1. How to keep employees engaged with one simple question
2. The Audrey Hepburn guide to employee recognition
3. The only employee engagement questionnaire you’ll ever need
4. Infographic: How work friendships improve employee engagement
5. How NOT to motivate and reward employees
[RELATED: Learn the dos and don'ts of reaching millennial employees in this free guide.]
(Image via)Employee surveys can be useful tools, but they’re not enough to help you know what your people are really thinking.
There’s no survey, assessment or app that can take the place of a manager finding a few moments of quiet, pulling an employee aside and asking: “Hey, how are you making out around here? What kinds of dragons have you had to slay today? Do you have all the tools and resources you need? Are you seeing any challenges on the horizon that you’re going to need help with? What can I do to support you?”
Once employees start to open up, the most important thing the manager can do is to shut up, listen, take notes and take action.
Bill Marriott on keeping employees engaged
In researching my new book, “On Fire At Work: How Great Companies Ignite Passion in Their People Without Burning Them Out,” I got a rare opportunity to visit with J.W. “Bill” Marriott. (Marriott Hotels are No. 53 on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list for in 2015.) Marriott emphasized how vital two-way communication is to keeping his employees fully engaged.
He told me: “Every morning we have departmental standup meetings at our hotels. These meetings give managers the opportunity to fill in their staff on those important things that impact their jobs, on their responsibilities, and on what they will be focusing that day.”
During these standup meetings, the hotel GM and the staff work together to identify what Bill Marriott calls the “theme of the day”: What needs work? Where are we slipping a little? Then it’s all hands on deck to work on improving those areas.
“Along the way,” he continued, “the GMs ask for input as to how things are going: What do our guests need?”
They want to be heard
Because employee input is so highly valued within the Marriott properties, these meetings always end with a simple but profound question that managers ask their employees, “What tools do you need to get your work done or to do your job more effectively?”
WHITE PAPER: How to communicate with a millennial workforce
It’s this final open-ended question that allows employees to express their wants and needs, but the key to keeping employees engaged is not dependent upon catering to their every whim.
Marriott explained: “A manager doesn’t have to give their employees everything they ask for. But they do have to listen to them and respond. If housekeepers ask their supervisors for more linens on the third floor, a supervisor must try very hard to accommodate that request immediately. But if they ask for something that management cannot deliver for them, the supervisor should at least tell the employees why their request can’t be met or a timeframe for when that request will be handled.”
Marriott punctuated the significance of this principle when he concluded: “Employees tend to stay in a job when they feel as if they are being listened to and their requests and opinions are valued.”
When was the last time you asked your people what they needed to perform better in their jobs?Well, an infographic from Officevibe contends you shouldn’t feel guilty for making friends with and spending time with co-workers during the workday. In fact, it argues that office friendships are directly linked with employee engagement and productivity.
Here are a few supporting statistics:
Want more reasons why work friendships are important? Check out the infographic:
(View a larger image.)
This is “The Chalfont Project 10 Questions.” The Gallup survey has 12 questions, but mine is shorter and better. It’s a company MRI. (My original proprietary employee engagement survey had one question—No. 1 in the list below.)
Free guide: Audit your internal communications
These are the 10 questions:
A thorough and serious interpretation of the answers, as well as a critical dialog about them, will give you more insight than many multi-question, multi-angle employee engagement/happiness questionnaires. I use this questionnaire in my organizational consulting practice.
Do you have any other questions? There can only be 10, so tell me which question above you would replace.
Leandro Herrero is CEO of The Chalfont Project and managing partner at Viral Change Global L.L.P. A version of this article originally appeared on LeandroHerrero.com.(Editor’s note: This was one of the top viewed stories of 2015. We’re rerunning it as part of a look back at the articles that captivated our readers the most.)
What are your top five favorite movies? I won’t admit all of mine, but “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is definitely one. I’m a huge Audrey Hepburn fan.
I share this because of a book I recently read called “Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.” by Sam Wasson. The book is about the making of the movie, including the making of Audrey Hepburn as an actress.
What does this have to do with employee recognition? A letter that Hepburn wrote to Henry Mancini (the man who composed the music for the movie) is a case study in how to write a good recognition message.
Here’s the letter:
Dear Henry,
I have just seen our picture—BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S—this time with your score.
A movie without music is a little bit like an aeroplane without fuel. However beautifully the job is done, we are still on the ground and in a world of reality. Your music has lifted us all up and sent us soaring. Everything we cannot say with words or show with action you have expressed for us. You have done this with so much imagination, fun and beauty.
You are the hippest of cats-and the most sensitive of composers!
Thank you, dear Hank.
Lots of love,
Audrey
Without heartfelt, detailed praise, many employee recognition efforts fall flat. I call these half-hearted efforts “drive-by recognition.” They are when the manager breezes past an employee’s desk, calling over his shoulder, “Great job, Louise. Thanks!”
Hepburn’s letter illustrates what a recognition message should include, specifically:
1. What the person did.
What Mancini did is obvious; he added music to a movie, lifting it above what it was before. How can you apply that at work?
Imagine that Louise helped you on a client project requiring significant research on a tight deadline. Your message might begin, “Louise, we couldn’t have completed the Smith project without your contributions and deep knowledge of available research.”
2. How that effort went above and beyond.
Work that goes above and beyond is especially worthy of recognition. Hepburn addresses Mancini’s work through a beautiful illustration of how music lifts us all.
In our example, continue your message to Louise with: “You dropped other high-priority work to fully commit to the Smith project. You recognized the project’s importance to the team and did not hesitate to help.”
3. A mention of the skills the employee demonstrated.
General recognition doesn’t help a person improve. Specific recognition, however, makes it clear which behaviors an employee should repeat.
Hepburn describes Mancini’s work as “imagination, fun and beauty.” In our example, you would say: “Not only did you pull research to support our position, but you carefully reviewed it for the most relevant arguments, whittling down copious amounts of supporting data to the information that mattered most. That takes both attention to detail and a willingness to immerse yourself in the client’s mindset.”
4. A connection to the work.
To those who are not fans of the movie, the phrase “hippest of cats” might just seem like a reference to the decade in which Hepburn penned the note. It’s not.
Hepburn brought in words that her character, Holly Golightly, used, which tied her praise even more firmly to the movie.
You might tell Louise: “You are our research guru. We might as well call you ‘Google’!”
5. A sincere “thank you.”
It seems obvious, but it’s important to use the words “thank you.” They have a deep, heartfelt meaning. Hepburn concludes her note with those words, and so should you.
