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Homophones – and we are not talking cell phones
Is It “There,” “They’re,” or “Their”? The inexperienced writer often misuses words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. Homophones are words that sound the same as another word but have a different meaning. Many homophones exist in every language to trip up the unwary. I focus in this blog on a…
Read MoreBuild Your LNC Company by Encouraging Opposite Viewpoints
We seem to be increasingly living in a “Yes-men” society, one in which dissension and opposition are discouraged and even punished. Many business leaders are beginning to question the results, and they’re taking thoughtful looks at their own corporate cultures and seeking ways to change them. Are you thinking about this as you build your…
Read MoreBlogging: Follow the Gold, Not the Glitter
One of the biggest mistake LNCs make regarding blogging is to view success in terms of statistics. They think: “If 1000 people viewed my blog post, that equals success.” “If I have 50 comments on a post, the world liked it.” Of course, when one of their blogs gets little attention, they are failures. They…
Read MoreKill Your Adjectives: Trimming LNC Writing
Mark Twain said that. His actual words were, “When you catch an adjective, kill it.” He explained he meant most adjectives. He objected to them because they tended to create (adjective alert) flowery and verbose writing. Sometimes Adjective are Unnecessary The doctor’s face was dark, bitter, and belligerent, and he yelled at the patient in…
Read MoreIs it Medical Malpractice or Just a Bad Outcome?
I’m sitting on my hotel bed reading my friend’s medical records. It is the night before her appointment with a second opinion cataract surgeon at Wills Eye, a Philadelphia hospital that specializes only in eye disorders. As she paces nervously around the room, she says, “I know he screwed up my surgery. Do I have…
Read MoreHow to Write Your Way from Need to Solution to Sale
You have a service you want to sell. In order to do this, you must define what your potential client or customer needs so that you can drive the solution to sale. You will often do this in the form of sales copy, which can be a letter to your prospect, a message on your…
Read MoreEstablishing Rapport: When Do You Use “I,” “You,” and “We”?
“I”, “”You” and “We” have a role in establishing rapport with attorney prospects and clients. How you use them can make the difference between getting a case from an attorney or losing the opportunity. Probably the biggest mistake LNCs make in conversations is to overuse “I.” In ordinary conversations, this pronoun often sets off the…
Read MoreHow To Avoid Procrastination
Your desk is awash in folders and documents. Too many phone calls await your return calls. Your spouse needs help in solving family problems. As you allow yourself to see your procrastination behavior, the vision of a desert island with no wi-fi haunts you. The real-time alternative might be to crawl under your desk and hide.…
Read MoreHow to Create Stunning PowerPoint Slides
An attorney asks you to create PowerPoint slides to use in mediation or trial. Or you offer to teach a lunch and learn at a law firm or a topic at a conference. Here’s how to make your slides shine. 1. Learn how to use the slide master to create a uniform format for the…
Read MoreAlone on Your LNC Path? Here’s help
We are standing at the top of a trail that runs 2.7 miles down the side of a mountain into Muir Woods, a stand of redwoods north of San Francisco. The bus that dropped us off has left. My trip down this mountain reminds me of the LNC path. Here is what happened: The tour…
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