Our starting point will be the use of “There are” or “There is” to begin sentences. Consider this; the word “there” indicates “not here” (in other words, some other place). Now look at the sentence below and think about what the meaning is and what might be intended.

There are four dogs playing with a ball.

If the writer meant that four dogs are over there and they are playing with a ball, then this would be technically correct. If the intention was merely that four dogs are playing with a ball, here, there, or anywhere, then the sentence could be worded better. The following sentence would show better wording on the writer’s part.

Four dogs are playing with a ball.

The next two words that writers often confuse are “which” and “that.” If the goal of your writing is to describe something and you have used commas to separate the phrase from the rest of the sentence you want to use “which.” When a writer wants a word to define and the reference is restricted then you want to use “that.” The first sentence below shows the correct use of “that” and the second sentence shows correct use of “which.”

The Yodo is the river that runs through Osaka.

The Yodo, which is a major waterway, runs though Osaka.

Our next word choice is between “while” and “although.” Another way of thinking about the word “although” is to look at its meaning, as found on Merriam-Webster Online dictionary the meaning is, “in spite of the fact that : even though.”(1) The definition of “while” indicates a relation to time, such as during a period when something else is happening. Two correctly worded sentences are below.

Although he is not tall, he is a good basketball player.

While he listened to the radio, he finished his homework.

A writer’s choice between “since” and “because” also involves the possibility of a reference to time. Many people use “since” when they really mean “because,” this is rarely a correct use of the word “since.” When choosing a word to suggest “from a definite past time until now”(1) use “since.” If you are not referring to time, “because” should be the word you choose. Try using “because,” if your sentence doesn’t make sense then you probably want to use “since.” In the examples below the two incorrect sentences do not sound correct, while the correct sentences actually sound better.

Incorrect: He had few friends since he was too annoying.

Correct: He had few friends because he was too annoying.

Incorrect: He has not ridden a bicycle because 1990.

Correct: He has not ridden a bicycle since 1990.

Whether you are writing an essay for school or you are writing a speech for your CEO, choose your words carefully because what people hear or read from you can make a big difference in their opinion about you and your intelligence. For anyone writing, regardless of topic, length, or purpose, ask for assistance if you need it, not doing so can have serious repercussions on your reputation.

1. Merriam-Webster Online. 20 January 2005. http://m-w.com/

David is the owner of Blue Arch Consulting, a proofreading and editing business helping clients worldwide to generate English documents of all types. Their website is at http://www.blue-arch.net

If you have a way with words, and can turn mundane expressions
into colorful and memorable ones, you can easily make a decent
moonlight income writing for people in your community.

Advertise initially by posting flyers wherever people
congregate: churches, schools, community bulletin boards,
libraries, etc. Once you have a few speeches under your belt,
word-of-mouth will provide you with an ample supply of referral
customers.

Plan on spending an hour, or so, with each new client gathering
background information, details, and anecdotes. Bring a tape
recorder to the meeting so you can capture some of the client’s
favorite sayings and verbal mannerisms. Have your questions
written out before meeting with the client, but listen to each
answer for opportunities to explore interesting “side roads”.

As a added value, you might offer to rehearse the speech with
the client and offer tips for effective delivery. Plan on at
least one “tweaking” after the client has read the speech to
correct areas where the client stumbles during the reading.

Charge $15-20 per typewritten, double-spaced, 10-12 point type
page, and $25-30 an hour for any research you need to do in
addition to the initial interview. Do your first two or three
speeches free, or better yet, do them in exchange for a
testimonial and an agreement to refer prospective clients.

A great way to learn more about this moonlighting gig (and
speech communication in general) is to sit in on a local
Toastmaster International meeting. Ask a few questions; make a
few friends. Visit the Toastmasters website
to find a public
meeting in your area.

Web Links:
Dave’s Guide to Speechwriting
http://davegustafson.com/speech/

SpeechTips.com
http://www.speechtips.com/

Speechwriting Books at Amazon.com
http://bisoncreek.com/link/SpeechwritingBooks.html

Mike Morgan owns Bison Creek Author Services
. He is the publisher of “The
Moonlighting Parent Newsletter”, a free email newsletter sent
biweekly, and the moderator of the “Article Post - Short
Content” (AP-Shorts) publisher-author exchange.

1. Get published in at least three new markets this year

Did you write articles or get published last year? Great! This year produce even more. Could you use article templates to write an article per week? A couple of articles per month on a regular basis? Publish your pearls in technical and trade magazines, online newsletters and post them in article banks. Print this article out. Write some new publication possibilities here:

A.

B.

C.

2. Expand your repertoire of methods and resources for doing your job

What can you do that’s new, different or better in your field of work for this year? Try some new techniques and ideas gleaned from technical or trade magazines, chats with your peers, seminars and conferences, meetings or brain storm sessions. This year you’re going to make even more of a difference. Jot down some key ideas now:

A.

B.

C.

