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On Creative Writing in the Age of AI in this month’s issue of ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’

May 2023 Vol 5 Issue 5

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Linguistic Communication
Let me help you tell your story!

Welcome Mid-May 2023!

After weeks of unseasonable cold during March and April, the past week or two has brought near record-breaking warmth to Saskatchewan. During April, our temperatures varied within one week from -30 degrees to above 20 degrees Celsius! And as I’ve prepared this issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter,” daily temperatures have risen to nearly +30 degrees — all signs of
climate change.

And yet the sunshine and warmth feel so welcome, after another interminable prairie winter–and a Covid one, at that.
With May, the grass of neighbourhood yards has started to “green up,” robins are taking flight (and charging our windows) and Saskatchewanians are breaking out flip flops, bermuda shorts, and our ever-important sunscreen.

As the ground finally thaws, gardeners like my friends and colleagues, Ashleigh Mattern; Julie Barnes; Laura Zink and Tom Yates prepare to plant the seedlings they started last winter, or the inviting annuals and perennials already on “show” in our favourite garden centres.

Painfully aware that Covid-19 is not behind us (as hospital wards still show), some of us continue to “mask up” when visiting hospitals, but also in grocery stores and other indoor settings where many congregate. Covid has not “done” with us, although outdoor activities bring us more of a reprieve.

In “Article One,” this month, I visit an influential posting by Jessica Lam Hill Young over LinkedIn, on how creative writers must adapt to Artificial Intelligence (AI) or face obsolescence.

And in “Storytellers’ Corner,” I visit a smart networking pointer from American psychologist and marketing guru, Robert Cialdini.

I wish for you, good readers, time to enjoy the remainder of spring, before summer (too quickly) takes its place.

May we all be conscious of the blessings that still grace our lives, even in these late pandemic times.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
ARTICLE 1: Creative Writing in the Age of AI
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Dr. Robert Cialdini on Persuasion
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US
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Article One: Creative Writing in the age of AI

Much ink has been spilt lately over the rise of AI, notably with ChatGPT and its competitors.

In a posting on May 5th on the social media network I most often teach to newcomers, LinkedIn, SEO specialist, tech marketer, copywriter and strategist Jessica Lam Hill Young wrote persuasively about how AI will genuinely change the landscape for copywriters and content writers (including me).

From her office in Hong Kong, Lam Hill Young contends that 90% of writers will eventually be replaced by AI, especially for relative newcomers to the field, who have “under five years of experience.”

She says that when reviewing recent applications for an opening of a writer for her team, she repeatedly saw “the same red flags,” such as generic cover letters (from templates); blog writing focused more on SEO than on in-depth thinking (relying on repetitive phrasing, obvious statements, impersonal writing); and unclear writing that is also “clunky,” and without “brevity,
conciseness and elegance.”

She calls for a “radical paradigm shift” so that “copywriters and content writers become marketers, not writers.” Here are her seven tips for creatives who want to avoid career obsolescence, as AI deepens and intensifies its influence:

(1) Instead of taking instructions from a client (as writers often do), become “a marketer” who “deeply understands and persuades the target reader to take action.” This matters, because AI cannot “feel and speak to the pain points of your reader with human empathy.”

(2) Develop a niche in topics that AI struggles with, such as developer content, specific B2B audiences (yay!), technical content, tech thought leadership and medical writing, amongst others.

A painful reality, Lam Hill Young says, is that for “wellness or B2C” writers, “it’s game over, soon.”
(3) Search back at original data on your topics, get first-person insights (by interviews or webinars) and “read thought leadership” in the field you’re writing about (“Forbes,” the “Harvard Business Review,” “The Economist” and “The New York Times” are all great places).

(4) Diversify your skills so that you don’t just write content/information-based writing: “Master copywriting, website copy, email copy, social media posts, nonfiction writing, etc.,” because “these are all interrelated.”

(5) Don’t crank out “volume.” Good marketing writers don’t produce 6000+ words/week in which nothing stands out. She recommends that we raise our fees and “spend more time on 2000 words/week that actually matter.”

(6) If you’re making the mistake of charging by word count, stop! It “devalues your work as an output of volume.” Instead, write projects that are not about meeting a target length.

(7) Spend all your free time playing with AI so you can understand its limitations. Actually use ChatGPT: when you feed it your prompt, does it write better than you? While marketers can build “briefs” (i.e. summaries, guides or arguments that present key points to stakeholders), Lam Hill Young writes, genuinely great writers “should OWN that brief. For example, the hiring marketer can give a bit of context, topic, audience, campaign goals, etc. . . .
but NOT tell the writer what to write and the outline, etc. The writer should be the one deciding on angle, messaging, sources, structure, storytelling, etc., after diving deep into the subject matter.”

