, if so, please do share your tips. If you’re still trying to figure out the skills you need to hone as a public relations professional, though, don’t dismiss the ability to write well.

It might make the difference between being – well, Mr. T and you.

Image courtesy Debbie Ridpath Ohi.