#10074
Teachers often emphasize the importance of the 'three Rs'--reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. For people who earn a living through writing, as well as for those whose writing is a pastime, a solid grasp of the first two R's is indispensable. There is, however, a fourth 'R' critical for writers--research.
Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1997). Articles>Writing
#19551
Franglais in Canada: Does It Facilitate or Impede Clear Expression?
Pits the Pragmatic Many against the Snobbish Few in an attempt to discover what, if anything, Franglais contributes to clear expression. Is lexical and grammatical cross-pollination a sign of the type of dynamic evolution that enhances communication or a sign of a form of bastardization that impedes clear expression?
Mayotte, Anne-Marie. Writer's Block (2000). Articles>Language>Regional>Canada
#19568
Good Communication Is More than Just Good Writing
Writers can be good at writing, but lousy at communicating verbally. These tips will help you communicate better with your clients—and instill clients with confidence in your real strengths.
Holland, Anton. Writer's Block (1996). Careers>Consulting>Communication
#19572
Good Communication: Seeing the Forest While Managing the Trees
Effective communication, which often appears effortless, is actually the result of a lengthy and surprisingly complex journey—a journey during which you can easily lose your way. Staying focussed is the key to retaining a clear picture of how to convey information to its intended audience.
Vasdi, Peter. Writer's Block (1997). Articles>Writing
#19578
Company meetings are often regarded as conservative and uninspired by those who must attend. We all know that meetings are necessary, but we also know that they can be wearisome. Not all meetings need be that way. In fact, meetings can inject some lighthearted fun into the day and stimulate the creative juices. This is a story about how a series of humdrum meetings at one consulting firm evolved into a creative expression that is as varied as the participants themselves.
Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1998). Careers>Management>Workplace>Community
#10793
It is punctuation that mirrors our personality, punctuation that exposes our true spirits, punctuation that reveals the soul. The punctuation that saturates our writing, that is, the punctuation marks we choose to overuse, is the real ink blot test of personality.
Boucher, Lorie. Writer's Block (2000). Humor>Writing
#19575
Information Models for Web Structure
All destinations on the World Wide Web are constructed from information. Yet, these destinations seem to be physical, and, as a result, must be structured to help users locate and navigate the information in an intuitive way. Imaginary maps called information models represent the varying ways in which information can be structured.
Watson, James. Writer's Block (1998). Design>Information Design>Web Design
#19581
The Internet and the English Language
Explores how the use of e-mail and Internet chat rooms is contributing to the deterioration of the English language.
Carter, Terence. Writer's Block (1999). Articles>Language>Online
#19574
Interview with a Graphic Designer: Web-Document Design
Our in-house graphic designer shares her Web-document design experience.
Goldberger, Dalya. Writer's Block (1997). Design>Web Design>Graphic Design
#10073
Interviewing Basics Help You Focus on Content
Interviewing is an excellent primary source of information for any research project. Interviews with subject-matter experts can expose the most up-to-date information and introduce new material that may shatter your originally held ideas about a subject.
Goldberger, Dalya. Writer's Block (1997). Careers>Interviewing
#19573
Intranets signal a significant evolution in the way organizations will be using, producing, and finding corporate information. Discover where this evolution will lead us.
Collins, John. Writer's Block (1997). Design>Web Design>Intranets
#19583
Policies set boundaries for what is acceptable and unacceptable. But what makes a policy effective? Discover the basic components of a good corporate policy.
Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1999). Articles>Business Communication>Policies and Procedures
#10840
One man's career transition from academia to the technical writing. He dicusses foiled ambitions, crossing over, what is shared, Is it different, and Is it a matter of worth?
#19570
The Juggling Act: A Manager's Artform
Handling multiple priorities, coordinating the efforts of various teams, and ensuring that different projects remain under control are essential to survival in a climate of resource limitation and fast-paced change. I could talk about tips on staying organized, how to deal with uncooperative or under-producing staff, fixing problem situations, handling irate clients, re-working schedules while maintaining key deliverables in the middle of a project, ensuring a team functions as it should—but these are really textbook concepts. There are a hundred courses that teach the latest techniques for handling these situations. Anyone can learn to be a good manager to some degree; the key is wanting to be one and putting yourself in the right frame of mind.
