Collaborating on research: the value of multiple perspectives
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Collaborating on research: the value of multiple perspectives

Two or three researchers can do better than one. Here’s how to take advantage of that. For the purposes of this post, I’m talking about Web research that informs writing, whether that’s an article, a book, a white paper, or an internal document. Even if you’re doing actual primary research, such a survey or interviews,…

Nuggets, or how to not write a piece that’s a boring lecture

Nuggets, or how to not write a piece that’s a boring lecture

A lecture is you standing up and droning on about what you think, based on your voluminous experience. It’s boring in person, and it’s a deadly way to write. In today’s short-attention-span world, a lecture is a good way to get people to click away from the post, stop reading the book, and give up…

How to write a book chapter
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How to write a book chapter

I write business books. Every chapter is a 5,000-word package full of stories, detail, statistics, insights, and recommendations. You don’t just sit down and write one of those at random. Here’s what it takes to create one. In the last 10 years I’ve written, cowritten, or ghostwritten six books. Five of them were case-study powered business…

The Republican National Committee sent a “push” poll. Here’s why that’s a problem.

The Republican National Committee sent a “push” poll. Here’s why that’s a problem.

A friend of mine got an email “poll” announcement from the Republican National Committee. This is a “push” poll — an attempt to conduct politics using the poll as a cover. I’ll explain why no legitimate political party should ever do this. Here’s what the email looked like: And if you scroll all the way…

New research on business writing (infographic and report)

New research on business writing (infographic and report)

Today I release “The State of Business Writing, 2016,” my first research report about the challenges of writing at work, based on a survey of 547 business writers. This is the first public release of the whole set of research. Biggest takeaways: 81% of people who write for work agree with the statement “Poorly written material wastes my…