I’ve noticed something about the significant writing projects I work on: the faster they go, the better the results. It’s not that writing in a hurry is effective (it isn’t). It’s that projects completed in a short timeframe benefit from a higher level of concentration. You might call it an agile writing and editing process….
Thank you. All I ever wanted to do was write. You have rewarded me by reading, responding, challenging me, and in a few cases, hiring me. As my blog hits 2 million views today, I’d like to reflect on what’s happened so far and what’s in the future. A few key milestones I launched this…
The PRSA 2017 International Conference is in Boston this year, starting this weekend. My talk on Monday at 5pm is called “How to Think Like an Analyst (or Influence One).” It’s in the Suffolk room at the Marriott Copley Place. I’ll be covering topics including: What is a thought leader? How are thought leaders different…
The New York Times published a devastating and detailed piece on decades of sexual advances by powerful movie producer Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein responded with a strange statement about taking a leave from his movie company to take on the NRA and President Trump. Weinstein’s statement is bizarrely sensible — but only if you believe, in…
A writer asked you to review something. You’ve marked up a document or piece of copy with suggested edits. But if you just send it back, you haven’t done your job. Why? Because the writer will likely just accept or reject those edits without thinking too hard. And that’s a missed opportunity for both of…
The Bill of Rights — the first and most important ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution — spell out our sacred and irrefutable rights in America: free speech, the right to bear arms, and so on. In the vast and powerful imagination of Americans, these rights are inviolable. In reality, every one of them is…
In the wake of emotion comes an assault on the truth. Here are a few of the questionable or false things that surfaced in surprisingly authoritative places in the last week. The Las Vegas shooter was a liberal activist . . . except that he wasn’t. According to top search results on Google, Stephen Paddock,…
Let’s talk about trademarks in writing, genericide, and and why this video about Velcro exists: When a company’s product and marketing take off, it dominates its category. As a natural result, its name becomes synonymous with the category — a process called genericide. When the public can’t tell the difference, the trademark becomes generic, and…
Equifax interim CEO Paulino do Rego Barros Jr. published a piece in the Wall Street Journal about his company’s response to its data breach. The tone and substance are ideal. Why does it always take at least 3 tries for a company to get its apology and reaction right? The Barros Op-ed works because it’s sincere,…