Altogether now…words don’t come easyyyyyy…
Or at least that’s what 80s pop warbler F.R. David, complete with his Miami Vice rolled up jacket sleeves and aviator shades, tunefully told us.
Naff song maybe, but old F.R. had a point – words are tricky, slippery wee devils are they not? You can never find the right one when you need it most, then like buses, five or six good ones come tripping off the tongue at once.
With my small business, I make a big deal of having a good way with words. Well, I’ve got to, haven’t I? Because helping people find the right thing to say or write is how I plan on making my living from now on in.
The word part is easy for me, I don’t seem to get too tongue-tied or suffer from writer’s block. The hard part is trying to persuade people to part with pounds and pence for something as (seemingly) simple as speaking and writing. So the least I can do is explain exactly why the wonderful world of words is well worth the wonga. But to do that I need to go right back to the beginning…
Even when I was a kid I loved words. C.S Lewis, Roald Dahl, and yes, even Enid Blyton, were consumed under the covers by the barraload. Comics, Jackie and Bunty, my dad’s lefty leaflets, mum’s Doris Lessing books – I devoured the lot. To this day I’ve got a special place in my heart for Jean Plaidy’s bodice rippers with their dashing heroes and the faint whiff of sexual intrigue.
I loved writing too, and poured my heart, soul and teenage angst into the diaries I kept for years and years. By the time adolescence rolled around I was dead set on becoming a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist after coming across Harold Evans, John Pilger and Lou Grant (yes, I know that was TV, but newspaper offices looked like well cool places to work).
Later came a career in radio, a medium where words simply shine. I never cared whether the airwaves were transmitting the words of a world famous actor, a household name or a wee wifey fae the Wyndford, I just loved the sound of superbly spoken words and stories. It fills me with pride that I wrote some of those words, and helped when contributors were lost for words, or scared half to death of tripping over their tongues on air.
And d’you know what? Nothing’s changed. I still just love language, phrases and words. I am bowled over by brilliant writing, and sparkling speech – big, broad accents and gallus patter is music to these wee ears. Cos see words? See when they’re delivered with oomph, passion and pizzazz, words make a world of difference to the messages you’re broadcasting, in person, online or in print.
Nothing beats the buzz I get when when my training transforms someone from a nervous nelly into a cracking, confident communicator delivering well-spoken words to a room full of people, or over the airwaves. And it’s pretty damn special watching eyes light up when I’ve hit the mark with my writing, whether it’s a leaflet, a website or a campaign.
To put it plainly, well-chosen words are the very heart and soul of business – without them you simply can’t communicate clearly, creatively and with conviction. Find the right words, with help from people like me, and you’re laughing – hopefully, all the way to the bank.
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