Check out this post for other excellent recognition examples.
[RELATED: How to create a consistent message across multiple internal platforms.]
Lynette Silva is senior recognition strategist and consultant at Globoforce. A version of this article originally appeared on Recognize This!Give your organization’s communications the boost it needs with Mark Ragan and Jim Ylisela’s one-day workshop, Brand Journalism for Corporate Communicators.
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Communication experts Mark Ragan and Jim Ylisela will share their combined experience from the trenches to show how you can turn your PR department into a newsroom—and why your competitors will be clamoring to know how you did it.
(Editor’s note: This was one of the top viewed stories of 2015. We’re rerunning it as part of a look back at the articles that captivated our readers the most.)
When a newspaper company had to cut costs it made their entertainment writers redundant. To fill the entertainment review columns it came up with what it thought a novel way to deliver reviews and motivate the remaining employees: The newspaper offered free tickets to staff for theater, music and cultural events, but with the condition that they write reviews. The writer of the best review each month would be rewarded with a bonus of $100.
Not only did the staff see that the company was trying to cheaply replace what it had chosen to forgo, through redundancy, by asking the remaining staff to carry out extra work for free, the artists and organizers of the events also realized they were being short-changed. As tickets are generally offered free to media outlets, on the understanding artistic endeavors will receive professional coverage in return, event promoters were surprised to see the newspaper’s advertising sales rep, or office manager, turning up to “review” their play, concert or exhibition.
Needless to say, this “motivational measure” was widely ignored by the paper’s staff, adding to the growing disconnection between staff and management during turbulent times.
If you are thinking about how to best motivate your employees, to ensure they know their efforts are appreciated, here are a few mistakes to avoid if you don’t want it to backfire.
Don’t just reward results
Effort is often just as important as results. While a select few may be responsible for a winning result (a big sale, or a major project for a client completed on time), don’t let those working behind the scenes feel underappreciated. Big projects take a long time to come to fruition and it is important that you keep employees engaged and feeling appreciated for the duration.
Do not promote a superstar culture
Motivating (“incentivizing”) should be carefully balanced so individual success does not appear more beneficial to the business than the work of the team. If staff feels that one superstar is constantly rewarded for the performance of the group, motivation will suffer. Success always should be recognized at individual, departmental and company-wide levels.
Don’t directly and permanently link KPIs to reward
While this may be a great tactic for a one-off or short-term campaign, for example, to increase flagging sales in a certain sector, it can lead to box-ticking behavior if introduced in a heavy-handed way, and even encourage attempts to game the system. KPIs should be there to check that the company is moving in the right direction, not to incentivize (or de-incentivize) staff.
Don’t delay rewards or praise
Studies show there is a direct relationship between how quickly someone is praised or rewarded and how appreciated they feel. It’s easy to think that you will get around to sending out congratulatory emails (or gifts) at some point soon, but every second you delay is another second that someone (or your whole team) may feel unappreciated.
Free guide: Audit your internal communications.Don’t become predictable
Vary the rewards and incentives you offer from time to time. Familiarity breeds contempt, and once something becomes routine, it is an expectation and no longer a pleasure. Put some time and imagination into ways to make your team feel valued.
What are your views on rewards and motivation? What is and isn’t working for you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
A version of this article first appeared on LinkedIn.The advice offered in the most-popular stories for speakers can be put to good use by newbies and veterans alike. Don’t miss the speaker cheat sheet, presentation tips from TED, and what to never say in a speech below.
1. How to add humor to your speech—without being a comedian
2. 3 reasons to cut ‘thank you’ from your next speech
3. A cheat sheet for public speaking
4. 10 things the best speakers never say
5. 5 presentation tips from TED’s executive producer(Editor’s note: This was one of the top viewed stories of 2015. We’re rerunning it as part of a look back at the articles that captivated our readers the most.)
The parental prompting to say “thank you” is a common childhood experience.
Most of us remember our parents repeating over and over: “Say, ‘thank you’”; “Don’t forget to say, 'thank you’”; “Did you say, 'thank you’?” It was for good reason: to teach us to be polite and express sincere and heartfelt gratitude when appropriate.
The typical error I see presenters make when saying “thank you” is to use it more as filler, something a presenter says as a default. My advice to business leaders who are about to take the main stage: When it comes to thanking, don’t do it.
Try these three approaches instead:
1. Nix saying “thank you” as your opening comment.
Frequently, business leaders open their presentation by saying, “Thank you for…” and then quickly proceed to what they really want to say. Though this might be a pleasant salutation, it is merely tolerated as “status quo.” This type of default opener makes your presentation feel like it’s the “same-old, same-old,” and though it won’t send them running, it does nothing to jump-start a successful presentation.
Tip: Audiences want and deserve a much stronger opening, one that grabs their attention and sets the expectation that you are worth listening to. Open your presentation with a story, a startling statistic, a little-known fact—something that will break the ice and engage your audience right away. Looking for a strong grabber? Download some ideas here, but remember: Whatever approach you choose, it’s only effective if it captures their attention and is relevant to your topic.
[RELATED: Join speechwriters for three US Presidents in our executive comms and speechwriters conference in Washington, D.C.]
2. Nix saying “thank you” following an introduction.
Picture a speaker being introduced. She walks on stage, shakes hands with the emcee, turns and faces the audience, and the first words she utters are, “Thank you, John, for that gracious introduction.”
Tip: There’s no need to express thanks to the audience as you begin your presentation. Instead, offer sincere thanks to the emcee when you shake hands. Then dive into your opening remarks with a strong voice, commanding presence and relevant words—now you’re off on a powerful note.
3. Nix concluding with “thank you.”
This is one of my biggest pet peeves: Donot rely on “thank you” to conclude your presentation.
Tip: Many speakers say these words because they’ve finished speaking and they feel the need to let the audience know they are done. In desperation, they blurt out “thank you” hoping that those words will clue them in. Equally important to a strong opener is a resounding conclusion. Referred to as a haymaker, your closing statement should be a knockout punch that drives home the entire presentation. The final blow reminds listeners of the core message that you want them to remember long after the presentation has ended.
Nix the thank you; I promise your mother will not disapprove.
Are there other needless fillers you or other speakers fall back on?
Stephanie Scotti is a strategic communication advisor specializing in high-stake presentations. She has 25-plus years of experience coaching and eight years teaching presentation skills for Duke University. Learn more at ProfessionallySpeaking.net and ProfessionallySpeakingBlog.com. A version of this article originally appeared on SmartBlog on Leadership.While you may not have the desire to do a full on humorous speech, there is no reason why you can’t add some humor to your presentations to mix things up and engage your audience.
