Well Said Wednesday: What Writing My Dad's Obituary Showed Me About Writing For My Business

March 20, 2024 in Message Basics

The presumption is that there’s only one way to do it and that you must manipulate and tamp down your true voice – and your very message – to fit that form.

It’s not true.

Holiday Haiku: A talking snowman/A glowing, left-out reindeer/holidays are weird

Well Said Wednesday: A Creative Stretch, 17 Syllables at a Time

December 21, 2022 in Fear & Loathing in Mktg, Inspiration & Creativity

And that’s why I share the haikus that I write for fun within the realm of my business. Writing can be hard, I like to give myself a little creative stretch now and then. So I turn to haikus which have just the right balance of structure and absurdity.

It’s one of the ways I show up as me in my content. Because that’s what good messaging does. It telegraphs you. It attracts your group and lets the others walk away. It shows your heart. ♥

Photo credit: Me and my word of the year: Creative + Courageous = Creageous

Well Said Wednesday: Because Listening To Your Own Voice is Awesome 😕 (said no one ever)

June 30, 2021 in Fear & Loathing in Mktg

But once it was done, it was so incredibly hard to bring myself to listen to it! A million "what ifs" flooded my brain.

"What if my voice sounds ridiculous?"
"What if I say 'um' 1 million times?"
"What if I blather on and on and on and on and on..."

We get really creative when it comes to stalling, muting our voice and holding back our message.

Well Said Wednesday: Listen to What They Say About "They"

April 07, 2021 in Message Basics, The Writing Habit

Dictionaries and grammar "rules" don't have the final word on language -- and believing they do can harm more than help, especially for the trans community. Sociolinguist Archie Crowley deconstructs three common myths around language, demonstrating how it's a fluid system that naturally evolves in the direction of inclusion.

Last week, I re-ran a blog post about honoring people’s pronouns in honor of Transgender Day of Visibility.

Then later in the week, I came across this 2020 TedX talk by Sociolinguist Archie Crowley. They have a unique perspective as both a linguist and a nonbinary person. Give it a listen.

For me, it helped expand my thinking about evolving language and seeing the world from a point of view different from mine.

Well said, Archie.

“Well Said Wednesday” is a blog by Barbara Govednik, Founder, Content Coach & Message Strategist of 4.23 Communication. It’s published every other Wednesday…ish (when not on hiatus , or faux hiatus.)

*Amanda Gorman photographed by Kelia Anne/Sun Literary Arts via AP and NPR New story*

Well Said Wednesday: In Other Words

January 20, 2021 in Inspiration & Creativity

Today’s coincides with the inauguration of a new president. And I gotta tell you, my words don’t really seem important today and so instead, I direct you to these stories about Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet who’ll be part of the Biden inauguration today.