RSS
STORE
People still need writing training!
Yesterday, I was the keynote speaker to kick off PRSA's Southwest District Annual Conference. More than 150 people came to Albuquerque for the two-day event, and I had a lot of fun (and one truly excellent meal—a 'hunter's sampler platter' of antelope, wild boar and venison . . . I may be too much of a sissy to ever hunt an animal, but by GOD can I eat them).
Anyway, after spending some time at the conference, two things spring to mind:
Where the hell is IABC in New Mexico? They don't have a chapter there at all—despite the presence of a couple of urban areas like Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Obviously, there's a need for it. If PRSA can pull more than 150 to a conference in Albuquerque in the middle of February, the folks down there are obviously willing to attend professional development events.
But I asked around and there is no IABC chapter. The typical response I got was:
'Oh, I'd love to join IABC, but they don't have a chapter here.'
Now, maybe they had one and it died . . . maybe they never had one . . . I don't know. But it's certainly worth asking the question.
The second thing that really hit home with me was how much people wanted conference sessions on writing. That's right, writing. This event had one session on writing . . . and it attracted so many people it had to be moved to a new room at the last minute.
Which is always what happens. When I go to IABC's International Conference, the sessions on writing by people like Ann Wylie and Don Ranly are always filled to the brim, and overflowing in the halls.
So why don't more conference planners get it? Ragan is just as guilty as anyone else when it comes to our conferences, but at least we offer Jim Ylisela and Mark Ragan's Advanced Writing and Editing seminar series, which, by the way, always sells out, too.
We may like to talk about strategic employee engagement and measuring the ROI of our strategic communication plans . . . but when you get right down to it, we're still just a bunch of writers, right?
Subscribe to this blog's feed
Feels like Total Recall. Er, Philip K Dick?
Actually, with Steve's example it's a bit scary --- standing at the urinal...
Comments (8)
Vertical corridors!! That's great. I mean, it's so awful it's great. I wonder what they call closets . . . . rectangular storage facilities?
Steve
Posted by steve c. | February 16, 2005 10:10 AM
Posted on February 16, 2005 10:10
To feed and vent emotional needs, I take to postings on romance web sites. Never talking or writing about romance or dating, but always expressing qualities of light sound and touch with an odd attribute of cognitive disonance, I find multitudes of persons eagerly reading and writing back, one living feeling thinking individual to another. If a person practices with 100 word stories, technical and public writing should improve as the facitity and limberness of thinking in print increases.
Posted by a.j. | October 20, 2005 11:05 AM
Posted on October 20, 2005 11:05
DATE: 02/11/2005 11:82:2P PM
Interesting. At the places I've worked, everyone *thinks* they can write (and ohhhh, how mistaken most are). I can't get 'em to take writing advice much less go to a clinic on it.
And owwww, Steve! I have the flu and I'll be picturing that Scary Animal Platter as I bid goodbye to my lunch in the parking lot...
Posted by Meredith | October 16, 2006 4:30 PM
Posted on October 16, 2006 16:30
DATE: 02/11/2005 38:21:2P PM
Weighing in on behalf of the carnivores (and I am *jealous* of that dinner, let me tell ya), I am reminded of the advertising billboard for a steak joint that featured the tag line "There is place for all of God's creatures.... right next to the mashed potatoes."
Steve Neruda
Posted by Steve Neruda | October 16, 2006 4:30 PM
Posted on October 16, 2006 16:30
DATE: 02/11/2005 40:42:8P PM
If Ragan offers Jim and Mark in a series that always sells out, then there's a niche that still needs scratching.
I've got a proposal and I'm going to be in Chicago next month for the Communication Leadership Summit.
Let's talk, Steve ... or show me to Mr. Ragan's door.
Posted by kathy.felong | October 16, 2006 4:30 PM
Posted on October 16, 2006 16:30
DATE: 02/14/2005 03:94:8P PM
To quote Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally": YES! YES! YES!
Like Meredith, I've encountered many people in my career who think they can write or communicate well. I'll never forget when the local water utility I worked for was building a new headquarters building. I was called in to craft an employee communication about construction delays. The chief engineer wanted to tell people about "excessive deflection between the floors," but we were able to finally translate that as meaning "too much bounce," and describe why additional beam support was needed. Then, when the parking garage experienced delays, the architect himself drafted a communication (What was he thinking?) that described the situation as this: "The exterior concrete skin of the garage will undergo erection on..." Thankfully, we killed the architect/writer's piece and offered employees an explanation that wouldn't give them the heebie jeebies every time they parked in that garage!
Good writing...it is key to everything we do in corporate communications.
Posted by Cindy | October 16, 2006 4:30 PM
Posted on October 16, 2006 16:30
DATE: 02/14/2005 12:20:8P PM
My expectations have fallen through the years. Now, all I want is for writers to change:
"Amalgamated Incorporated (Amalgamated) is pleased to present Acme Ltd. (Acme) with this tender for the erection of the I-70 bridge 15 km northwest of Glenwood Springs, Colorado"
to
"Thank you for inviting us to bid on your bridge project. Attached is our proposal."
That's only the first sentence. It goes downhill from there. . .
Of course, there are writing seminars and other writing seminars. When you have the chance to hear Dr. Ranly speak, he makes you actually WANT to write again. It's like the difference between antelope and a chicken leg!
Posted by Lee Recca | October 16, 2006 4:30 PM
Posted on October 16, 2006 16:30
DATE: 02/14/2005 43:45:2P PM
When I was working for a large health care organization (one with many hospitals) I was asked to help the facilities management department rewrite an announcement they had created about how the construction of a new emergency department would affect foot traffic in the building. In addition to being excessively wordy, my very favourite phrase was when one of the engineers referred to elevators as "vertical corridors". (sigh)
Posted by Kelly | October 16, 2006 4:30 PM
Posted on October 16, 2006 16:30