This is not to say every speech you deliver should drip with humor. However, the occasional use of humor, whether peppered lightly throughout your presentations or used heavily in the occasional dedicated funny speech, can have a few benefits:
Some people believe you can’t learn to be funny—either you have it or you don’t. From my experience teaching people humor and comedy, I strongly disagree. Humor is a skill you can cultivate and develop.
Below are five things you can do to tap into your inherent humor and add it to your next speech:
1. Identify things that make you laugh.
Chances are there are things that make you laugh—TV shows, movies, books, certain blogs, etc. Pay attention to the stuff you find really funny, and ask yourself, “What is it about these things that makes me laugh?”
Do you like puns, rants, observational humor, slapstick or double entendres? Whatever it is, make note of it. The style of humor that makes you laugh is a good style for you start weaving into your speaking.
Also add more of those things into your life. This will help you in two ways:
1. It’s easier to write funny presentations when you feel funny. Consistently watching, reading and listening to things that make you laugh will help you feel funny.
2. You can learn from the things you laugh at. You can learn structure, style, construction and pacing from observation. I usually listen to stand-up comedians because they make me laugh, but sometimes I will pay careful attention not to what the comedian is saying, but to the nuances of how he or she is saying it.
2. Identify things you already do that make others laugh.
I believe everyone has some area in their lives where they make others laugh. It may happen rarely, but I bet there are certain people or situations that bring out your inner comedian.
Think back to what you do in those situations and ask yourself, “How can I weave that into my speaking?”
This technique led to an evolution in my speaking business. I realized that the times I made my friends laugh the most were when I would go on extended rants making fun of things that annoyed me. However, at the time, I wasn’t doing any of that in my writing or speaking.
Once I realized this, I launched my Motivational Smart Ass brand, and starting weaving that ranting style into my presentations. My audience response has improved, and my referral rates have gone up.
Start paying attention to what you are already doing to make others laugh, and weave that into your speaking. You should see your audience response and referral rates go up, too.
3. Learn the basics of humor.
Some people are fortunate enough to automatically be funny. If you are not one of these lucky people, then you should learn some of the fundamentals of humor and joke construction.
There are many ways to weave words into humor. Once you understand some of the techniques comedians and funny speakers use to create humor, you can easily edit your material to add some humor of your own.
Here are a few techniques to consider:
These are but a few; there are many more. I highly suggest picking up a book on humor to familiarize yourself with the different tools at your disposal.
4. Understand that humor comes in the rewrite.
Sometimes you get lucky and your first draft is very funny. Usually, however, the first draft is content focused. It may have some funny ideas you need to develop, but it’s not going to be funny as is.
The blank page can be daunting, and adding the pressure of being funny in a first draft can make it doubly so. The best way to write a first draft is to write quickly without editing or worrying about the quality. As you practice writing funny, your first drafts will get funnier, but at first they may not be so guffaw-inducing.
Once your first draft is done, you can review it and find places to add lines, reword things in funny ways, figure out where to use humorous delivery, apply many of the humor techniques from No. 3, and even remove things you thought were funny at first but now realize they’re not.
For most people it’s much easier to punch up a written piece using the humor tools above than to think of something funny to write.
Here’s a simple draft-writing plan you can use:
Draft 1: Write your speech, funny or not.
Draft 2: Go back and add as much humor as you can.
Draft 3: Remove anything that isn’t funny, doesn’t support your point or breaks the flow of the piece.
5. Keep working at it.
Like anything else, humor takes time to develop. If you expect to come out of the gate and immediately start creating hilarious material, you will be disappointed. If you are committed to gradual and steady improvement, you will find that, over time, your presentations will get funnier and the work easier.
When I started speaking, I put very little humor in my presentations. I performed improv comedy from the stage, but other than that I delivered straight content. The first time I decided to add in funny stories and jokes, it took me weeks to get it done. I experienced a lot of uncertainty, fear, procrastination and writer’s block. Over time it has gotten much easier (I’d like to think the quality has gotten better, too), and I can add in new humorous bits to my speeches relatively quickly.
Give yourself time to find your voice and develop your humor. It may not be easy, but it’s worth it.
Adding a little humor to your presentations is not that difficult. Like most things, it takes an understanding of how to do it, a commitment to try and a little time and practice.
The techniques above can give you the understanding of how to do it-the other two are up to you!
Avish Parashar is the co-owner and operator of SpeakingExpert.com. A version of this article originally appeared on Speak & Deliver.(Editor’s note: This was one of the top viewed stories of 2015. We’re rerunning it as part of a look back at the articles that captivated our readers the most.)
For some, public speaking is a terrifying proposition. For others, it’s more comfortable than a Barcalounger.
Chances are, most people fall somewhere in the middle. And one thing is for certain when it comes to public speaking: Even the most seasoned public speaker has room for improvement.
Where to start? With all the rules, tips and best practices that exist to improve your public speaking, it can be a bit overwhelming.
First, you have to create the speech, from the title (you want to get people interested in hearing your speech) to the content (gotta keep ‘em interested) to leaving a lasting impression.
Then the preparation begins. From rehearsing, to clearing your mind, choosing your clothes—it all makes a difference in helping to give you the needed confidence to deliver a great speech.
Finally you take the stage. Eye contact, posture, tone, hand movement and volume must all be expertly calibrated to keep everyone interested.
If only there were a handy guide to get all these tips in one place to make sure each of these aspects is a success.
Fortunately there’s this public speaking cheat sheet infographic from LondonSpeakerBureau.com. This is one you’ll want to refer back to again and again.
(Click here for a larger image.)
(Editor’s note: This was one of the top viewed stories of 2015. We’re rerunning it as part of a look back at the articles that captivated our readers the most.)
While it’s hard to immediately win over a crowd, it’s easy to lose the room within the first minutes of your presentation.
To make sure you don’t lose your audience I asked Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, accomplished speaker and founder of TwitterCounter and The Next Web, about things you should never say in your presentations.
Here’s what van Zanten thinks you should never say:
1. “I’m jet-lagged/tired/hungover.”
One in five presentations at any conference starts with an excuse: “They only invited me yesterday,” or, “I’m really tired from my trip,” or some other lame excuse the audience doesn’t want to hear.
The audience just wants to see you give it your best. If you feel like crap and can’t give it your best, maybe you should have cancelled. Take a pill, drink an espresso and kill it!
