What number of examples is ideal for persuasion?
Persuasive writing often demands examples. You can’t expect your reader to take your word for everything. The right number of examples depends on the nature and complexity of your point. One example may be enough to prove a simple point. More examples may boost your argument’s power. However, too many examples will overwhelm your readers, […]
Wise words for writers from “Alpha Better Juice”
Rereading your drafts results in better writing. That’s the bottom line of the following quote from Roy Blount Jr.’s Alpha Better Juice or, the Joy of Text: The web is a wondrous thing…, but so many people who publish things on it seem not be aware of that heretofore traditional stage of composition that involves […]
Writing lesson from a museum exhibit
A strong title can boost the appeal of a dull topic, as an exhibit at the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts reminded me. I was leaning toward skipping the museum’s exhibit of Currier & Ives nineteenth century lithographs. The name summons fusty images. But I changed my mind after I read the exhibit’s title: “The […]
Guest post: “Good Writing is Good for Business”
Gil Weinreich and I had a great conversation about the importance to advisors of good writing when he interviewed me for an article about email that appeared on AdvisorOne. I’m delighted that I convinced him to share his thoughts in this guest post. Good Writing is Good for Business By Gil Weinreich More than 15 […]
Please, no tiny fonts on your PowerPoint slides
You don’t want to make your audience strain their eyes, so make the text on your slides big enough. Savvy friends have told me to go no smaller than 28 points in my PowerPoint slide text. This squares with what Nancy Duarte says in slide:ology: For keynotes, don’t go smaller than 28 pt. If you […]