3. Branch out into an as yet unexplored area related to your field

There are almost always new developments in virtually every field. A Google search will quickly turn up the latest developments related to your career. How can you work portions of these new concepts and new knowledge into your everyday responsibilities? Now’s the time to branch out, explore a bit and delve into some unexplored territory. Got a couple of ideas or so on what you might do? Jot them down here now:

A.

B.

C.

4. Join or get two new memberships in professional organizations

By now you should be familiar with several organizations which represent various facets related to your line of work. Are you an active member of at least two or more of them? If not, sign up. Visit their websites, poke around and explore what’s being offered. Special interest groups can be a gold mine of key contacts and useful information for networking your way towards the pinnacle of your profession. What are the top three or four organizations you should consider? Get the names and website addresses. Jot them down here now:

A.

B.

C.

D.

5. Participate in at least two profession-related seminars

If you’re familiar with the professional / trade organizations related to your field then likely as not you know of any annual seminars and conferences they may sponsor. This year, not only are you going to attend two or more of them, but you’re going to give a presentation at two of them as well. Often there are not only national conferences, but regional and local area ones too. These provide more than ample opportunity to answer two or three “Call for papers” and get on the roster as a presenter. Start locally or regionally, then move up to the big annual national conference. Frequently, it’s possible to prepare a focused-presentation and give it two or three times at different local or regional conferences so you needn’t research and prepare several different presentations. Note the upcoming seminar / workshop dates, places and themes here now:

A.

B.

C.

D.

6. Upgrade your professional credentials

Don’t let the world pass you by. Upgrade your credentials and stay in touch with new developments in your area of expertise. In addition to attending workshops and seminars, consider an online or virtual course, a lecture series at a local technical facility, trade organization, college or university. Look into the availability of short intensive programs and summer courses. If possible and applicable, go for a Master’s degree, a post-graduate specialization or even higher if having a PhD or other terminal degree would substantially boost your marketability. Pencil in a couple of possibilities for this year:

A.

B.

C.

Remember to print this article out and jot down some key thoughts and ideas now to help get you started. If you’d like additional help and ideas or have a question, please feel free to e-mail me. I’ll be glad to help. Good luck, and just Do it!

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an expert author and photographer offering Web Content Writing Services for top-quality articles on: Education, Language learning, Salt and Fresh water fishing, exotic foods, South American travel and culture, Ethnic issues - Blacks, Latinos, Indian native tribes, Health, Internet business resources and more … His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News, Brazil magazine and hundreds of sites online. For fr*e*e sample articles and available web content e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

What a letdown. Five articulate, highly educated, well-dressed presenters, armed with shiny animated slideshows, droned on and on and on and on. It didn’t matter what they were saying because the audience wouldn’t really hear any of it anyway. Around me, eyes closed, and others pretended to take notes while playing solitaire on their laptops. I wondered how in the world I could help these presenters. I also thought about tripling my consultation fee on the spot.

All presenters believe their words are important, and they are. But if you don’t give an audience a good reason to listen, they will quickly tune you out. In an age where sound bite is king, cutting through the clutter is more important now than ever.

Consider the following 7 points before stepping into the limelight:

The Take-Home

No matter how many years and dollars you’ve spent on research and development, no matter the technical complexity of your subject matter, when speaking to a group your entire presentation must boil down to one key point. If you had to sum up your talk in 10 seconds, what would you want your audience to know?

Ask Yourself the Right Questions

What you think a listener needs to know is not always what that listener wants to know. Put yourself in your listener’s seat and ask the following questions: So what? Who cares? What does this mean to the listener, reader or viewer and me? Until you frame your messages from your audience’s perspective, they won’t care. If they don’t care, you’ll never receive their full attention.

Talk in nuggets

Powerful communicators who can hold attention have something in common with each other. They’ve learned that speaking is for the ear, not for the eye. Instead of preparing a presentation as a research paper jammed with minutiae, condense complicated information into bite-sized nuggets and present only the information needed to move an audience toward the desired outcome.

Present, Don’t Read

Is your presentation written like a term paper? Is it written in sentences? Do you allow room for pauses so the listener can participate? People don’t converse in long-winded sentences. We speak in short phrases. So write in phrases or bullet points. You will then find yourself talking more and reading less. Also, take time to pause between key thoughts so your listeners can digest what you’re saying.

Paint the Picture

Explaining the features of your product may be important, but explanation without example has no meaning. People can’t remember all of the facts, but they do remember impressions. By comparing and contrasting, providing analogies and visual images, your presentation will come to life.

Slideshow or Presentation?

No one comes to a presentation to see a slideshow. They come to hear a knowledgeable person share ideas and talk. Visuals should reinforce what you’re saying, not serve as your script. Instead of preparing the slides first, prepare your remarks then create appropriate supporting visuals. Let your words drive the visuals instead of the other way around.

Nix the Jargon

Just because your audience is packed with colleagues or you’re providing information for an industry trade publication doesn’t mean you should talk jargon. Get rid of the buzzwords and throw away phrases. Rather, look for opportunities to put your words in context by humanizing your material and telling stories or anecdotes.