2. “Can you hear me? Yes you can!”
This is how many people start their talks. They tap a microphone three times, shout, “Can you all hear me in the back?” and smile apologetically when it becomes clear that everybody can hear them, but no one raised their hand.
It isn’t your responsibility to check the audio. There are people for that. (And if there aren’t, test the volume ahead of time.)
But if you do speak into the microphone and get the impression it’s not working, just relax, count to three, and try again. If you still think the sound isn’t working, calmly walk to the edge of the stage and discreetly ask the moderator to check for you.
Throughout, smile at the audience and look confident. Assume everything works until proven otherwise, then stay calm and wait for a fix.
3. “I can’t see you because the lights are too bright.”
Yes, when you are on stage the lights are bright and hot and it will be difficult to see the audience. But they don’t have to know that.
Just stare into the dark, smile often, and act like you feel right at home. Feel free to walk into the audience if you want to see them up close.
And don’t cover your eyes to see people, Politely ask the lights person to turn up the lights if you want to count hands or ask the audience a question. Even better, talk to the lights people in advance so they know when you will ask them to raise the lights.
4. “I’ll come back to that later.”
If you happen to stumble on an audience eager to learn and interact, grab that chance and enjoy it. If someone has a question you will address in a later slide just skip to it right away.
If someone is brave enough to raise their hand and ask you a question, compliment them and invite the rest of the audience to do the same. Never delay anything.
5. “Can you read this?”
The rule is to make the font size on your slides twice the size of the average age of the audience. That means that if you expect the audience to be 40 then you are stuck with a font size of 80 points.
You won’t be able to fit a lot of 80-point text on the slide That’s a good thing and brings us to the next rule.
6. “Let me read this out loud for you.”
Never ever, ever, ever add so much text to a slide that people spend time reading it. And if you do, make damn sure you don’t read it out loud.
The best way to lose your audience is to add text to a slide. Here’s what happens when you have more than four words on a slide: people start reading it. And what happens when they start reading? They stop listening.
Only use short titles on slides, and memorize any text you want the audience to read. Or, if you must include an awesome three-sentence quote, announce that everyone should read the quote. Then be quiet for six to ten seconds so they can actually read it.
7. “Shut off your phone/laptop/tablet.”
Once you could ask an audience to shut off their devices. Not anymore. Now people tweet the awesome quotes you produce or take notes on their iPads. Or they play solitaire or check Facebook.
You can ask the audience to set their phones on silent mode, but apart from that just make sure your talk is so inspiring they will close their laptops because they don’t want to miss a second.
Demanding attention doesn’t work. Earn attention instead.
8. “You don’t need to write anything down or take photos; the presentation will be online later.”
It’s cool that you will upload your presentation later. But if it’s a good presentation it won’t contain too many words (see point 4) and telling them not to write won’t be of much use to the audience.
For many people writing is an easy way to memorize something they’ve heard. Allow people to do whatever they want during your presentations.
9. “Let me answer that question.”
Of course it is awesome if you answer a question right away, but you need to do something else first. Often the question from an audience member will be clear to you but not to the audience.
So please say, “I’ll repeat that question so everybody can hear it,” and then answer it.
Plus, when you make a habit of repeating questions, you give yourself more time to think of an awesome answer.
10. “I’ll keep it short.”
This is a promise no one keeps. But a lot of presentations start that way!
The audience really doesn’t care if you keep it short. They’ve invested their time and want to be informed and inspired. So say, “This presentation is going to change your life,” or, “This presentation is scheduled for 30 minutes, but I’ll do it in 25 so you can have a coffee earlier than expected.”
Then all you have to do is keep that promise, which brings me to the last point:
Bonus tip: “What, I’m out of time? But I have 23 more slides!”
If you come unprepared and need more time than allowed, you’ve screwed up. You must practice your presentation and make it fit within the allotted time.
Better yet, end five minutes early and ask if anyone has questions. If they don’t, invite them for a coffee to talk one-on-one. Giving an audience five minutes back earns their respect and gratitude. Taking an extra five annoys and alienates them.
Conclusion: Come prepared, be yourself and be professional. The audience will love you for being clear, for being serious, and for not wasting their time.
A version of this article originally appeared on LinkedIn.(Editor’s note: This was one of the top viewed stories of 2015. We’re rerunning it as part of a look back at the articles that captivated our readers the most.)
I am a TED fanatic. My enthusiasm for TED and TEDx talks propelled me to get involved in TEDxNashville.
As a member of the TEDxNashville board, a consultant for the Speakers’ Committee and the Chair of the Engagement Committee, I was afforded the opportunity to attend TEDActive in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada.
While there, I gained many fresh insights and a renewed appreciation for all public speakers and presentations. On my first day in Vancouver, I was one of the few people granted access to watch the TED speaker’s rehearsals. Many aspects of this experience blew my mind, especially watching TED curator Chris Anderson coach and challenge Alan Eustace on his TED talk just a few days before he spoke.
As described in the guide distributed to TED2015 attendees: “Alan Eustace leapt to Earth from the edge of the stratosphere wearing only a spacesuit, shattering skydiving records (and maybe, revolutionizing the space industry).”
As you can imagine, Eustace’s talk is brilliant and details a groundbreaking achievement, yet as a TED speaker, he was still required to participate in feedback sessions to refine his presentation.
Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to understand that even the brightest minds and most innovative thinkers in our world can benefit from presentation training.That’s why I’m sharing some presentation tips TED staff members offered during an exclusive workshop for TEDx leaders.
I’ll highlight a few tips shared by June Cohen, executive producer of TED Media.
At the heart of Cohen’s message was that great TED talks always focus on a single idea.Elaborating on the vital importance of keeping one idea as the guiding light of a TED talk, June Cohen shared additional tips for speakers who strive to deliver a presentation in the wildly successful TED style.
1. Extract meaning from your stories.
You probably know the power of storytelling, especially for presentations. However, do you remember to extract meaning from your stories for your audience? If not, start now.
If you do not wrap your personal stories in a message or lesson that relates to your central idea, your story will be like a balloon, floating next to you on stage as decoration, instead of acting as an arrow that shoots your message directly into audience members’ hearts and memories.
2. Don’t give a lecture.
Lectures typically present a series of facts, a list of information. TED talks, however, explore a single idea with unwavering focus. When you present a singular idea-avoiding tangents and loosely related facts and stats-you give your audience a clear takeaway from your presentation, making your message easier to recall and more likely to inspire action.
