Category: Entrepreneurial Wellness

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Do our thoughts affect the evolution of our words? Some evidence from “Scientific American”

 

In a recent article in “Scientific American,” author Anvita Patwardhan discusses “how our thoughts shape the way spoken words evolve.”

We might ask, what causes a word to survive versus another that goes extinct?

Darwin likened the evolution of words with the natural selection of human and animal species.  He said that some words continue because they fulfill our lexical needs to communicate. (Others get dropped because they don’t.)

Recently, researchers have studied how words pass down to other participants. Thousands of subjects passed stories down a line and academics recorded which words survived. Also, large collections of English historical texts were studied (dating from the last two centuries, containing more than 40 Billion words), and only certain kinds of words survived then.

The word types that speakers consistently used drove language use, over time.

Patwardhan notes that three types of words are most likely to survive:

(1) Words we learn early (“uncle,” “today,” “hand,” “dog”);

(2) Words that are concrete, not abstract (“dog” survived longer than “animal”);  and

(3) Emotionally exciting words (eliciting both positive and negative emotions, such as “Happy Birthday!” or “Get Help!”).

In the past, linguists and historians assumed that language complexity increases over time.

But a recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, shows that language becomes more efficient and easier to understand, as time passes.

This is “not” however, to say that English is “baby talk,” one of the authors asserted.

Yes, we gravitate toward simple language. But “we also grab complex language” when we need it.

And there are plenty of complex aspects of English grammar, such as the “five ways” to express the future tense in our contemporary tongue. But even these complexities are growing simpler over time.

In this increasingly AI-driven world where some communicators delegate plenty of communication to ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude3, we must consider how important it is for us to keep on expressing our own ideas, or risk losing  words we need to reflect human experience.

Words that are learned early, that are concrete and emotionally evocative persist over generations. They are important, but they are not everything.

So in ways not before seen, Patwardhan urges us to consider how “our thoughts” and emotional needs “shape the way spoken words evolve.” And if we want our lexicon to reflect the complexity of our (human) experience in the future, we must keep writing–our own texts and copy!

AI is useful, but only integrating it with EI (emotional intelligence) will keep our ideas and vocabulary alive. So, keep writing!

And that’s a commendation to learners of the English language (ESL), language majors, copywriters, editors and more.

And now it’s your turn. How do you think that the longevity of language relies on our thinking and emotions? Please write in;  I’d be delighted to hear from you!

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Always pressed for time? Try Dan Sulllivan’s “Entrepreneurial Time System”

Do you let work drip-drip-drip throughout every. single. waking. hour of every. single. waking. day?

Do you struggle every Monday to schedule the week’s work, or face a long list of “uncompleted” tasks, just as each weekend starts?

Freelancers often struggle to manage time. We may think we can work on whatever, whenever and wherever we want. But many of us work harder and longer than we ever did in our “day-jobs.”

American business coach Dan Sullivan’s “Entrepreneurial Time System” can restore healthy boundaries between our differing types of work and rest:

On “Free Days” (often Saturdays and Sundays), Sullivan says, we should not meet clients or do work. This is time to relax and to connect with family and friends.

Enforce that.

On “Buffer Days” (often Mondays and Fridays), we should handle administrative work (e.g. marketing, bookkeeping, answering messages, etc.).

Make sure you get those tasks done.

On “Focus Days” (often Tuesdays to Thursdays), we should work to earn income. Since Pareto’s Law tells us that 20% of activities create 80% of our income, we should dedicate our “Focus Days” to that intensive 20%.

Block off all distractions.

Moving from “Free” to “Buffer” to “Focus” Days,  “Buffer Days” can create a transition between “Free” and “Focus Days.” But you can structure your week as you wish.

Some entrepreneurs find quiet time on, say,  Saturday, to be very productive: it could be a “Focus Day” for you.

On his blog last fall, Ed Gandia posted about Sullivan’s “Entrepreneurial Time System,”  recommending the system as a “game-changer” for busy entrepreneurs.

Though simple, the “Entrepreneurial Time System” restores boundaries between our differing activities, so work doesn’t creep into every waking hour! It’s counterproductive (not to mention terrible for our health) to be  more-or-less working all the time!

Gandia says this: “If you don’t create boundaries, every day becomes a work day. And you end up with zero margin.” And that brings overwhelm and burnout, fast.

Sullivan’s system can prevent that,  paradoxically increasing our productivity while also restoring our time for rest.

The “Entrepreneurial Time System” is more fully outlined by David Braithwaite, one of Sullivan’s proteges, on the “strategic coach” website. The system does take a few weeks to adapt to (as I am finding). But the relief you feel is almost immediate: those who make the effort never turn back!

