Writing Skills

How to Find and Use Stories in your Presentations   

On May 19, 2020   /   Presentation Skills, Writing Skills   /   Leave a comment

presentation idea using storytelling

by Jody Bruner

Have you noticed that everyone is telling stories lately? Google “storytelling in business,” and you’ll find marketers telling brand stories, trainers using stories to drive their points home and structure learning events,  leaders telling stories to inspire and motivate, and presenters telling stories to bring dry content to life and engage their audiences. 

This doesn’t mean you should structure everything as a story. Resist the temptation to tell the story of how you solved your problem. Don’t describe your research and share your discoveries along the way, building to your findings. It seems a bit harsh, but your audience doesn’t care about your story and if you are tempted to withhold the ending to build suspense, resist! Your audience won’t stick around to the end because they only want to know how your conclusions or findings will affect them.  Read more →

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Do You Get It?

On July 22, 2019   /   Career Coaching, Writing Skills   /   Leave a comment

business writing by Brittany Moor

I was recently talking to a new client about writing skills training for their team. Her organization had run similar training before, and she told me “it could have included more detail.” So of course, I asked her to tell me more! She said she was looking for a more targeted approach this time. So, I asked again: “Tell me more. What does a targeted approach look like to you?”  Read more →

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Further Reading for Writers

On May 22, 2019   /   Book Reviews, Wavelength Updates, Writing Skills   /   Leave a comment

books about business writingby Jody Bruner

We’re updating our annotated list of references in our writing skills manual and thought you may find some inspiration. Below you’ll find a collection of some of our favorite books that explore everything from ESL grammar to texting and email. Read more →

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Dealing with Difficult Digital Conversations 

On December 3, 2018   /   Email Writing, Writing Skills   /   9 Comments

digital conversationsby Brittany Moor

In today’s digital world, more and more of our conversations are happening through a screen. Between emails, texts, instant messages and social media, we often struggle to convey tone and meaning with just our words. Read more →

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Help Me, Don’t Assist Me!

On November 8, 2018   /   Email Writing, Writing Skills   /   Leave a comment

by Jody Bruner

In business, we’re often offering or asking for help. But in your communications, do you offer to assist instead? Read more →

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How to Make Important Information Stand Out

On September 20, 2018   /   Email Writing, Technical Communication Skills, Writing Skills   /   3 Comments

by Jody Bruner

Business readers are impatient and often scan when they read, so writers need strategies to make important information leap off the page. Read more →

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Technical Writing: Infographic

On August 21, 2018   /   Career Coaching, Infographic, Technical Communication Skills, Writing Skills   /   Leave a comment

Click here for a downloadable PDF

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Flipping the Scientific Method

On March 29, 2018   /   Email Writing, Presentation Skills, Writing Skills   /   Leave a comment

by Brittany Moor

I studied science in university, and I had to write a lot. My university experience was filled with lab reports, research papers, formal and informal scientific presentations, proposals, essay questions… the list goes on. To achieve top marks, I was taught that my writing method should mimic the scientific method: present my conclusions and recommendations at the very end of my document. When I started working in the real world, I began to realize this method didn’t work as well as I thought, and I struggled to present myself as a credible professional. Read more →

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Plain Language for Better Written Communication

On February 20, 2018   /   Email Writing, Wavelength Updates, Writing Skills   /   Leave a comment

written communication skillsby Lesley Nevills

Have you ever had to read a message several times just to understand it? We’ve all been on the receiving end of emails like that, and our impulse is to hit delete. But what if that email includes information you need, or it comes from someone you can’t ignore?

Many writers fall into the trap of writing in a vague and bureaucratic style because they think it makes them sound more formal or professional, but it confuses and challenges the reader. So, if you don’t want your readers to hit delete, use a modern written communication style that engages your reader with a friendly, conversational tone. To be effective, let your human voice come through.

Who would you prefer to work with – Writer A or Writer B? Read more →

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PBW: An Instructional Design Story

On January 5, 2018   /   Wavelength Updates, Writing Skills   /   Leave a comment

by Jody Bruner

Wavelength is the result of merging two communication skills training companies, IWCC and BrunerBiz. In 2017, we blended our two flagship business writing courses (IWCC’s High Impact Business Writing and Bruner’s Effective Business Writing) to deliver a course that combines the best of each: Professional Business Writing. Creating this new workshop was a great learning experience, and everyone—our team and clients who have piloted the course—is happy with the results.  

This is an instructional design story, in which we share how this redesign revealed what each workshop assumed about the learner, and about reconciling two different approaches to writing.  

Different assumptions about our learners  Read more →

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