3. Don’t focus on an issue.
An issue says, “Isn’t this terrible?”
An idea says, “Isn’t this interesting?”
To ensure your talk or presentation centers on an idea instead of an issue, frame your topic as a challenge, proposal or solution. Don’t simply tell your audience about a problem and then lead them to a dead-end conclusion. Talks that only present a problem typically do not motivate action, nor do they inspire fresh perspectives to emerge.
Audience members leave an issue-centric talk with only the knowledge that the problem exists. That type of presentation is relatively pointless and wastes everyone’s time. Inspire action by focusing on an idea instead of on an issue.
4. Don’t be vague about your idea.
Clearly articulate your idea so the audience has no doubt about the meaning of your presentation.
Cohen cited one of her favorite talks—What if we lost the cheetah?—which she considered a “near miss” in the sense that the speaker, Laurie Marker, never clearly expressed her core idea. Marker came close, but coming close leaves the idea open to audience interpretation.
By succinctly stating exactly what you want the audience to learn from your presentation, you eliminate confusion about your point.
5. Start strong.
Earn the attention of your audience with the first few sentences of your presentation. TED talks, and many other presentations, eventually are shared with the world via online platforms such as TED.com or YouTube.
When people view presentations online, they are tempted by many distractions such as email, social media and chat messages from colleagues and friends. If you do not hook your viewers immediately, you probably will lose your audience and your message will affect far fewer people.
Even if your presentation will never be shared online, show your audience respect by engaging them from the beginning.
Fighting with non-violence, a TED talk by Scilla Elworthy, was the example Cohen chose to demonstrate the power of starting with a strong hook.
To deliver presentations in the popular TED style, focus on one idea and one idea only. You can support your idea with a foundation of related points, but all your facts, stats and stories must clearly relate to your central idea to have the impact of a TED talk.
Continue learning about the TED approach by watching Cohen share other tips in the following video, shot in 2010.
Leslie Belknap is the marketing director of Ethos3, where a version of this article originally appeared.Professionals come back year after year for our Social Media Conference for PR, Marketing and Corporate Communications at Disney World. Communicators from across the country are already reserving spots to join us March 15-17 for the standout conference.
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(embed this video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48qBDfVmxTo)
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Another reason to sign up? If you register by Dec. 31, you’ll save $250 on your registration. Reserve your seat here!On a personal level, I cringe when I hear someone sound the “t” in often or pronounce pecan with a short “a,” but I have to acknowledge that both these pronunciations are widely accepted alternative pronunciations that can be justified by the spelling.
Alternative pronunciations, however, are a different matter from out-and-out mispronunciations. The latter, no matter how common, are incorrect, either because of the spelling that indicates another pronunciation, or because of what is widely agreed upon to be conventional usage. Word of caution: I’m writing from an American perspective.
Download this free white paper to discover 10 ways to improve your writing today.Here are 50 frequently mispronounced words. The list is by no means exhaustive, but it provides a good start:
1. aegis—The ae in this word is pronounced /ee/. Say EE-JIS/, not /ay-jis/. In mythology the “aegis” is associated especially with the goddess Athene. It is her shield with the Gorgon’s head on it.
2. anyway—The problem with this word is not so much pronunciation as the addition of an unnecessary sound. Don’t add an s to make it “anyways.” The word is ANYWAY.
3. archipelago—Because the word is from Greek, the ch is pronounced with a /k/ sound. Say /AR-KI-PEL-A-GO/, not /arch-i-pel-a-go/.
4. arctic—Note the c after the r. Say /ARK-TIK/, not /ar-tik/.
5. accessory—the first c has a “hard” sound. Say /AK-SESS-OR-Y/, not /ass-ess-or-y/.
6. ask—The s comes before the k. Say /ASK/ not /aks/.
7. asterisk—Notice the second s. Say /AS-TER-ISK/, not /as-ter-ik/.
8. athlete—The word has two syllables, not three. Say /ATH-LETE/, not /ath-uh-lete/.
9. barbed wire—Notice the ar in the first syllable. Say /BARBD/, not /bob/.
10. cache—The word is of French origin, but it does not end with an accented syllable, as cachet does. A cache is a hiding place or something that is being hidden: a cache of supplies; a cache of money; a cache of drugs. Say /KASH/, not /ka-shay/.
11. candidate—Notice the first d. Say /KAN-DI-DATE/, not /kan-i-date/.
12. cavalry—This word refers to troops that fight on horseback. Say /KAV-UL-RY/, not /kal-vuh-ry/. NOTE: Calvary refers the place where Jesus was crucified, and it is pronounced /kal-vuh-ry/.)
13. chaos—The spelling ch can represent three different sounds in English: /tch/ as in church, /k/ as in Christmas, and /sh/ as in chef. The first sound is heard in words of English origin and is the most common. The second sound of ch, /k/, is heard in words of Greek origin. The third and least common of the three ch sounds is heard in words adopted from modern French. Chaos is a Greek word. Say /KAY-OS/, not /tchay-os/.
14. clothes—Notice the th spelling and sound. Say /KLOTHZ/, not /kloz/.
15. daïs—A daïs is a raised platform. The pronunciation fault is to reverse the vowel sounds. The word is often misspelled as well as mispronounced. Say /DAY-IS/ not /dī-is/.
16. dilate—The word has two syllables, not three. Say /DI-LATE/, not /di-a-late/.
17. drowned—This is the past participle form of the verb drown. Notice that there is no final d on drown. Don’t add one when using the word in its past form. Say /DROWND/, not /drown-ded/.
18. et cetera—This Latin term is often mispronounced, and its abbreviation is frequently misspelled. Say /ET CET-ER-A/, not /ex cet-er-a/. For the abbreviation, write etc., not ect.
19. February—Just about everyone I know drops the first r in February. The spelling calls for /FEB-ROO-AR-Y/, not /feb-u-ar-y/.
20. foliage—The word has three syllables. Say /FO-LI-UJ/, not /fol-uj/.
21. forte—English has two words spelled this way. One comes from Italian and the other from French. The Italian word, a musical term meaning “loud,” is pronounced with two syllables: /FOR-TAY/. The French word, an adjective meaning “strength” or “strong point,” is pronounced with one syllable: /FORT/.
22. Halloween—The word for the holiday Americans celebrate with such enthusiasm on Oct. 31 derives from “Hallowed Evening,” meaning “evening that has been made holy.” The word “hallow” comes from Old English halig, meaning “holy.” Notice the a in the first syllable and say /HAL-O-WEEN/, not /hol-lo-ween/.