Dan Sullivan has been described as “legendary” by Gandia and Braithwaite–as one of  America’s foremost entrepreneurial coaches.

Give this system a try and you’ll see why!

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What is ‘Artisan Entrepreneurship?’ An answer in this month’s issue of TYSN

March 2024 Vol 6 Issue 3

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling
Let me teach you to tell your story!

Welcome Mid-March, 2024!

Last Friday (March 8th) was International Women’s Day marking the need to continue to fight for women’s professional and personal equality. In a currently regressive, far-Right wing and patriarchal world, that need has never been greater.

In SK, across Canada and the West, the glass ceiling remains firmly intact but, as a mentor recently said, it is now just “deceptively covered with attractive looking foliage.”

How often have you felt angry, good readers, from a story in the local news, or from scenes of customer dis-service you’ve witnessed in our community? And yet, as business leader Silvia Martini recently reminded me, joy is essential: “Life is a very luscious peach to enjoy, with only a hard core that we have to work around!”

Twelve days ago, our lives were punctuated by “Snowmaggedon,” when, in just two days, 35 to 40 cm of snow fell throughout Saskatoon. Twelve days later, city crews have largely met the challenge, so that we might forget about the storm altogether, apart from tall snowbanks and the thawing of
ice.  My point is that notwithstanding the inconvenience, even snowstorms can provide reason for hope: As a friend of mine marvelled over the phone that weekend, “Heavy snowfall in March is every farmer’s and gardener’s joy!”

A glimmer in my mind and heart reminds me that we’re approaching the first official day of Spring on March 19th! Thankfully, we have passed through the change to Daylight Savings’ Time (while we do not observe it, our clients often do).  And we can enjoy the increase in daylight hours each evening, making it easier for us to commute to events in our communities.

In Article One of this month’s issue, I explore the concept of “Artisan Entrepreneurship” as suggested to me by Silvia Martini, in a recent meeting. What does it mean and why was I glad to learn it?

In “Storytellers’ Corner,” I visit three practical ways to invigorate  (or vivify) your sentences, from publication coach, Daphne Gray-Grant.

And in “Shop News,” I acknowledge the work of a few others in my entrepreneurial circle who often go uncredited, but who advocate for and make self-employment possible for, others like me.

I hope you enjoy this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter” (TYSN), good readers, and that you’ll share with me your interests and ideas for future issues!

Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE  ONE: What is “Artisan Entrepreneurship?”
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:
How to vivify sentences, with Daphne Gray Grant
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US
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Article One: What is “Artisan Entrepreneurship?”

I’m deeply indebted this month to Saskatoon’s Silvia Martini, a highly successful entrepreneur, community leader, board director and property developer, for sharing on February 23rd a transformative, highly intuitive and enjoyable meeting with me. During that meeting, she mentioned the concept of “Artisan Entrepreneurship.”

Silvia identified a match between the concept and my work as a freelance English language teacher and a professional writer and editor.

So what is an “Artisan Entrepreneur,” you might ask?

While I earn a living by my mind, pen (and keyboards) and encourage creative women (and men) everywhere who do the same, I would not say I’m a (scalable) startup entrepreneur, a small business entrepreneur, certainly not a large company entrepreneur, or even a social entrepreneur, although I
admire the latter’s socially responsible goals.

I imply no pejorative judgment to these other categories of entrepreneurs (and know, philosophically, that categories are not always a fully accurate form of identification).

Instead, I value the mentors, friends and colleagues who fulfill these roles (including Silvia Martini and Monica Kreuger), who are deeply committed to our community, who serve with profound decency, and who generously, tirelessly mentor others.

But I’m writing this month to acknowledge creative people’s philosophical and personal interests (and differences) that sometimes find a home under the umbrella of the term, “Artisan Entrepreneurship.”

In a collaborative 2022 book, Artisan Entrepreneurship, academic Vanessa Ratten says that Artisan Entrepreneurs “create social value by engaging in community business practices.” But that’s rather vague!

Artisan Entrepreneurs usually combine their entrepreneurial skills with expertise in a craft or art. While we manage the commercial duties of our enterprises, we are deeply committed to a specific skill or set of skills.

More particularly, as blogger Arian Adeli writes, Artisan Entrepreneurs “combine their artistic or craft skills with entrepreneurship to create a business.” The business may sell products made by hand, such as jewellery, ceramics, furniture, clothing or other artisanal goods. But the business may
also sell work that consists primarily of intellectual and emotional production.
Artisan Entrepreneurs provide a personal touch or craftmanship to our services or products, Adeli says.

