Examples of Powerful Writing

Joanna Young asks, What does powerful writing mean to you? Turns out to be a rather challenging question. I tried to define powerful writing as “memorably evocative.” Writing that sticks in my head and evokes an emotion or an impulse or an attitude has power. But when I think of examples, I don’t see the common denominators. So, rather than bore you with a half-baked analysis of a topic I don’t really understand, I’ll refer you to Joanna’s blog where you can find some actual insight.

In the meantime, I’d like to share few examples of writing I find powerful, in the hope…

What I Learned from Testifying in Court

Robert Hruzek has another group project going — this time on the topic, What I Learned from the Law. Well, a few years back I had the unpleasant experience of testifying in open court for a day and a half. We were plaintiffs in a contract dispute and I was a key witness. Here’s what I learned about sitting on the hot seat.

There’s no substitute for preparation. Being a sales and marketing guy, meticulous research and preparation don’t exactly come naturally. However, in a legal setting, you simply can’t take shortcuts. Preparation means going over every piece of information directly and…

Cluetrain on the Wrong Track

A Rant about Rants

Inspired by Kenneth Davis, who chose The Cluetrain Manifesto as his favorite business book in my group project, I finally got around to reading the book that’s been on everybody’s lips since before it was published.

Cluetrain is full of fantastic insights about why we need more conversation in business. If you can get past the incendiary rhetoric, you can learn something. But I have a real problem with the rhetoric. In many ways, Cluetrain is its own worst enemy. If the authors are trying to persuade Corporate America to change its stripes, they’re going about it in exactly the wrong…

Business 2.0 Goes Under, Wants My Money as Life Preserver

Traditional media took a big hit last week with the announcement that Time Warner’s magnificent technology magazine, “Business 2.0″, will be shut down after its October issue.

It’s a real pity, because “Business 2.0″ featured superb writing, analysis, and trend spotting. Today I’m a little less broken up about it, because here’s what I found in my mailbox -

A renewal notice from a publication that just announced it is ceasing publication! I wonder if this is accidental or intentional. Does Time Warner wants to cushion the blow by scooping up some quick cash from uninformed subscribers? Doubtful. More likely a case…

About Writing Letters of Apology

Writing a letter of apology is one of the toughest assignments in business correspondence, maybe the toughest.

Since every situation is different, generalizing is difficult. But here are some points worth keeping in mind.

1. Lead with an apology. It puts the reader at ease, letting him or her know up front that the letter is not going to be a stonewalling exercise.

2. Keep it simple. Apologize, recap what happened, explain corrective actions that will prevent a repeat, offer compensation (when applicable), and apologize again. Briefly.

3. Be careful about assigning or accepting blame. On one level, the customer is always right. But what happens when…

The Heath Brothers Stick It!

Made to Stick is must reading for sales, marketing and advertising professionals. Written by brothers Chip and Dan Heath, the book reveals the six elements that make an idea unforgettable. Every one of them is routinely ignored in business communication. Here they are–

1. Simple. Is your point obscured by a forest of facts and figures? Have you buried your central thought on PowerPoint slide 26? Do you have a central thought? Learn how to make your point stick by sticking to the point. (Easier said than done, believe me.)

2. Unexpected. Alas, predictability reigns for the vast majority of presentations, brochures, Web pages and ads.…

Meyers-Briggs–Personality Profiles that Help

In order for companies to get things done, people need to work together. Quite often, poor communication and misunderstanding get in the way.

Meyers-Briggs personality profiles can help. The testing is amazingly accurate, and the detailed profiles, when shared with other members of a work team, go a long way toward helping people understand where the other person is coming from.

Here is a sample profile, which I selected randomly. It would be useful enough for the person to understand his/her own profile, but the real power of Meyers-Briggs kicks in when a member of the work team with an opposite profile…

Are Business Gifts Business Bribes?

Gift-giving in business can be touchy. Some companies have strict rules against employees receiving gifts from suppliers. Other companies encourage it and exploit every opportunity to cash in on “freebies”, the bigger the better.

Either extreme has a downside. Overdoing freebies carries obvious and serious risk for the purchaser. But, companies that categorically exclude gift-giving all the way down to the free lunch overlook the human element that is so important to business relationships. For obvious reasons, upper management does not want its purchasers being swayed by personal interests or divided loyalties. But, in many situations it is the purchaser who…

The Proverbial Slam Dunk–Always Say Never

One more comment on bromides, or trite expressions.

Awhile back when I was managing a national accounts sales team, whenever we thought we had a new account in the bag (bromide), we’d say, “It’s a slam dunk!” Not just to each other, but to every Tom, Dick and Harry (bromide) that came along, including our VP of Sales and members of the board.

Eventually I banned the use of this expression. Why? Because whenever we referred to incoming new business as a slam dunk, the whole deal would blow away like a house of cards in a hurricane. An unexpected competitor would emerge–the…

Spreading the Words, 1/19/2007

Liz Strauss on vendor expections. You get what you pay for.

Liz Strauss on client expectations. The client is not always right.

Bill Wren on the virtues of having a point. The eternal struggle between noise and news.

Blog Republic invokes Winston Churchill to pump up bloggers!

Marshall Goldsmith’s list of 20 leadership errors–reprinted in Brand Autopsy–rings true.

Shawn Hessinger’s excellent rundown of small business pitfalls. Don’t let them run down you.

Away With Words on the wonderful world of acronyms. LOL. Read ASAP.

How can marketers put smiles on faces? Kathy Sierra explains elegantly, as usual.

Tony Clark reveals how to find out if your great idea is marketable. Great…

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