Find Communication Role Models

If English is your first language, I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

The bad news: you’re too fluent! You may be too close to the language to realize how or why you’re using it in a particular way. It’s instinctive.

The good news: you’re fluent! So you are not short of ways to express yourself.

Those of you who have studied English as a second language often have earned a slight advantage. You’ve been forced to look at things differently. Maybe your grammar is better than someone who learnt English as a first language. Not unusual.

Knowledge of grammar and the way words work will help you communicate.

Given that English is the language of business, it’s not a bad idea to know how it works really well.

Look for role models who speak the language well. Listen to them. Do not rely on sportscasters, athletes, coaches, rock stars, etc.!!

Tune into the best: BBC in the U.K.; CBC in Canada; ABC in Australia; public broadcasting in the U.S.

Tune into BBC World as your news network so you can absorb the language by listening to the best.

Read your country’s best newspapers and magazines. You know their names.

It doesn’t require a lot of work on your part.

Bathe yourself in words – and the English language.

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Writing Skills Sell

Writing is one of my core skills.

It needs to be one of yours.

And you need to take feedback graciously. I’ve been writing most of my adult life. Yet I welcome feedback. I know writing can always be improved.

When I write something, I like to bounce it off an audience. I ask my team members to review it. I’m not possessive about my first drafts and you don’t have to be either.

Also, although writing is my core skill, I promise you that I do not pretend to know everything about writing. Neither can you.

Think about the challenge. More than 600,000 words exist in the English language; plus 200,000 technical words. Then there’s the grammar. You can’t know it all. In fact, if you’re a professional writer, you will own reference books. Many reference books. Tricky issues abound. Professional writers and editors often debate editing quandaries and disagree on solutions.

E.g., Is the word “Gen X” a singular entity or a plural entity? If a member of the boom generation is a boomer, would a member of Gen-X be a Gen-Xer? Hmmm. Not so easy, is it?

Take writing seriously and grab any opportunity to learn more about the skill and craft of writing.

Take writing training. You will lose nothing by learning to write well. And you could gain a lot! (P.S. And you can start a sentence with “And.” Writers have been doing it for centuries!)

Writing Dynamics™

What is one of your biggest writing challenges?

Is English your second language? What do you find most challenging when writing in your second language?

What Clarity, Brevity, Impact® Actually Means (Why it’s Our Slogan)

How to Achieve Clarity

Write and speak in short sentences.

Enough said.

A short sentence provides evidence of clear thinking.

How to Achieve Brevity

Make a point of getting to the point. No rambling preambles. No one has time for unclear thinking unclear argument. Make a habit of getting to the point.

How to Achieve Impact

Structure your communication so you offer a beginning, a middle, and an ending.

The beginning grabs the audience’s attention.

The ending hooks the audience’s memory.

The middle supports your argument. Take care, though. If the middle is too long, you will bury your message.

That’s why we call it the cemetery of communications.

It also explains why you need powerful openings and memorable closings to all forms of communication.

Are You Brilliant but Struggle with Words?

You may be a brilliant biologist, a savvy IT specialist, a wiz at math. But if you can’t communicate, it’s game over. In this competitive world, you won’t achieve your potential.

Scientists call it: “Publish or perish.”

We call it: “Speak up and be clear; or you’ve nothing to say.”


Good communication skills will help you succeed. They revolve around three simple words.

Clarity – so you’re crystal clear.

Brevity – so you get to the point without wasting words.

Impact – so you’re remembered no matter what.

Next week we’ll explain how to achieve these three words in a practical way.