The category of “Artisan Entrepreneurs” can include writers and illustrators (and not only potters or tailors), who are “often deeply involved in every step of the process, from . . . designing and creating the product or service, all the way to marketing and selling it.”

An Artisan Entrepreneur may make and sell a garment of “slow fashion,” like the beautiful work of colleague Kathleen O’Grady; or provide an hour of insightful Akashic Record Reading, like my colleague, Ann Chatfield. I have learned recently, too, of Yao Bo, who is an authentic Chinese tofu
maker who sells his painstakingly made products at “Good Farmer Tofu,” in Stonebridge.

These Artisan Entrepreneurs “sell a story, an experience, and the passion and love they put into . . . their creations” (Adeli).

It’s a concept worth exploring, since the value of the work of Artisan Entrepreneurs inheres in its uniqueness and quality—such output cannot be done by mass production.

For me, in pre-Artificial Intelligence days (AI), I would ordinarily spend two or more hours researching, writing, editing and publishing a particularly important blog posting for a client.

Or I might similarly read and plan for two hours a particularly effective English language class for a newcomer, when a mere AI “prompt engineer” (virtually an antithesis to an Artisan Entrepreneur) could dispatch of these processes in five minutes, downloading content without revision from GPT-4, or Google Gemini.

An oft-cited example of Artisan Entrepreneurship is of a local baker who might rise at dawn to knead dough and bake bread, sourcing “local ingredients, experimenting with flavours, and creating unique recipes” (Adeli).

That specialty bread contrasts a loaf of the cheapest supermarket variety, mass-produced to sell for $2.50 (and filled with unhealthy high-fructose corn syrup, to compensate for its terrible flavour).

The Artisan Entrepreneur sells what Adeli describes as “an experience, a taste of home, a piece of their passion.” We sell the unique outcome of a creative process.

The limited amount of public awareness of, and research on, the concept shows what Adeli says– “the motives of Artisan Entrepreneurs differ based on the way they are embedded in society”: their personality types may differ from other categories of entrepreneurs. We may be more introverted (but
not necessarily so), and we may be less driven by financial strategy than others (although some Artisan Entrepreneurs achieve, and all deserve, monetary success).

More research into Artisan Entrepreneurship can aim to “open up new opportunities” for this self-employment, writes academic Vanessa Rattan. Those opportunities may increase and promote a larger number of viable livelihoods for more creative workers (“creatives”).

I know from taking entrepreneurial training (through the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship’s “startSMART program,” 2018/19) and from networking in our community, whose economy has not yet rebounded from pandemic times, that Artisan Entrepreneurs—indeed all kinds of entrepreneurs—can struggle to be profitable.

Often, profits are low, which at times can be challenging, especially in a single-income household. But financial viability is possible when the craft(s) involved are pursued with entrepreneurial insight and planning (in consultation with experienced and successful mentors like Silvia and Monica).

For instance, as a professional copywriter, I can seek retainer contracts and long-term relationships with prospects in my niche for my services, instead of pouring hours over short-term pitches to unknown editors that often get ignored or are only accepted for below-market pay.

A key to financial success for Artisan Entrepreneurs is a stalwart belief in the value and worth of our services or products and the knowledge that gainful markets do exist, even on the “have-not” Prairies, and that the challenge is simply to search for and tap into them.

Although I have been working as an Artisan Entrepreneur for nearly 14 years, I am just learning what this means: Silvia’s sharing on February 23rd has improved my vision and understanding of the work I and others do in our community, leaving me with deep gratitude.

Not coincidentally, this meeting was facilitated as a Christmas gift exchange (December 2023) among a group of thoughtful and generous women entrepreneurs in Saskatchewan, including Silvia, Monica, Deanna Litz and numerous others.

These extraordinary individuals all know the risks and joys inherent in entrepreneurship, of all shapes and kinds.

And now it’s your turn. Are you an entrepreneur or someone who supports one (or many)?

And do you engage with the work of Artisan Entrepreneurs?

What insights do you have on this niche of self-employment for yourself or others?
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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:

“How to vivify sentences, with Daphne Gray-Grant” 

Publication Coach and editor, Vancouver’s Daphne Gray-Grant, reminded her blog readers recently that human editing is still needed to avoid the “very boring” writing that ensues from using ChatGPT and other forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

She showed that a boring tone arises when very basic sentence structure (subject + verb + object) repeats far too often. The example she shows is of the following paragraph (created by AI), where each sentence begins with the same definite article, “the”: “The researchers conducted a comprehensive
literature review. The scholars analyzed the data using advanced statistical methods. The authors discussed the implications of their findings in the conclusion. The study aimed to contribute valuable insights to the existing body of knowledge in the field.”

