How long should a blog post run?
There’s no set rule. I typically target 250-400 words. That’s long enough to express one idea and short enough to discourage you from going off on tangents. I don’t like tangents in blog posts. Posts should be narrowly focused to make them easy for readers to absorb. You’ll find opinions all over the place about […]
“Reader-Friendly Reports” in a nutshell
For a quick primer on writing great reports, simply read the following paragraph by Carter A. Daniel. The people who assigned you the report did so because they didn’t have the time to do the work themselves. They asked you the questions, and now they want the answers. The answers, therefore, are the most important […]
POLL: When is it okay to write “equity market” instead of plain English?
I change “equity market” to “stock market” tens of times every three months when I edit asset managers’ quarterly investment performance reports. Am I doing the right thing? The answer isn’t as clear as I, accustomed to clients who invest solely in stocks, initially thought. Equities vs. stocks Some of my wise colleagues on LinkedIn […]
“The Which Trials” according to “Woe is I”
If you’ve ever worried whether to use “which” or “that” you’re not alone. It took me years to figure out. However, Patricia O’Connor lays out the rules nicely in “The Which Trials” section of her book, Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English. Which vs. that Here are O’Connor’s rules from […]
Guest post: “Boost Chart Impact with Interpretation”
Marketing communications consultant Susan Becker and I met through LinkedIn. I’ve enjoyed many exchanges with her about how to communicate more effectively. Her guest post focuses on making the most of charts. Boost Chart Impact with Interpretation By Susan K. Becker Because most people digest information visually rather than verbally, we are urged to stop […]