publications

Writing and Editing

December 2005 | Volume 3 Issue 12

The need for good writing in business is often taken for granted—yet it is at the heart of many of our communication endeavors and can mean the difference between success and failure. In this issue, business writing experts explore the how-to behind some common and yet very critical types of writing, including speechwriting, interpreting technical issues for your readers and writing for an international audience.

Natasha Spring

Executive Editor

Features

• Learning the Hard Way: How I learned to K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid)
• Strunk and White Were Wrong
• World English: Communicating with international audiences
• What Is a White Paper and How Is It Used?

Columns

• Visually Speaking:
  Once Upon a Time in Photoland
• Independent Thinking:
  The Board Room
• Communication in the News:
  CSR: Communicators Wanted
• Case Studies:
  Sinickas Communications, USAA, NCR, Reader's Digest
• Industry News:
  Teaching technical English, writing reports
• Related Links

This issue sponsored by:

Learn how marketing communication professionals keep writing projects on time and on budget by:

• Streamlining the cross-functional document review and edit process

• Controlling and securing content and article delivery so its available to the right people, at the right time

• Distributing final materials in one universal format for Web, digital devices and print

• How can Adobe Acrobat help?

Features

TECHNICAL WRITING

Learning the Hard Way:
How I learned to K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

by Sophia Dower

I used to believe that if you knew a subject well enough and were passionate about it, you could pen a masterpiece. But it was two years of working as an IT journalist (and never really understanding or liking it!) that actually taught me how to write.

SPEECHWRITING

Strunk and White Were Wrong:
In speechwriting, personality should not remain in the background

by Jerry Tarver

A speech generally needs personal language because it is delivered by a live human being whose words should not sound, as Wabash College Professor William Norwood Brigance put it, "like an essay standing on its hind legs."

WRITING FOR INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCES

World English: Communicating with international audiences

by Alan M. Perlman, Ph.D.


English is now firmly established as the lingua franca of the global economy. As native English speakers interact more with non-native speakers in this globalized context, a framework called World English can help both parties understand each other better.

WHITE PAPERS

What Is a White Paper and How Is It Used?

by Michael Stelzner


White papers have grown from just another piece of collateral to a super-powered marketing tool. Everywhere you look in marketing, you will see something labeled a "white paper."

Columns

Visually Speaking

by Suzanne Salvo

Once Upon a Time in Photoland

When we were little kids, "reading" meant sitting on Mommy's lap, looking at picture books. A single image could help us envision a whole world of adventure and excitement. Things are not that different now that we are grown-ups. Good images are still excellent storytellers.

Independent Thinking

by Daria Steigman

The Board Room

People traditionally think of board service as an opportunity to give something back to the community, to protect an investment or to gain business clout. But there's another motivation that should be top of mind for any independent consultant: professional development.

Communication in the News

by Diana Berardocco, ABC, APR

Corporate Social Responsibility:
Communicators Wanted

Communication practitioners understand how to use a range of tools—formal, informal, traditional and online—and two-way symmetrical communication. They need to know that, through the energetic use of these skills, they can advance the economic, social and environmental well-being of society.

Case Studies

• "SCM Column on Communication Management," Sinickas Communications Inc.
• "USAA 2003 Report to Members," USAA
• "Teradata Partners Conference Keynote Address," NCR Corp.
• "Annual Report 2004," The Reader's Digest Association Inc.

Industry News

• Teaching of Technical English Still Lags Behind
• Make Sense of Numbers in Writing About Business
• How Global Will the English Language Remain?
• Afraid of Writing Reports? Just Keep It Short
• Poet-in-Chief

Related Links

Related Links provides additional articles and resources for understanding this month's topic of writing and editing. You can also find some of these links alongside each corresponding feature article for quick reference. Links include:

• "Applying the KISS Principle in Writing," by Meryl K. Evans
• "From Lingua Franca to Global English," by Terri Kelly