Just as we do not eat macaroni every night, Gray-Grant says, or want to read only one author of fiction in our leisure hours, we also want sentences in our marketing or communications copy to be more varied and creative.

Among the several strategies that she recommends for enlivening writing, Gray-Grant recommends these:

(1) Use subordinate clauses (clauses that begin with words like “because,” “since,” “although,” “when,” “if, and until”), so that you can emphasize certain ideas above others;

(2) Add coordinating conjunctions that support complex thinking (such as “and,” “yet,” “for,” “nor,” “or,” or “so”);
and
(3) Invert sentences so that the verb precedes the grammatical subject (“Look: there is the editing, now moved to the ‘done’ list!”).

If you’re finding your sentences to be monotonous, try these strategies. And subscribe to Gray-Grant’s blog for more ideas.

You may find your prose quickly vivified beyond what you can imagine!
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SHOP NEWS:

Since I believe deeply in the transformative power of empathy and gratitude, beyond the folk already mentioned in Article One (and in the usual round-up of this section), I am especially thankful this month to Julie Barnes and Josh Remai, who co-sponsor a wonderful newcomer in our community in
many ways, including by contracting me to teach private ESL classes.

Working with a literacy learner who comes from a faraway continent has increased my awareness of the many challenges that arise for refugees and newcomers to Canada, especially in these war-torn times.

But those challenges have been mitigated and excellent support provided for this newcomer by the generous and compassionate support of Julie and Josh.
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I also continue to be thankful for the work I share with women writers of “Saskatoon Freelancers’ Roundtable,” who since 2013 have been a joy to connect with. Most recently, we have been writing some collaborative articles (“Ask a Writers’ Group”) for the SK Writers’ Guild online ezine, “Freelance.”
Receiving and editing these women’s contributions last month, on the topic of “writerly resources,” has held much interest for me—and also been fun!

Thank you, Ashleigh Mattern, Julie Barnes, Adele Paul and Ashlyn George for their contributions to this group!
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I’m grateful to my brilliant colleague and friend, Conor Phillips, Founder and CEO of Pathfinder365, a tech start-up, for discussing frankly over Meta (FB) the challenges of being a single wage-earning woman in SK.

Conor posted a link to a CBC article from 2023 that says “the most overlooked group” in Canada is actually single, most often women, professionals who live alone and face financial discrimination by CRA’s unspoken “singles'” tax.
Single professional women in Canada bear the weight of an unfair tax burden and next to no affordable housing opportunities, despite being full-time, employed individuals.

This situation contrasts the housing deductions and other allowances offered to their married or partnered counterparts.

The “singles tax” amounted in 2023 to about $15K/person/year in Toronto. So, many professional women, as Conor has said, cannot afford the escalating costs of rent, groceries and other daily expenses.

Numbers aren’t much better, either, in Vancouver, or in smaller centres, like Saskatoon. What Conor cited as a “singles’ tax” policy may hit women entrepreneurs in SK even harder than conventionally employed women, when we choose or need to live independently, while working hard to serve our cities and surrounding communities.

Tax policy changes are urgently needed. Can we see through the attractive foliage currently covering the glass ceiling?

If these issues are new to you, please consider reading this link to CBC’s “Cost of Living” article, posted by Conor, and write both your MP and MLA.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/costofliving/how-the-tax-on-singles-has-people-who-live-alone-feelingthe-pinch-1.6797561

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The list of “thank yous” that any entrepreneur can offer, in any month, can be extensive. Instead of repeating familiar names here, I offer thanks to someone new–local opticians here (and throughout Canada) who don’t charge to do small, emergency repairs on eyeglass frames, even if you’re not their customer.

An optician at “Theodore and Pringle” on 8th Street assisted me recently, when I needed some minor adjustments to my glasses, in a hurry!

But besides refusing to charge me, the staff there advised another person (a bonafide customer) about what equipment they could use to accommodate his partner’s medical disability (she was absent at the time), for an upcoming eye exam.

The staff went further to outline what government funding would defray the cost of optometric services for the woman with a disability.

These moments of community service (Julie Barnes and Josh Remai; Conor Phillips) and customer service (Theodore & Pringle) demonstrate in unsung ways, how Saskatoon speaks out and supports others  in the face of injustice and shines with kindness, even (or especially) in these challenging times.

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And thank you to you, my good readers, for continuing to share your insights on social media and in correspondence with me!

Published by www.storytellingcommunications.ca – Storytelling Communications. Copyright © 2024.

