Lately I’ve been thinking about respect — and how to get more of it. Some colleagues and I have been working with a content manager at a consulting firm who keeps sending us blog posts written by her subject matter experts. She wants our help editing them. So, we work our magic and send it … Continue reading Six things writers can do to get more respect
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Why you should write for a specific audience
It’s a simple question, but one that can be difficult for some of my clients to answer: Who is the reader for your thought leadership? Marketers, business development professionals and subject matter experts always know what they want to write about -- digital transformation, or why companies need to do a better job of protecting … Continue reading Why you should write for a specific audience
The art and craft of creating a writing habit
About 10 years ago one of the more influential books I read was The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp, a choreographer who has produced more than 130 shows and collaborated with the likes of Mikhail Baryshnikov. I remember taking copious notes as she revealed something that, at least to me, sounded revolutionary: Creativity is not … Continue reading The art and craft of creating a writing habit
It’s okay to be human – the power of tone
A few years ago my son, Owen, failed a hearing test. He was 3 years old at the time, and when I picked him up from daycare, his teacher handed me a sheet of paper with two line graphs showing that he had passed in his right ear but borderline failed in his left ear. … Continue reading It’s okay to be human – the power of tone
Writing client alerts that stand out
The other day I was conducting a webinar on writing client alerts for some of our business development, marketing and communications professionals and it took me back to six years ago when I first developed the training. I had been with the firm for about a year when our CMO asked me to review some … Continue reading Writing client alerts that stand out
Alyssa’s top 6 email marketing tips
When it comes to email marketing, Alyssa Miller often uses herself as a case study to determine which emails clients will open – and which ones they won’t. As Baker McKenzie’s global manager of marketing technology and training, Alyssa has noticed she will spend hours on websites like Self and Prevention clicking on all the … Continue reading Alyssa’s top 6 email marketing tips
Grammar lessons from a train
I was riding home on the "L" after a long day at work, staring off into space instead of at my phone like usual, when this sign next to the exit doors caught my attention. For those of you who don't know Chicago, the "L" is what we call our subway system. Sometimes spelled "el," … Continue reading Grammar lessons from a train
Those gosh darn apostrophes
My daughter's name is Tess. She's cute and all, but the fact that we named her "Tess" poses punctuation challenges. When making her name possessive, should it be "Tess' birthday party" or "Tess's birthday party?" If you think there's an easy answer, you're wrong. We could skirt the issue entirely by calling her by her … Continue reading Those gosh darn apostrophes
Firm vs firm: The vote is in
While we're still in the season of voting, I thought I would announce the results of the informal poll I took to determine whether now was the time to stop capitalizing "Firm" as part of my efforts to revise our stylebook. Here is the tally: Don't capitalize: 24 Do capitalize: 21 Total votes: 45 Now … Continue reading Firm vs firm: The vote is in
Should we capitalize “Firm”?
Someone smart once said you have to pick your battles. That's particularly true at Baker McKenzie, where trying to effect change can feel like attempting to shift the direction of the Seawise Giant – the largest oil tanker ever built. Twice as long as the Titanic, she had a rudder that alone weighed 230 tons. … Continue reading Should we capitalize “Firm”?
The Writing Habit 