When people hear the phrase technical writing, they often hear something like: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. The phrase is […]
In our last post, we talked with Susan Bordson about the pivot to video and the importance of using video in communications as a magnet, not a megaphone. Today, we want to explore what exactly makes a video like the one for Children’s HeartLink capable of such intense attraction. Saving Children in China – […]
Susan Bordson knows how to get her point across. She’s an award-winning video producer, creative director, and message strategist who works with national and international nonprofits on high-stakes projects. Case in point: she created this stunning video for live-audience presentation at a fundraiser for the Minnesota-based nonprofit Children’s HeartLink: Saving Children in China – […]
Let’s not bury the lede: Are you author material? Maybe! Business leaders and other expert professionals are increasingly inspired to try their hand at authorship. And, as we discussed in our last post, writing a book can be a great idea. Sure, it’s an excellent marketing tool, but more than that, the work of writing […]
But books are hard to write. Books aren’t dead—hooray! But writing a book is still really hard. Despite technology’s inexorable advance, creating a book still calls to mind deeply solitary work—completed in a room of one’s own—and a superhuman ability to conjure up a world using only words. That effort is still very real, but today, […]
In our last post, I talked about communications plans, what they are, and why we create them for clients. Just to sum up: we adore them, and you should to. We’ve talked elsewhere about some of the components I mentioned, namely editorial calendars, style guides, and process charts. In this post, I’m going to focus on […]
When we work with clients in our capacity as consultants, one of the things we often create is a communications plan. A communications plan addresses all the communications that an organization produces and lays out a comprehensive approach to providing stakeholders with information. A well-crafted plan defines who should be given what information, by whom, when, […]
It’s a terrible, terrible pun, and I’m sorry I made it. But sometimes a cliché is overused because it’s apt. Going with the flow in this case means going with the flowchart. Like an editorial calendar, a flowchart is a surprisingly integral, useful tool for coordinating communications. It gives both a bird’s-eye view of and a […]
In the last post, we talked about editorial calendars and why they promote and inspire efficiency. Today, let’s talk more in-depth. We’ve already covered the obvious fact that an editorial calendar is part calendar—it includes the cyclical work of reaching out to clients, including launches and events and routine touch-point opportunities. But the crucial work of the calendar […]
Editorial calendars are rather common to write about, but they’re rarely used. What is an editorial calendar, and why do you need one? What is it? An editorial calendar helps you schedule your content production. Why do you need it? It helps you strategize your content and deliver on your communications. Our clients juggle a lot of content-related […]