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AI for Writers, from the “Marketing AI Institute” conference

Last week (March 6th) I attended the second annual “AI for Writers Summit,” held online from the US.

The conference was created by the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute, whose founder and CEO, Paul Roetzer, provided the keynote.

It was refreshing to learn about features of AI from people who are bona fide writers themselves—with backgrounds in journalism, copywriting, marketing and even academia, instead of from tech gurus (Musk, Altman and others) who dominate the headlines.

Through community commitment, education and technology, Roetzer says that the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute (MAII) wants to “make AI approachable and actionable” to as many humans and their companies as possible.

From his conference keynote, Roetzer emphasized that “Writing is thinking. It’s how we process information, comprehend concepts, build competency, and pursue mastery.

It’s how we build domain experience and expertise and establish the intuition and instincts that guide our decisions.

Writing improves our communication skills and gives us the opportunity to let our imaginations roam free.

Writing is hard. But the process of writing is how we learn and grow as communicators and creators.”

Here are some of Roetzer’s other insights, shared during an conference attended by more than 4200 people from over 92 countries, worldwide:

(1) AI can assist in reaching and engaging our audiences, but it should not replace the human experience of writing, creating and thinking.

AI is a tool that powers “more intelligent” writing. AI makes us more efficient, more productive, and more creative. It augments what we are capable of. We need to learn to understand and responsibly apply AI.

Large Language Models (LLMs) are powering innovation. They predict words. They are writing aids, not replacements.

AI can do the work of classifying, drafting, editing, ideating (generating ideas), optimizing, outlining, personalizing, planning, researching, simplifying, summarizing, transcribing, translating.

(2) Prompting matters for now, as a skill that can increase the value you get from generative AI tools.

Talk to your AI like a person. Tell it who it is, he is. AI systems are becoming prompting experts.

(3) Adoption is (very) early but accelerating. There’s an opportunity to lead in this work.

The pervasiveness of AI creates tremendous opportunities, but also huge risks. For instance, AI can work in all Google software—Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail and Meets. What ownership does any writer or contributor have over communication that occurs on these platforms?

(4) The need for Generative AI usage policies is essential, surrounding issues like copyright and ownership.

We may not own what we make with AI. Copyright only protects material that is the product of human creativity. So be prepared to call your IP lawyer! Using AI raises many legal conundrums, including such issues as whether it’s legal/advisable for employees to generate external/internal content; and whether and how employees must disclose their use of AI for their final drafts/pieces of work for (external or internal) audiences?

Conference speakers had listeners’ (and their own) heads spinning when contemplating the legal, privacy, data and security risks involved with using AI.

(5) LLMs are just the foundation for what will follow, so that ChatGPT3.5 or 4.0 are “the least capable AI you will ever use.” How will democratic and responsible access come about?

(6) The Next Generation LLMs will be able to comb the internet, or reference local files through retrieval augmented generation (RAG); see and create images and video, hear, speak and compose music; be customized and fine-tuned for specific tasks and many other features; communicate with other LLMS.

Multi-modal LLMs will soon see, hear and speak.

MAII Chief Content Officer, Mike Kaput, says: “No amount of revising AI will make it human.” So why bother writing at all?

Because the humanity of our writing will still matter, as Roetzer says:

(7) AI-generated content will of course continue to flood the web, but Roetzer insists that authentic human content will take on far greater value. He says we must humanize our marketing: “Meet in-person, be unscripted, be human, as you are; Think also ‘editorials,’ ‘opinion pieces,’ ‘podcasts,’ and ‘live events.’”

He insists “there will always remain something uniquely human about writing and storytelling. . . A machine can’t replace human experience.”

And if we can maintain a seat at the table for everyone, we can choose to make the future of writing more intelligent and more human.

And now it’s your turn: How do you think the worlds of writing (business, journalism, academic, creative) can continue, given the arrival of AI? Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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How can writing with Emotional Intelligence (EI) enrich your life? Some answers in this month’s issue of TYSN

February 2024 Vol 6 Issue 2

 

 

 

 

 

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Linguistic and Entrepreneurial Storytelling

Let me teach you to tell your story!

 

 

Welcome Mid-February, 2024!

Happy Mid-February, good readers! Chinese (Lunar) New Year (February 10th)  and Valentine’s Day (February 14th) have just passed (for many, with joy), as I revise this issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter.”

Canadians who have lived all our lives according to the Gregorian calendar sometimes forget (as Google reminds us) that there are about 40 calendars at use in the world today. Of these, ours (the Gregorian) and six others are most commonly used– Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Chinese, Julian and Persian.