As I worked with the oncologist presenters and brought many of these points to their attention, they worried that simplifying the information would harm their credibility. Quite the opposite. By making an effort to connect with their audience rather than throw too much information at them, they created a focused, central theme with real-life examples that excited and inspired listeners. And in the end, the cancer drug they believed in made it to market and received a lot of good press!

Act like a sponge, and grasp all the knowledge you can from Karen Friedman, a leading communications coach in today’s business world. From her experiences as an award-winning television news anchor and reporter, she has helped thousands of spokespeople across the globe make the most of every interview, appearance and presentation. She has also authored five communication survival guides, which can be found at http://www.karenfriedman.com along with many popular audio programs. And don’t forget to sign up for a FREE newsletter at http://www.karenfriedman.com/forms/newsletter.htm
to receive a free bonus tip sheet today.

The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the Hollywood movies we have deconstructed are based on this template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

The Hero’s Journey:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

and more…

Sample Stages: Godfather (1972)

Call to Adventure: Sollozzo asks to meet with the Corleone’s to discuss funding a drug running operation.

Refusal of the Call: Vito Corleone refuses drugs because he believes they will have a negative impact for the Mafia in the future.

Supernatural Aid: Michael has two mentors: Kay leads him to the good side and Vito pulls him towards the dark (”what miracles you perform for strangers”).

Crossing the First Threshold: Vito gets shot. Michael, for the first time, sits in on the meeting between Tessio and Sonny and actively takes part in the family decision-making process.

Physical Separation (Belly of the Whale): Michael saves his father in the hospital; his face is deformed by captain McCluskey.

Learn more…

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.clickok.co.uk/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://www.clickok.co.uk/

However after I allowed an educated friend to read my short stories, I was motivated to attempt a manuscript, and whilst it was extremely daunting to open my life up for judgement, I considered the good I could do by way of educating people on the dangers of this kind of activity far outweighed my personal discomfort.

My manuscript became reality and in turn became a book that is now released in the USA. The title? Secrets, Lies & Chat. Since writing the manuscript and gaining a contract I have branched out in my writing but always on issues that I’m passionate about.

They call me opinionated, one-eyed, in it for the money (that one is a real hoot), out to ruin the internet etc etc. My real aim? Education of the uninititated to the world of the Internet. And no, not to ruin any part of the Internet, but to give the newbies an edge so that what they will ultimately find online won’t have such a huge impact hopefully, as it did on me.

Bitter? Never. The Internet is the best thing I can think of that has happened in my lifetime and will grow in power and might. The one big problem is the anonymity, and everyone who naively comes online needs to be aware and wary. End of story. My writing is the way I can use words to hopefully make a difference, even a small one. A little cog in a big wheel, but maybe one that makes the wheel work how it should. One can hope.

Whenever I can gain a forum, I speak the truth of what I’ve found on the Internet. I voice my fears for the children who are already online chatting. I know they will eventually wander into teenage rooms and I know what they will find once they become part of that scene. I’ve met the predators online, I’ve spoken to teenagers and heard their side of the story, and their disgust with what goes on in some of the rooms.

Online chat is a lifeline for many people and can be a wonderful way to spend idle time. Friends online are like penpals of the old days, with one huge difference. No longer does anyone have to wait by the postbox, disheartened when there are no letters. A simple connection to the internet, and there are your penfriends waiting for you to join in with the fun and banter and gossip. And yet underneath all that goodness, lurks something very different. Many never find it, but many do and are scarred for life by what they experience. Many would say I am an alarmist, a dreamer, a liar even. But I know, and so do many others, that there is danger on the Internet.

Why I write is to spread the word, both good and bad, so people have a choice, so people have knowledge of what they may encounter online. No matter what they think of what I say, with a bit of luck it will linger in the back of their minds, and one day they may be in a situation that will set them back on their heels, and they may may have reason to say, “Vena was right, there are things in here that aren’t quite right”.

If we all sit back and say nothing, just accept what is on offer and turn our back on it as ’someone else’s problem’ then the Internet that I love will become something to fear. I will do my utmost in any forum I can, to stir up some passion, to get people thinking, and my primary targets are children, young adults and parents.

I am an Australian author, living in Sydney, and have had my first book released in the USA during May this year. I have copies for sale on my website http://www.secretslieschat.net.au and those copies will be personally signed by me. I am divorced, have three grown children and one grand-daughter. I work full-time for the New South Wales Government in Administration/Supervision. Writing for me began as a hobby, something I always wanted to do, but as an avid reader of many styles of author, I could never see that I could ever write a book. After three years online involved heavily in chat rooms and a couple of exposures to online dating, I felt I had a story to share even though it would open my personal life up for anyone who read my book to judge. I considered my options carefully but really, I had no option. I knew what I had to do, and alone with no help from a literary agent, I did it. I scored a contract, and I have a book. I want nothing much more from this adventure but to be part of the education of people about the internet. The money I expended has gone on a dream