Do any of these words describe your co-w...

“It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious,” wrote Oscar Wilde, well before there were open office floor plans or compliance departments. This view seems rather limiting. People can be complex, and so are the words to describe them. Below are 12 words that capture the depth and breadth of the people in our work lives. Convive — an eating or drinking companion. My convive for this evening will be Jake from accounting. Deceptionist — a receptionist whose job is to delay and/or block visitors. Jill, the third-floor...

Test yourself with this corporate jargon...

Make your fellow writers and editors proud. Identify the corporate speak, jargon, and meaningless business terms in the sentences below. Check your answers by scrolling to the bottom. Quiz Sorry I’m late. I’ve been actioning my deliverables. Writing is clearly not one of your core competencies. The project is already six months behind. Is now a good time to start managing expectations? How can I incentivize you to proofread your own work? Let’s discuss the new employee handbook! No one is leaving this meeting until we ideate about the new ad campaign. As many of...

Words and phrases from the 2010s

Never under-estimate the power of words. Words not only describe subtle shades of meaning, but they also transmit culture and define the spirit of the age. To see how words can capture and transmit the ideas and beliefs of the time, let’s take a look at the last decade in words. Do you remember when these words and phrases were first used? Alternative facts — information used to support false or misleading claims; lies. This term was coined by White House counselor Kellyanne Conway in January 2017. Binge-watch — to watch many or all episodes of a TV or movie series...

A little nonsense . . . quotes from the...

As someone who loves words, poetry, and literature, I sometimes wish I had a more focused command of my literary knowledge. I would love to be able to remember and properly articulate a literary quote on the appropriate occasion. For example, a few Charles Dickens’ quotes would have served me well during my budget meeting last month. “Make up the fires, and buy another coal-scuttle before you dot another i, Bob Cratchit.” One of the best examples of literary-quoting prowess comes from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. In the film (but not the...

How to market in a highly-regulated indu...

In certain industries — health care, financial services, legal — licensing boards, privacy laws, and professional ethics dictate how professionals can market their services. This often includes a ban on specific words or phrases in advertising, how these professionals can communicate with clients, and even how they can respond to online reviews. In this post, I’m going to discuss marketing for physicians because this is the area that I’m most familiar with. But, much of this information applies to other types of highly-regulated professional services. Until 1982,...

Liven up your next conversation with the...

As a writer, I love to learn about new words . . . how they’re created and how they eventually make it into the dictionary. Here is a list of my favorite made-up words. You probably won’t find these in any official dictionary any time soon, but try using one in conversation or in your next meeting. Authentification — to identify and authenticate something at the same time. We need to authentificate that data before we can add it on the website. Bellignorant — to be ignorant and belligerent at the same time. I hope you’re not simply being bellignorant in your...

Nitpicking co-workers? Beat them at thei...

Nothing sets your teeth on edge like having to deal with a co-worker or project manager who thinks they can complete communication tasks better than you. It’s one thing to receive constructive feedback from another writer, designer, or PR pro — or from someone like a marketing director. It’s something else entirely to receive unwelcome feedback from a co-worker whose one claim to expertise is that he or she reads a lot. Then there are those who demand detailed, sourced explanations for your decisions and who will argue with you if you don’t follow their...

10 transformational ways to conquer writ...

Inspiration can come when you least expect it. After more than 20 years in corporate communications, I’ve finally started to think of myself as an expert on the process of writing. In addition to my professional experience, I’ve read books, blog posts, been to conferences, workshops, joined writing groups. I’ve written 400 posts about writing for this blog and for PR Daily. And yet, the best advice I’ve ever received about the writing process didn’t come from an expert on writing, but from an expert on people. This “ah-ha” moment came when I recently spoke to...