23. height—The word ends in a /T/ sound, not a /TH/ sound. Say /HITE/, not /hith/.
24. heinous—People unfamiliar with the TV show Law and Order: S.V.U. may not know that heinous has two syllables. (The show begins with this sentence: “In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.”) Say /HAY-NUS/, not /heen-i-us/.
25. hierarchy—The word has four syllables. Say /HI -ER-AR-KY,/ not /hi-ar-ky/.
26. Illinois—As with Arkansas, the final “s” in Illinois is not pronounced. Say /IL-I-NOY/ (and /Ar-kan-saw/, not /il-li-noiz/ or /ar-kan-sas/). NOTE: Some unknowledgeable folks may still be trying to pronounce Arkansas as if it had something to do with Kansas. The pronunciation /ar-kan-zuz/ is waaay off base.
27. interpret—The word has three syllables; don’t add one. Say /IN-TER-PRET/, not /in-ter-pre-tate/.
28. incident—Something that happens is an “incident.” Don’t say “incidence” when you mean a specific event. There is a word “incidence,” but it has a different meaning.
29. “irregardless”—See the real word, regardless.
30. jewelry—The word has three syllables. Say /JEW-EL-RY/, not /jew-el-er-y/. The pronunciation /jewl-ry/ is common but not correct, as it removes one syllable from the word.
31. library—Notice where the first r comes in the word. Say /LI-BRAR-Y/, not /li-ber-ry/.
32. medieval—The word has four syllables. The first e may be pronounced either short [med] or long [meed]. Say /MED-EE-EEVAL/ or /MEE-DEE-EEVAL/, not /meed-eval/.
33. miniature—The word has four syllables. Say /MIN-I-A-TURE/, not /min-a-ture/.
34. mischievous—This is the adjectival form of mischief whose meaning is “calamity” or “harm.” Mischievous is now associated with harmless pranks, so that the expression “malicious mischief” has been coined as another term for vandalism. Mischievous has three syllables, with the accent on the first syllable: /MIS-CHI-VUS/. Don’t say /mis-chee-vee-us/.
35. niche—Though many words of French origin have been anglicized in standard usage, this one cries out to retain a long “e” sound and a /SH/ sound for the che. Say /NEESH/, not /nitch/.
36. orient—This word has three syllables. As a verb it means to place something in its proper position in relation to something else. It comes from a word meaning “east” and originally meant positioning something in relation to the east. Now it is used with a more general meaning. Say /OR-I-ENT/, not /or-i-en-tate/.
37. old-fashioned—This adjective is formed from a past participle: “fashioned.” Don’t leave off the -ed. Say /OLD-FASHIOND/, not /old-fashion/.
38. picture—There’s a k sound in picture. Don’t confuse picture with pitcher. Say /PIK-TURE/, not /pitch-er/. Pitcher is a different word. A pitcher is a serving vessel with a handle, or a player who throws a baseball.
39. precipitation—This is a noun that refers to rain, sleet or snow or anything else that normally falls from the sky. As with prescription (below), the prefix is PRE-. Say /PRE-CIP-I-TA-TION/, not /per-cip-i-ta-tion/.
40. prescription—Note the prefix PRE- in this word. Say /PRE-SCRIP-TION/, not /per- scrip-tion/ or /pro-scrip-tion/.
41. preventive—The word has three syllables. A common fault is to add a syllable. Say PRE-VEN-TIVE/, not /pre-ven-ta-tive.
42. pronunciation—This word is a noun. It comes from the verb pronounce, but it is not pronounced like the verb. Say /PRO- NUN-CI-A-TION/, not /pro-nounce-i-a-tion/.
43. prostate—This word for a male gland is often mispronounced. There is an adjective prostrate which means to be stretched out face down on the ground. When speaking of the gland, however, say /PROS-TATE/, not /pros-trate/.
44. realtor—The word has three syllables. Say /RE-AL-TOR/, not /re-a-la-tor/. It refers to a member of the National Association of Realtors, not simply a real estate agent.
45. regardless—The word has three syllables. Please don’t add an ir- to make it into the abomination “irregardless”.
46. sherbet—The word has only one r in it. Say /SHER-BET/ not /sher-bert/.
47. spayed—This is a one-syllable word, the past participle form of the verb to spay, meaning to remove the ovaries from an animal. Like the verb drown (above) the verb spay does not have a d in its infinitive form. Don’t add one to the past participle. Say /SPADE/, not /spay-ded/.
48. ticklish—The word has two syllables. Say /TIK-LISH/, not /tik-i-lish/.
49. tract—Religious evangelists often hand out long printed statements of belief called “tracts.” That’s one kind of “tract.” Houses are built on “tracts.” Then there’s the word “track.” Athletes run on “tracks.” Animals leave “tracks.” Don’t say /TRAKT/ when you mean /TRAK/, and vice versa.
50. vehicle—Although there is an h in the word, to pronounce it is to sound hicky. Say /VEE-IKL/, not /vee-Hikl/.
51. wintry—Here’s another weather word often mispronounced, even by meteorologists. The word has two syllables. Say /WIN-TRY/, not /win-ter-y/.
Got any to add to the list?
A version of this article originally appeared on Daily Writing Tips.So consider the victory recently when an Ohio woman persuaded an appeals court to throw out her conviction because of a missing comma in a city ordinance. The recent case led copy editors and punctuation perfectionists to rejoice on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Washington Post urged readers to “take a minute today and celebrate Judge Robert A. Hendrickson and the 12th District Court of Appeals in Ohio.” The Post’s headline called the ruling “a victory for punctuation, sanity.”
Andrea Cammelleri successfully appealed a conviction in a West Jefferson, Ohio, Municipal Court for leaving her 1993 Ford pickup parked on a village street for more than 24 hours. According to The Columbus Dispatch:
She pointed out that the ordinance prohibited “any motor vehicle camper, trailer, farm implement and/or non-motorized vehicle” from daylong parking and argued that her truck is not a “motor vehicle camper.”
The village argued that the lack of a comma separating motor vehicle from camper was a typo and did not invalidate her violation. But the court sided with Cammelleri. Grammar counts, the judges said.
“If the village desires a different reading, it should amend the ordinance and insert a comma,” Judge Robert A. Hendrickson wrote.
‘Grammar rules!’
Cammelleri’s victory was gleefully noted by news media across the English-speaking world. “Grammar rules!” New York’s Daily News proclaimed.
