Here is the Zen garden, speaking the language of subtle distinctions, of connection and peace.
Language and its power have always fascinated me.
When I was in school, I took every language class I could fit into my schedule, including all kinds of English courses and also foreign languages, especially the immersion ones that didn't allow anything other than the language being taught to be spoken in the classroom.
As I got more and more into the study and practice of writing, my teachers also took things to a deeper level. The simplicity or complexity of how ideas are expressed has everything to do with how they are received. I had many fine teachers who gave me valuable tools to become a writer.
There was one teacher
who stood head and shoulders above all the rest.
Mrs. Shelby taught Advanced Composition and Rhetoric, and I was able to make the cut to get into her class, the last one she would teach before retiring, by pulling off a straight A average, which was one of the requirements to be accepted in the class.
She pushed us, hard. I had no idea how deeply she would affect my life when I stepped into the class.
She told us, every single day, that
Truth Lies In Fine Distinctions.
We had huge writing assignments each week, and she made critiques of every word, pointing out what was strong or weak in each sentence, in each point we made in every essay. No sloppy language or thinking was permitted. She would tear apart any weak argument when we were writing persuasive articles, let us know where a plot line was weak if it was fiction. In the process of doing this work, I learned powerful tools that have served me throughout my life in different ways. It took me a long time to really understand the message.
I spent many years as a salesperson, selling all kinds of different things, in different markets.
Now I get it...the language of the market is the tool. Talking to people in a way they understand makes it happen.
With fine distinctions, you reach your audience. They aren't wondering what you are talking about. A simple thing like using the right tone can make all the difference when you want to make a sale.
I call this Golden Apple #1:
Speak in the Language of Your Market.
It's the first of the tools in my system. When you understand the language and culture of the people you serve in the market, you cfan reach them at the level that works for THEM and connect with the concerns and needs they have.
Using the tools I learned during all the interactions over the years, and applying the knowledge I gained from my mentor,
Mrs. Shelby, I have developed a system called
Three Golden Apples for Business Writing Success.
It is simple to use and brings clarity to your topics, your style, and your interactions in the marketplace. It's a system that you can use at your own pace, and in your own way.
If you want to create business communication that serves you and your market effectively, this system is for you.
and remember...you don't have to go it alone.
Always,
Betty
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