Almost 400 years after the death of William Shakespeare, theaters still regularly perform his plays, children study his work in school and we are still moved by the complexity of his stories and the beauty of his language. But what's less well known is that Shakespeare also provided superb advice for copywriters and corporate communicators. Here are five of his best tips:  Continue reading...

What kind of writing works best on the web? Crawford Kilian has the answer. The author of the blog Writing for the Web, he offers solid advice on how best to communicate on websites. Check out his entry here.

We recently came across a terrific post on flip charts on the always-enlightening Presentation Zen blog. Flip charts? Yes, friends, in this PowerPoint-addled world of ours, the quaint, down-to-earth flip chart harbors untapped powers you just might want to harness in your next presentation. These websites show you how to get the most out of this oft-overlooked communications tool:

Using Flip Charts

Flip Charts: Low Tech Powerhouses

Make the Most of Flip Charts

11 Tips for Using Flip Charts

Basic Flip Chart Guidelines

Like many ex-journalists, I pride myself in being skeptical. But my Lou Grant exterior is sometimes defeated by my inner Pollyanna. When that happens, I enjoy reading a blog by Love Is the Killer App author Tim Sanders.

In an April 3 entry, Tim argues that simply being kind is one of the keys to success. "A 2002 study on customer service found that if you are likeable and competent," he writes, "you have a threefold increase in the likelihood of getting satisfactory service."

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When we talk about writing style, we mean one of two things: a set of rules and conventions regarding words and punctuation (sometimes known as the "house style" of a given publication); or a distinctive, identifiable way of assembling words and punctuation (sometimes known as "tone" or "voice"). The first kind of style is all about standards: it's why newspaper writers spell out all numerals under ten and why New Yorker editors -- alone of all their tribe -- spell vendor as vender. The second kind of style is about deviations from the standard. It's what makes us recognize a passage of prose as indisputably Ernest Hemingway's or Joan Didion's or David Foster Wallace's or Maureen Dowd's.  Continue reading...

Interviews matter. Interviews are the foundation of good reporting. They are the best way of understanding a complicated situation and seeing it from someone else's perspective. A wise, old editor of mine used to say "report it out." She meant "go talk to people, don't rely on your own opinions and judgment." It's a good maxim. One of my rules of thumb is to do one interview for each 250-500 words of final copy. So here are my top tips for a good interview.  Continue reading...