Out of that collection, I am blessed to have family, friends and colleagues in Canada or overseas who follow the Jewish, Chinese and Persian calendars: The others, I will work on! But last Saturday’s Chinese New Year was celebrated globally by more than 1.5 Billion people, of whom about 1.7 Million live in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2021). A few of them are, to my excitement, studying English with me.

As a second generation, part-Chinese/part-English Canadian, at Lunar New Year I observe the holiday by taking the time to reconnect with my Chinese cousins, who don’t mind updating me (in English) on their lives and celebrations. (Learning Mandarin is a late life goal for me.)

I was pleased to learn last weekend that they are all well, and had prepared dumplings and other Chinese delicacies to enjoy. Those who are retired said ruefully that they’d like to study English (ESL) with me, as newcomers do, because their living in a mostly Chinese-speaking diaspora in BC is causing them to “lose their English.”

And in recent years, one language that is increasingly connecting us all (despite linguistic differences) is, of course, Artificial Intelligence (AI)–now very much here to stay.

AI, as most copywriters know, offers us unparalleled access to human and machine learning, including the many responsibilities and ethical concerns inherent in that.

In this context of global AI (this “brave new world”), in “Article One,” I share insights of Anglo-Canadian copywriter, Nick Usborne, on our unwavering need for emotional intelligence (EI or EQ). Usborne’s insights may not be entirely new, but are worth weighing in our minds, as he directs us toward innovation and depth.

In “Storytellers’ Corner,” I share some tips on how to make writing (of any kind) more fun, from Vancouver writer and publication coach, Daphne Gray-Grant.

In “Shop News,” I share thanks and acknowledge those many folk in my entrepreneurial and community circle who provide as much support and affirmation as they may seek (and usually more).

And given that the darkest months of the Gregorian calendar are now nearly over, I commend you, good readers, for weathering this eccentric winter in SK–with its late start; extreme dryness; isolated days of intensive cold, followed by unseasonable warmth; freezing rain, etc.

Valentine’s Day and the Lunar New Year remind us that (we hope) we’re nearing the end of another winter on the Prairies. And in today’s glorious, Saskatchewan sunshine, that gives us even more reason to celebrate!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Shih

Principal

Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: How can writing with EI enrich your life (with Nick Usborne)

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:

How to make writing more fun (with Daphne Gray-Grant)

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Article One: How writing with EI enriches your life (with Nick Usborne)

It’s certainly true that I now spend most of my working hours, each week, teaching English to newcomer entrepreneurs and economic immigrants. I love the work; teaching ESL has become a very satisfying arm of my services as a communications specialist.

But as part of my journey as a teacher and communicator, I continue to write and recently have been studying Anglo-Canadian, Montreal-based copywriter Nick Usborne’s course on applications of AI to the field of copywriting.

Usborne calls the course “Future-Proof Copywriting,” and it explores Artificial Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence and how to combine the two. I’ll share more of my learnings in upcoming issues.

But I was intrigued that as hard-hitting and experienced a B2B copywriter as Usborne is, he continues to argue that Emotional Intelligence can “enrich your life,” when we make room for it, in our applications of AI.

Although I’ll address applications of AI further in future months, this month I want simply to recall Usborne’s insight that there are essentially three ways that EI can make your copywriting persuasive, and even “enrich your life”:

(1)  He says that copywriters find self-empowerment through emotional connection. So if you take the trouble to get to know your audience and understand their feelings (needs, wants, “pain points”), you’ll be able to feel genuine empathy for your readers.

When you feel that empathy, you’re not just a writer communicating with an audience, but a genuine human being who is “reaching out and connecting with other real people.”

This is not as “touchy-feely” as some might think. First, Usborne says, when writers reach out to their readers, readers sense that their feelings are perceived and validated. Readers feel noticed and that shared emotional connection powerfully motivates them to buy from you.

Secondly, by connecting emotionally with your target audience, you as a writer will feel empowered and in a position to genuinely help your readers. You can take value (and feel good) in knowing that your work matters to others. You are not merely facilitating a grim economic exchange, as in Dicken’s England of the 1840s and 50s).

(2) Emotional Intelligence or awareness allows you as a writer to find creative fulfillment. I think of some 13 years I’ve spent, crafting blog postings and newsletter articles, especially on concepts of entrepreneurial wellness. AI now outpaces us in this niche, but without EI, copywriters would not know how to assess and refine AI-derived content.

Writing that involves emotion refuses to be contained by a formula or template. The latter are not creative, Usborne argues, but are “the writing equivalent of painting by numbers.”

When you simply follow a template, you won’t feel emotionally engaged because you’re not creating anything new (or, at least, you must strive to reflect an iota of new thinking or possibility).

