Fear is the underlying emotion behind writer’s block. An inability to start writing hours before deadline may trigger the fight or flight response, leaving us in a cold sweat and frowning at a blank screen. But psychologists have found that the causes of writer’s...
Rob Ashton
How to write a business plan
There’s a memorable conversation in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, where Alice asks the Cheshire cat for directions. Unfortunately, Alice doesn’t know where she wants to go, stating that it doesn’t matter where she gets to, as long as she...
How to overcome writer’s block: an audio guide
Click here to listen to Emphasis CEO Rob Ashton explain how to overcome writer's block. Learn how to: Get started Plan your document Use a reader-profile questionnaire to get your ideas clear (download it here)
How to engage your team with better writing
If you’ve ever put off DIY, you’ll know that a dripping tap or peeling skirting board eventually just becomes one of life’s tolerations. If you put off the task long enough, it gets pushed to the dusty recesses of your mind. But it still chips away...
How to write like an industry expert
Developing your writing skills is key if you want to become a recognised industry expert, says Rob Ashton. If you take a poll to find the world’s top music executive, the chances are that most people will say Simon Cowell. There may be other executives with more...
Write your professional identity, Training Journal
It’s not an accident that one of the West End’s most popular stage shows at the moment is about a character in search of his purpose. The protagonist in Avenue Q is a comedy puppet searching for direction. But his questions of ‘Who am I?’ and...
Writing effective job descriptions
Back in January, we lamented that the UK was sitting on a glut of unwanted Christmas presents. Matching present to person is seldom an easy task. It takes time and effort. But in the run up to Christmas, many people would have taken a wild stab in the dark; picking up...
Ten tips for perfect punctuation
More people are unsure of their punctuation than would ever care to admit it. Use our quick guide to make sure you're not one of them. Never use 'its' with an apostrophe unless it means 'it is' or 'it has' – it's amazing how many people use it wrongly. Beware also the...
May or might?
When is it right to use may and when to use might? Opinions vary, depending on what you read. Here are a few guidelines culled from the Economist Style Guide and the Oxford Guide to English Usage. 1. If the truth of the event is unknown, then may or might are...
Power to the people
People power counts for a lot in writing. ‘One in a hundred people’ is likely to produce a much bigger reaction from readers of your reports than ‘one per cent’, even though they obviously mean the same thing. Before you dismiss this as another...
Writing for health and safety: reports and procedures
When you’re lost in a foreign country or an unfamiliar city, there’s a good chance that someone will give you incomplete directions. They’ll unwittingly miss out the part about turning right at the church, or forget that the left turn comes before the roundabout. And...
How to write facilities management proposals and tender responses
There’s usually one guest at a party with a perennial case of ‘it’s all me, me, me.’ This is the type of male or female who will wedge you in a corner, and wax lyrical about their latest business success, holiday or views on America’s...