Holland, Anton. Writer's Block (1996). Careers>Management>Writing
#22228
Learn the Techniques of Writing Before You Write
Writing is an art form. You must understand this art form before you can begin to challenge yourself and grow. Not many people would pick up a cello and start playing right away, without any knowledge of the basics of music, but the same does not hold true with writing. In fact, many people perceive writing to be some sort of inherent talent, without the need for training and hard work. Of course, some writers have a natural gift for creating structured and meaningful works with only minimal revision, but these are the exception rather than the rule.
McKay, Carolyn. Writer's Block (1996). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
#19559
Making the Grade: Managers' Tips for Performing Staff Evaluations
Evaluations should be used to take a look at the overall picture, to review where an employee has been in terms of professional development, and to get an idea of where he or she is headed. By doing that, you can provide your staff with valuable advice and guidance. They will be able to grow, both professionally and personally, and you will have a much more effective member of your team. Carrying out an evaluation properly is not easy. Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of the experience.
Holland, Anton. Writer's Block (1995). Careers>Management>Writing
#19586
Making the Rules: A Day in the Life of a Regulatory Drafter
David Spicer, Senior Regulatory Drafting Officer with the CFIA, discusses the regulatory drafting process, writing complex texts in the context of federal plain language principles, and what it’s like to write the words that define and protect Canadians.
Boucher, Lorie. Writer's Block (2003). Articles>Scientific Communication>Biomedical
#18471
Review: A Matter of Style: On Writing and Technique
Many editors and writers will find A Matter of Style useful, but as readers, most will find it frustrating. Matthew Clark, a professor of classical literature and a musician, addresses the book to editors and writers, both creative and non-fiction, and especially to academic writers. The book is not an introduction and Clark assumes that his readers “already have a good grounding in the basics of grammar and style” (p. iv). He skips quickly through a chapter called “A Few Points of Grammar” to get to his real target, “questions of artistry” (p. 1). So far, so good, but problems soon develop around many of these nodes. The level of audience assumed by the book frequently varies. The book functions in many passages as an introduction to various classical arcana of questionable utility. Even more than questions of artistry, Clark deals with “questions about style” that are “questions of taste” and so “do not have definitive answers.” As many critics before him, he claims that “taste can still be discussed” (p. 14). The question is, “How?”
Thurston, John. Writer's Block (2002). Articles>Reviews>Style Guides
#19580
My Computer Doesn't Understand Me: Automated Translation Tools
Can a machine that automatically renders true translations from one language to another become a reality?
Liddiard, S.D. Writer's Block (1998). Design>Language>Web Design>Localization
#13605
Official Bilingualism Has Its Costs--and Opportunities
Since the inception of Canada's Official Languages Act in 1968, official bilingualism is estimated to have cost Canadians approximately $60 billion. Today, the cost of translating federal government documents and operating various programs, such as French language training for federal public servants, is estimated to be some $4 billion annually. And these figures do not take into account the cost of publishing bilingual documents and providing bilingual services at the provincial and municipal levels, or similar costs incurred by private enterprises. While these statistics periodically provoke intense debate in Canada on whether this is money well spent, the fact is that this country's bilingualism requirements have been a boon to at least one group of people employed in the communications field: French-language translators.
Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2002). Articles>Language>Localization>Canada
#13076
Online Vs. Hard-Copy Marketing Material: Both Have a Place
The World Wide Web, the panacea of the so-called information age, was supposed to transform the way we shop, are entertained, and get informed. If the web was supposed to be so great, why are we still reading so much information on paper?
Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2001). Articles>Publishing>Online
#19587
Plain Language Writing: From a Good Idea Emerges Good Public Policy
Peter Zvalo looks at the plain language movement, its promoters and its critics.
Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2003). Articles>Writing>Policies and Procedures>Minimalism
#19584
The Podiatrists of the Writing World: In Defence of Non-Literary Writing
Lorie Boucher disputes the notion that creativity is the mysterious, unattainable claim of the writing world's gifted elite, and that its application in literary pursuits is worthy of higher praise than its expression in any other writing field.
Boucher, Lorie. Writer's Block (2000). Articles>Writing
#10023
Pricing a Documentation Project Is Part Science, Part Art
This article describes the ways in which determining a price to charge for documentation services is among the most important — and most challenging — tasks facing a contract writer or editor.
Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1999). Careers>Documentation>Pricing
#10052
For consultants and independent technical communication contractors, keeping your eyes and ears open will go a long way toward keeping you busy.