But when you break a standard mold or template by tapping into the power of EI, Usborne says, you’ll find that you “can create a narrative that truly speaks to [your prospects]: Maybe I’ll share a story, or lead with a metaphor. . . . I’ll be creating something new, a new way to engage with my audience more deeply.”

That deeper act of creating is fulfilling, Usborne says. It’s like colouring with crayons, after seeing many pages of only black and white. “Writing with a high level of emotional intelligence is much more rewarding than following rules or templates,” he writes.

(3) Because copywriters since David Ogilvy’s pioneering days have sometimes failed to connect emotionally and creatively with their readers and work, we can often feel “discouraged” about our work, that we are only (Dickensian) hacks, striving, Usborne says, to “sell stuff with words.”

He recalls sharing that discouragement when chatting with a former client over a beer, many years ago. Usborne’s copy had resulted in the hiring of two new staff, had a huge jump in sales and much enriched company insight—such had been the difference his writing made. But he was the last to know it, in part since his emotions were not engaged in the work (and also that his clients hadn’t thanked him enough).

But when you tap into EI, as Usborne advocates, you’ll find a “deeper level of purpose.”

The first step to develop EI is to think more about the people who will read your copy. How can you engage with clients/readers at a more meaningful level?

Then, when you apply your EI to your copywriting mix, you’ll harness AI’s ChatGPT, GPT-4 and/or Google Bard. Using EI will feed those “large language models” (LLMs) effective prompts, and elicit potentially great responses, at a speed that outpaces what we could do, alone.

Usborne has elsewhere suggested that your own EI will make you more attuned to revising, fact-checking (e.g. snopes.com) and improving upon the provisional draft that AI produces. You’ll seek out ways to weave emotionally rich content into the copy that engages with your reader better than AI can currently do, alone.

You’ll cut out the “hallucinations” that AI sometimes makes, where a large language model (LLM) perceives patterns of objects that do not exist or cannot be perceived by human observers, resulting in nonsense or mistakes.

So, combining EI with AI is hugely important to the field, and wisely foundational to Usborne’s course, Future-Proof Copywriting. He says that “empathy isn’t easy but it’s probably the best thing you can contribute to any kind of relationship.”

Very important, further, is the truth that the more academic or business psychology you read (e.g.s. Adam Grant, Seth Godin, Brene Brown and Simon Sinek) to prompt AI, the deeper you will leverage it  to go, far beyond basic empathy:  For instance, consider the subtler research and writing of “self-compassion” (by Kristin Neff) and of  “empathic attunement” (by Clayton Rowe and David MacIsaac).

Combining EI and AI will render your writing more persuasive and powerful to your readers than ever before.

That fulfills Usborne’s prediction that EI won’t only improve copywriters’ morale and better sell our products or services, but will also greatly improve on (even “enlighten”) our clients’ lives.

And for that, they’ll keep returning to us, freeing informed copywriters from fears of our vocational demise.

And how it’s your turn. Do you agree with Nick Usborne that writing with EI can enrich readers’ and copywriters’ lives?

Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . . 

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: 

How to make writing more FUN (with Daphne Grant). . .   

Whatever kind of writing you may be doing (or perhaps  wanting to produce by adapting AI), Vancouver-based publication coach Daphne Gray-Grant says that we all need to make writing “more fun” in our lives. That can happen when we make it less challenging, frustrating and even boring, than it may currently be! She shared these seven tips:

(1) Sketch out your ideas on a “mindmap,” so you don’t feel the overwhelm of a blank page! Think of your mindmap as a slate for brainstorming your ideas, that you can establish in point-form, illustrate and even physically connect, before you start to write! (It would be wise to start here, as a way to formulate prompts you might then feed to AI.)

(2) Don’t write for too long, each day. Gray-Grant suggests starting with 10 or 15 mins, unless you have a very short due date coming. (And try to avoid procrastination that can lead to that dilemma).

(3)Write, revise and edit with some music in the background—but not music with lyrics. She suggests “Coffitivity,” which has a free app that provides the white noise of a morning murmur, lunchtime lounge, or university undertones. Some writers similarly use “sound boxes” which often feature calming tones like rain on a tin roof, waves breaking on the shore, etc. When no lyrics are involved, writers often find having simple background noise can help the creative process.

(4)   Write in different places, especially if you have a room with high ceilings, which makes it easier to be creative.

(5)   Think while you walk, and dictate into your smartphone. Gray-Grant says that your voice will keep up with your brain more than your fingers can (by typing).

