http://www.articlealley.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com by Philip Yaffe I know that what I am about to say may seem to be somewhat off the wall. However, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that a major reason most people write so poorly is the chaotic state of English spelling. It see... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/how-spelling-reform-would-promote-good-writing-2135408.html 22nd March 2011 By Philip Yaffe I have recently been reading and hearing comments that bullet points for slide presentations are dead, as evidenced by the rapidly-becoming-legendary presentations of Steve Jobs, co-founder and head of Apple Inc. There are three... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/resurrecting-the-bullet-point--the-return-of-an-old-and-valued-friend-1996467.html 31st January 2011 by Philip Yaffe How often have you gone to see the film that won the Oscar for best picture of the year, only to be disappointed? Probably more than once. Did this mean that there was something wrong with you or something wrong with the judges who vo... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/if-you-want-them-to-read-teach-them-to-write-1787240.html 12th October 2010 If you were there at the time, you will find it hard to realize that the 50th anniversary of the election of John Fitzgerald Kennedy is rapidly approaching. The iconic 35th President of the United States was elected in a close-run contest against then Vic... http://www.articlealley.com/http://rajsolution.articlealley.com/a-halfcentury-tribute-to-john-f-kennedy-1196944.html 26th October 2009 by Philip Yaffe To try to pre-empt people from misreading between the lines, let me clearly declare that the purpose of this article is in no way to challenge anyone's faith, but rather to better define my own. I am now approaching the proverb... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/questions-of-faith-i-am-dying-to-have-answered-976487.html 11th July 2009 by Philip Yaffe Part 17 of an occasional series I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school. I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". The... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/pithy-prose-the-wit--wisdom-of-gertrude-stein-930718.html 12th June 2009 by Philip Yaffe Over the past 40-plus years as a journalist and marketing communication consultant, I have frequently been told that I am an exceptionally good writer by teachers, friends, colleagues, and clients. But I wasn't always a good writer;... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/how-an-ugly-duckling-became-a-swan-930717.html 12th June 2009 by Philip Yaffe Part 16 of an occasional series I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school. I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". The... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/pithy-prose-the-wit--wisdom-of-simone-veil-921621.html 06th June 2009 by Philip Yaffe Mark Twain famously said: "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." Of course he was absolutely right -- and partially wrong. As every profes... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/public-speaking-why-using-the-right-word-is-not-always-the-right-thing-to-do-902313.html 19th May 2009 by Philip Yaffe Part 15 of an occasional series I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school. I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". The... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/pithy-prose-the-wit--wisdom-of-friedrich-schiller-902309.html 19th May 2009 by Philip Yaffe Because they were extracted from human blood, the first-generation hepatitis B vaccines developed in the early 1980s had significant drawbacks, including high cost, low availability, and the possibility of unsuspected contamination ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/how-a-polish-immigrant-in-the-usa-directed-a-major-victory-over-hepatitis-b-902307.html 19th May 2009 by Philip Yaffe Someone once said (it may have been me): "There is no dull information, only dull writers." We have all had the misfortune of reading very dull texts and sitting through very dull presentations. But were they inherently dull? O... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/how-to-make-dull-information-exciting-894990.html 15th May 2009 by Philip Yaffe As someone once said (it may have been Einstein, but it may have been someone else): "The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it's stranger than we can imagine." Whoever may have said it, in 1929 a certain Robert Riple... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/its-a-strange-strange-world-887751.html 12th May 2009 by Philip Yaffe In virtually all walks of live -- business, education, politics, research, etc. -- documents of more than a few of pages consist of the body and an executive summary. Unfortunately, most writers treat the executive summary as an aft... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/the-secrets-of-writing-a-truly-useful-executive-summary-887749.html 12th May 2009 by Philip Yaffe Part 5 of an occasional series I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school. I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". These ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/pithy-prose-the-wit--wisdom-of-ambrose-bierce-551976.html 06th June 2008 by Philip Yaffe Part 4 of an occasional series I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school. I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". These ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/pithy-prose-the-wit--wisdom-of-anatole-france-551974.html 06th June 2008 by Philip Yaffe I have never written fiction and never intended to. My 40-year career has been in journalism and marketing communication. However, a few months ago someone who had read my book on expository (non-fiction) writing and speaking contacte... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/can-the-fundamental-principles-of-nonfiction-writing-be-applied-to-fiction-551973.html 06th June 2008 by Philip Yaffe Part 3 of an occasional series I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school. I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". These ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/pithy-prose-the-wit--wisdom-of-people-named-wquotationspithy-proseepigramlovepoliticsreligi-540021.html 20th May 2008 by Philip Yaffe Part 2 of an occasional series I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school. I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". These ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/pithy-prose-the-wit--wisdom-of-oscar-wildeoscar-wilde-540018.html 20th May 2008 by Philip Yaffe Part 1 of an occasional series I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school. I am particularly fond of what I like to call "pithy prose". Thes... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/pithy-prose-the-wit--wisdom-of-mark-twain-540016.html 20th May 2008 by Philip Yaffe Decade after decade, perhaps the most popular type of television program has been the detective story, the traditional "who dun it?", presumably because people enjoy being held in suspense. It is therefore instructive to note that one... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/columbo-what-can-a-bumbling-inarticulate-los-angeles-cop-teach-us-about-effective-communication-518060.html 16th April 2008 by Philip Yaffe The absolute, unalterable, incontestable hallmark of a good expository (non-fiction) text is its clarity. Whatever other attributes it may have, if it isn't clear, it isn't good, Likewise, if it isn't good, it isn't clear. Clarity ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/making-sense-of-nonsense-writing-advice-from-lewis-carroll-and-the-jabberwocky-518059.html 16th April 2008 by Philip Yaffe When I am introduced at social gatherings, the host or hostess usually says: "Hi, I want you to meet Philip Yaffe. He is a professional writer." I almost always get the same response: "Oh, really. What type of novels do you write?" In o... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/notes-on-writing-from-writers-of-note-499350.html 28th March 2008 by Philip Yaffe "I was 24 years old when I first began thinking and speaking in a foreign language. It was like being released from prison. I saw my cell door swinging open and my mind flying free. That was over 40 years ago, but the picture is as fres... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/can-learning-languages-help-you-better-understand-science-and-technology-499348.html 28th March 2008 by Philip Yaffe Abraham Lincoln, America's iconic 16th President (1861-65), was never known as either a great writer or a great orator. Yet he penned one of the most highly praised and oft-quoted speeches in history. It was probably so good because i... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/what-abraham-lincoln-can-teach-us-about-clear-concise-writing-488437.html 10th March 2008 by Philip Yaffe How often have you attended a presentation where great attention apparently went into designing the slides - and apparently none into how they were used? Or the speaker played with the slides as if to entertain rather than edify? ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/how-to-use-presentation-slides-to-best-effect-480318.html 25th February 2008 by Philip Yaffe I was recently invited to a presentation by an accomplished speaker. Needless to say, his speech was well structured, his manner relaxed and confident, his eye contact and body language excellent, etc. He normally spoke without slides... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/why-visual-aids-need-to-be-less-visual-480316.html 25th February 2008 by Philip Yaffe I am an American living in Belgium since 1974. Ever since arriving here, I have been hearing the mantra "To be a good European, you should learn several languages". Almost from the very beginning, I suggested going the other way: "To ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/is-a-worldwide-common-language-just-over-the-horizon-467413.html 02nd February 2008 by Philip Yaffe For most educated persons, Murphy's Law is the fundamental law of the universe, even more important than birth, death and gravity. In its purest form, Murphy's Law says: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." There is an i... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/yaffes-law-vs-murphys-law-a-new-look-at-an-old-problem-248002.html 07th January 2008 by Philip Yaffe If you can tell a joke well, you already possess many of the skills you need to write a persuasive marketing plan, sales letter, financial report, new product proposal, etc. Equally, you already possess many of the skills you need to ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/laugh-your-way-to-persuasive-communication-247999.html 07th January 2008 by Philip YaffeRecommending that you stop writing press releases and start writing news releases is not a play on words. It is sound advice. In common parlance, "press release" and "news release" mean the same thing. However, the terminology people use of... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/stop-writing-press-releases-start-writing-news-releases-230983.html 21st October 2007 by Philip Yaffe Native English-speakers are increasingly exhorted to learn foreign languages to play a more effective role in globalisation. However, we tend not to learn foreign languages for three very valid reasons. 1. Many other peoples in th... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/fasttracking-foreign-languages-how-to-meet-the-linguistic-challenges-of-working-abroad-208599.html 29th August 2007 by Philip Yaffe At first glance mathematics and persuasive communication - writing, and particularly public speaking - would seem to have little in common. After all, mathematics is an objective science, whilst speaking involves voice quality, inflec... http://www.articlealley.com/http://philipyaffe.articlealley.com/the-mathematics-of-persuasive-communication-208596.html 29th August 2007