West Jefferson reportedly will have to reimburse Cammelleri about $1,500 for the costs of towing and legal fees, the paper noted. The woman launched her crusade for better punctuation after her boyfriend noticed the missing comma, she told the Daily News.
“I was told, 'Don’t fight City Hall’,” Cammelleri said. “I’d never win. I did.”
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Others saw a possible career move for a punctuation pugilist willing to take her battle to an appeals court. “With such a success, Ms Cammelleri should definitely consider plugging a gap in the market as a consultant in parking fine appeals,” suggested the UK news site Metro.
Patrick Frey, a deputy district attorney at Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, saw issues in the case that extend beyond punctuation. In his blog, he called the Ohio ruling a small victory for “textualists,” who insist on the literal meaning of the law, over “intentionalists,” who say courts should apply the legislature’s intention. Such questions arose in a recent U.S. Supreme Court interpretation of the Affordable Care Act.
“The [Ohio] court did right,” Frey wrote. “It applied plain meaning. It refused to enforce some secret, unexpressed intent or purpose, and went with the text.”
'Hanged on a comma’
At least one observer perceived a mirror image of the trial of Sir Roger Casement, an Irish nationalist who was said to be hanged in 1916 because of the placement of a comma in the 14th-century Treason Act. (He was arrested for seeking German aid for the Irish cause during World War I, so there’s also that. For the history of the case, see here.)
Sir Roger Casement: hanged on a comma. Andrea Cammelleri: cleared on a comma. Must read. https://t.co/BLQlZEH3U6
— Ben Nimmo (@benimmo) July 2, 2015
Others were content simply to savor Cammelleri’s victory for proper punctuation. A Scrips Media piece was headlined, “How understanding basic punctuation got an Ohio woman out of a parking ticket.”
“The moral of the story?” Scrips stated. “Knowledge really is power. More specifically, knowledge of proper punctuation can directly translate into the power to successfully dispute parking tickets. At least in Ohio.”
@byworking1. Judge cancels parking ticket over poor comma placement
2. 51 words you should know how to pronounce
3. 6 self-editing tips to strengthen your writing
4. 10 essentials for proofreading your own work
5. 5 AP style changes communicators should knowSome writing lands on their desk in excellent form, but a lot of it requires serious work with the red pen. Generally, editors are happy to help their writers to develop strong narrative arcs and believable characters.
The most annoying thing, though, is when writers fall at the most basic technical writing hurdles. Editors should not spend their time replacing adverbs with strong verbs or changing from passive to active voice. The writer can and should make these edits when they do their own first edit.
Editors have limited time to spend on your drafts, and that time is expensive. Taking a little time for self-editing can impress your editor and prove your writing skills.
Here are six common problems to fix before your editor gets out the red pen:
1. Replace adverbs with strong verbs.
When you write your first draft, it’s more important to get the story out than to get every word right. Wrestling with every word can disrupt your momentum.
So, if you need to write, “Mike drove quickly back to headquarters” while you’re pouring out a scene, then go for it. Your first edit is your chance to figure out how to make it stronger: “The tires screamed on Mike’s beat-up Honda as he raced back toward headquarters.”
In your first major edit, reassess any adverbs you find. Sometimes an adverb will sing, but more often than not, you will come up with a stronger way to get your idea across when you go back and look again.
2. Fix repetitive use of initial pronouns.
This used to make my professor crazy. As a master’s student, I had a terrible habit of starting nearly every sentence with a pronoun. He did this. She did that. It is correct. Boring.
Aim to have fewer than 30 percent of your sentences begin with a pronoun. Vary your sentence structure as much as you can; it keeps your readers’ attention and makes your writing more engaging.
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3. Get rid of clichés.
Editors despise nothing more than unoriginality. Clichés, by definition, are unoriginal phrases. When writing fiction, try to come up with your own unique way to describe people or situations.
George Orwell said in his rules for writing, “Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.”
Clichés are often the result of lack of imagination or laziness and, as Orwell says, are often “merely used because they save people the trouble of inventing phrases for themselves.” Replace any clichés with your own unique phrasing to touch your reader’s imagination in a whole new way.
4. Declutter your writing by cutting redundancies.
Redundancies clutter writing by adding words but not meaning. Every word should be there for a reason. If it’s not needed, delete it.
Some redundancies are so common we don’t even notice them. How often have you heard someone talk about a “free gift”? As opposed to what the kind of gift you have to pay for? The word “free” is redundant in this case; cut it.
Or those organizations that undertake a “joint collaboration.” Unlike all those individual collaborations? The word “collaboration” means people working jointly. Cut the clutter so your editor doesn’t have to.
5. Eliminate your passive voice.
Overuse of passive voice can jump off the page to an editor as a mark of inexperience. Like adverbs and initial pronouns, sometimes you can use passive voice for a specific purpose and it will be perfect, but overuse weakens your writing.
Let’s look at an example:
Active voice: Dave kicked in the door. He hurdled the sofa, shouted a warning and then ransacked the kitchen.
Passive voice: The door was kicked in by Dave. The sofa was hurdled, a warning was shouted and then the kitchen was ransacked by him.
In the first example, Dave is the subject; in the second example the door, sofa, warning and kitchen are the subjects. The second example is not grammatically incorrect, but it doesn’t sound right. Your verbs should refer to the doer rather than to the thing having something done to it.
6. Get rid of sticky sentences.
Sticky sentences brim with glue words—the 200 or so most common words in the English language—including: is, as, the, that, etc.
Glue words are the empty spaces in your writing that your readers have to pass through to get to the meaning. Reducing the frequency of glue words increases the clarity of your writing, which makes your editor happy.
Here’s an example:
Original: Erica needed to get the key to the car, and so she asked for the contact number of the person who was in charge of that department. (Seventeen glue words in a 27-word sentence. Glue index: 63 percent.)
Edited: Erica contacted the department head to borrow the car key. (Three glue words in a 10-word sentence. Glue index: 30 percent.)
The first sentence wobbles around searching for the point, whereas the second sentence is concise and clear, using fewer than half the words. Learn to recognize sticky sentences and rewrite them before your editor sees them.
Give your editor a break. Let her concentrate on making your story more compelling and your characters more believable. Don’t bog her down by forcing her to correct errors that you could easily have caught. You need her too much for that.
What revisions do you strive to make before you send material to your editor?