(6)   Reward yourself, when you’ve done some significant writing. Try to avoid eating/food rewards, but you might enjoy a specialty tea or coffee; a new magazine; permission to read for 45 mins a new book you’re interested in; a telephone call with a good friend; a bath or a long shower; a walk in the park or nature; window shopping someplace you like; listening to some favourite music; watching a show on Netflix or BritBox; listening to a favourite podcast, and so on.

Variety can stimulate creativity.

(7)   Don’t get obsessed with needing to be original, which is harder to achieve than many realize (and an issue intensified by AI!). Gray-Grant cites Salvador Dali, saying, “Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.”

I would add–don’t be afraid to tap into AI, but also be sure to review, revise and correct what it gives you.

It’s not foolish, ignorant or dilettantish to want to make writing fun. If you enjoy the process enough, Gray-Grant concludes, “you’ll do it more often and you’ll get much better at it.”

Now, who would argue with that?

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SHOP NEWS:

Thanks and kudos this month to the staff at Luther Heights Intermediate Care Home, who take care of my elderly mother and many others, too, with empathy and kindness. It is a blessing to be able to trust those who are professional caregivers to support our dear family members in their late-life journeys.

Do you know anyone (or a relative of a friend or contact) who is facing a lengthy (or permanent) hospital or care home stay? Would you please consider making some time this late winter to visit them, even if only for 20 or 30 minutes?

I have witnessed, firsthand, how such folk benefit from a visit and gentle conversation. Each of us can bring comfort and joy (and sometimes, just a healthy distraction) to those who may feel they have lost their homes or loved ones.

Thank you for remembering these beautiful souls in our community!

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My spirits as a teacher and writer are regularly buoyed (in these globally troubled times) by many local friends.

This month, I particularly want to thank Laura Van Loon (St. Andrew’s Parish Nurse); Monica Kreuger (Chief  Visionary Officer, Praxis School of Entrepreneurship and mentor extraordinaire through the Raj Manek Mentorship Program);  Lesley-Anne McLeod (Regency novelist and social historian, at lesleyannemcleod.com); Steve Cavan (Classicist, Philosopher and ESL teacher); William Wang (Director of China Offices, Government of Alberta); Deanna Litz, (entrepreneurial facilitator and brilliant coach, Powerful Nature Coaching & Consulting Inc.); Rev. Roberto DeSandoli (Minister of Word and Sacrament, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church); Julie Barnes (professional writer and music agent); Ashleigh Mattern (writer, storyteller and marketer); Erin Watson (librarian, College of Medicine, U of S);  Dani Van Driel (former Director, Action Battery, now transitional developer for its emergence as a larger, nation-wide company); Martha Fergusson (amazing director of Christian Education, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church); Angela Jamieson (a friend from high school days who now leads “Angela Jamieson Transformational Life Consulting”) and Kanchan Manek, the tireless Director of the Raj Manek Mentorship Program.

And I look forward soon to visiting the brilliant and always lovely entrepreneur, principled community leader, insightful board director and property developer, Silvia Martini.

From our network of women entrepreneurs last Christmas, Silvia and I chose to share an in-person visit, which I anticipate with delight.

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When waters get choppy around issues like the  state of publicly funded health and senior care in the province (and country); and around concerns like the ethical use of social media and AI, the above friends, as well as amazing community leaders and colleagues like Sara Wheelwright and Katrina German, testify to their  values by their testimonies and conversation–whether spoken or written.

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Thanks to friends and colleagues at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church for bearing witness to our province’s inadequate LTC system for seniors (and beyond).

As new community members find their parents and grandparents aging without adequate health care and subsidized housing, St. Andrew’s members can listen, share experience, advocacy and compassion.

Particular thanks go to Rev. Roberto and Heather De Sandoli, Patti Polowick, Alan Ireland, Martha and Dean Fergusson and Heather Kolojay.

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Finally, I’m delighted to partly write, fully revise and edit a collaborative article on the topic of “writerly resources” for the summer 2024 issue of “The Freelancer,” a quarterly ezine of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild (SWG).

Many thanks to collaborators (winking co-conspirators!) Ashleigh Mattern, Julie Barnes, Adele Paul and Ashlyn George, for sharing their contributions with me.

The article currently under development is one of a series, called “Ask a Writers’ Group,” that I’ve shared with these gifted and hardworking women.

We collectively share 50+ years of experience as creative and business writers in Saskatoon.

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Merci beaucoup, mes amies!

There are always more businesses to promote and people to thank. But for now, this is a wrap on mid-February! 

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I  now help newcomers to Canada land better jobs or secure better contracts by improving their English skills; I help SMEs close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I write the legacy stories of major
companies.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).