Lisa Lepki is an independent author, a staffer at ProWritingAid.com and an active member of the grammar police. This article originally appeared onThe Write Life.Without it, your text looks sloppy and unfinished and can lead the reader to stop reading. However, what’s the best way to go about this challenging yet vital step in the writing process?
There’s no foolproof formula, and mistakes are bound to come up, but I’ve tried to make it easier for you by compiling these tips to simplify the process:
1. Use a spell-checker. A spell-checker can help you find repeated words or typos, preventing a tedious or error-ridden manuscript. However, remember that it is not always 100 percent reliable Don’t make the mistake of writing martial where you meant marital or, worse, orgasmic instead of organic—now, that would be awkward.
2. Look for one type of problem at a time. Read through the full text several times, but don’t tackle everything at once. Read first for overall message; then for sentence structure, grammar and syntax; then for word choice and spelling; and finally for punctuation. This way you are much more likely to find and fix the mistakes.
3. Unsure of how you can best find spelling errors? Read your text backward, singling out each word.
4. Unsure of the correct spelling or meaning of a word? Check the dictionary and/or a thesaurus.
5. Are there any recurring mistakes? Keep a list of such words, and do an extra check of your writing for these specific errors using the “find” function.
6. Read your text in print. Review it line by line, and mark mistakes with a red pen. The different format might help you catch things you might not have otherwise seen. If you usually use this method, consider printing in a different font or with different margins to, once again, see your work in a new way.
7. Read your piece out loud—or let a friend or relative read it out loud for you—so can hear certain problems you might not see on the computer screen or printed paper. You can also record yourself and then listen to the recording. You are much more likely to find a missing word—or a repeated one—when reading it out loud, and you might hear it more easily if a sentence does not flow well or a wrong word has been used.
8. Give it a rest. Set your work aside for a few hours—or even days if you can—and then look back at the work with new eyes. This way you are more likely to see what you’ve actually written, rather than what you want to see or how you originally envisioned it.
9. Have someone else read your work. Fresh eyes will provide new insights. However, make sure the person is open to being critical (you don’t want the unhelpful “that’s great, don’t change anything”) and that you are open to the criticism. (There’s no use in having anyone else review your writing if you refuse to make adjustments.)
10. Plan to make changes. Don’t think your first draft will be your last, because it will not. Even if it takes extra time and energy, make sure you make the required changes to bring your piece to its full potential.
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Hanne Arts is the author of the novel “Just Perfect.” A version of this article originally ran here.The AP Stylebook isn’t strictly a guide for journalists anymore. The newest edition contains this endorsement by Alexa Hoffman, PR Newswire’s product manager:
As a former newspaper reporter and editorial manager, I grew accustomed to reaching for the AP Stylebook for all of my editorial needs. Now that I work hand-in-hand with PR professionals, it remains a great guide to crafting clear messages that resonate with professional audiences.
Colleen Newvine, AP Stylebook’s product manager, says this is the first year the stylebook has had a PR pro ensorse the book on its back cover.
According to David Minthorn, one of the editors, updating the stylebook is a year-round project that takes into account current usages and an annual survey.
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Here are five changes you should know about:
1. News terms.
There have been a few changes to terms and phrases used in news reporting that are helpful for PR pros to know.
A new entry has been added regarding suicides and suicide attempts. Overall, AP recommends avoiding detail on the methods used, with the following style change:
A new entry covers suicide in news reports - “committed suicide” should be avoided except in direct quotes from authorities. #APStyleChat
— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) May 27, 2015
Alternate phrases include killed himself, took her own life or died by suicide. #APStyleChat
— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) May 27, 2015
Minthorn told Poynter the reason for the entry:
“Committed in that context suggests possibly an illegal act, but in fact, laws against suicide have been repealed in the US, at least in certain states, and many other places,” Minthorn said, “so we’re going to avoid using that term on our own, although it’s a term that authorities widely use and we will use it while quoting authorities.
It’s also advised to use “Affordable Care Act” sparingly, as not all Americans recognize the law by its formal name. AP suggests using “President Barack Obama’s health care law” or “the health care law” on first reference, and “Obamacare”—in quotation marks—on second reference.
2. Food names and phrases.
“BLT”—formerly bacon, lettuce and tomato—is now acceptable on first reference.
For PR and marketing pros writing copy for the brewing industry, “craft brewery” should replace the use of “microbrewery.”
These terms are far from the only changes in the Stylebook’s 2015 edition:
Avoid the term preheat in cooking and use heat instead: Heat the oven to 350 F. #APStyleChat
— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) May 27, 2015
Other new food entries: amaretto for almond liqueur, meze for Middle Eastern appetizers, profiterole for a small cream puff. #APStyleChat
— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) May 27, 2015
3. Social media lingo.
“Favorite” is now an acceptable term for the Twitter button users use to “express approval for a tweet, and/or to bookmark that tweet, and any associated links, for later consumption,” according to the AP Stylebook.
“Favorite” can also be used as a verb, as in: I favorite all the tweets from PR Daily’s Twitter account.
Though social media professionals have used “memes” to increase online interaction with their audiences for a while, it’s now an official AP style term. A “meme” is “a piece of information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that’s shared verbally or transmitted widely, often in social media.”
If you’ve ever used “Rickrolling” or “LOLCats” in your content marketing efforts, rejoice. AP Stylebook has recognized your online creations.
4. Sports slang and organization names.
AP Stylebook now includes several standardized basketball terms, such as “Elite Eight” and “Final Four,” which are now capitalized.
That’s not the only sport with style changes:
Sports updates range over baseball playoffs, basketball’s NCAA Tournament, horse racing, soccer tactics and winter sports. #APStyleChat
— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) May 27, 2015
PR and marketing pros also should be aware that AP is also putting the brakes on sports clichés, according to a new stylebook entry shared by Columbia Journalism Review:
A team losing a game is not a “disaster.” Home runs are homers, not “dingers,” “jacks” or “bombs.” A player scored 10 straight points, not 10 “unanswered” points. If a football team scores two touchdowns and the opponent doesn’t come back, say it “never trailed” rather than “never looked back.” In short, avoid hackneyed words and phrases, redundancies and exaggerations.
5. Index of terms.
Though not a style revision, AP Stylebook has added an 85-page index to its 2015 edition to help users find words more quickly.
With 300 additions or revisions, the index may come in handy.
Learn more about what’s in AP Stylebook’s newest edition as well as the process behind its creation in #RaganChat on Twitter. Our next chat is Tuesday, June 23, at 2 p.m. Central, and an AP Stylebook editor will be our guest.