And, she adds, “the writer should be a savvy enough marketer to tell the hiring manager when there are problems with the content request.” Friction will definitely result.

Writers who are thought leaders will take an email or a question or a prompt from an editor and “run with it,” successfully. Lam Hill Young says she seldom finds that amongst freelancers, and only with in-house creatives.

World white paper giant Gordon Graham (a Canadian with whom I share my website designer) added further that more work will transpire for well-read editors who can polish up drafts written by AI. And “there will be lots of opportunities for writers/editors who can write with AI and then humanize its drafts.”

Creatives need to plan writing “strategically around context, audience and business goals.”

Gone are the days of Googling sources to create content. ChatGPT and its rivals are mastering that, as we speak.

Currently, Lam Hill Young writes, ChatGPT doesn’t work to develop client content on highly specialized topics, but writers whom she recommends, Jacob McMillen and Julia McCoy, are exploring those limits. McMillen responded that AI can create remarkable writing for long-form
if it is tackled one section at a time. (But AI’s capacity grows rapidly and will soon do more!)

So researching with paid subscriptions, listening to podcasts (Eric Anderson’s, Christina Cherneskey and Lenore Swystun’s are faves of mine), listening to webinars and interviewing real people are the best ways to write original, interesting and useful content.

Later last week (May 11th), Lam Hill Young (linchpin that she is) added five resources for those of us striving to learn about AI, while living “real lives”:

(1) The Neuron – AI News –is a weekly AI newsletter collecting the latest and most popular in AI developments by expert curator and journalist Pete Huang. You can find them in one handy email “before they pop up in your feed.”
(2) Prompts Daily –A “Prompts Engineer” is now a career! Get all the latest prompts in a daily newsletter and creative ideas to get the most out of AI tools, using those prompts.
(3) AI Chat Slack channel by Ruben Hassid. This channel has a brilliant tagline: ” ‘Master AI before it Masters You’ .” This can be a great community chat for AI-related matter.
(4) The Superhuman newsletter by Awais Khan. This is new to Lam Hill Young, but she finds reason to keep reading. What do you think?
(5) There’s An AI For That is a huge directory listing 4,120 AIs for 1,158 tasks and more, updated daily. Whatever you need, AI will be on it, if it hasn’t already mastered and archived the field. https://join.theneurondaily.com/

And now it’s your turn: what are you using AI to do, in your work or business? And with what results?
Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you!
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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Words, stories, riddles and articles on marketing, writing and language learning
This month: Dr. Robert Cialdini on Persuasion

The great psychologist and marketer, Dr. Robert Cialdini (best known for his book, Influence), recently posted on LinkedIn a method for applying persuasion to networking.

When someone is introducing you to another person, group or larger audience, Cialdini suggests these pointers:
(1) As a receptionist for a company, a woman (let’s call her Lucy) might introduce clients to colleagues by saying, “Do you have a question about commercial real estate? I’ll put you through to Peter.”

(2) Lucy’s supervisor asked her to change her introduction to: “I’ll put you through to Peter . . . he has 20 years of experience and is the go-to expert in this region.”

(3) By making this change, the securing of appointments increased by 20%. And signed contracts went up by 15%.

All the receptionist did was bring Peter’s genuine authority to awareness.
Because Peter did have that experience and he was in fact the expert in this field. So this leaves us with an idea for how to bring authority to the surface in your organization: Cialdini says we should always answer these three questions:

(i) Who should introduce me? If possible have someone else introduce you and your credentials, so you won’t be seen as a braggart.

(ii) When should I be introduced? Try to be introduced right before you speak, whether in a meeting or at a presentation.

(iii) What credentials should I give my introducer to use? Your expertise, experience, titles, awards, achievements can be mentioned . . . as long as they’re relevant to your message.
Don’t be (too) modest. Leveraging strong, relevant credentials will help your audience to choose you for their project(s).

Do you have an, idea, problem or pointer involving any aspect of language, communications or marketing? Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue.

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SHOP NEWS: 

At risk of boring my readers by repetition, I need to express particular gratitude again this month to the staff of (Revera) The Franklin assisted living building, for taking care and sensitivity in welcoming my elderly mother back to her home, after she endured a very trying time in hospital.

Particularly wonderful were Mason and Charmaine in advising me on the gastroenteritis that infiltrated so many seniors’ facilities last winter, which made several residents, including my family member, very ill.

Mason quietly and masterfully disinfected the suite involved and Charmaine advised on protocol for hospitalization in a very stressful time: Thank you, to you both!

While the experience I witnessed at Royal University Hospital demonstrated the breakdown of hospital care that fills the daily news, I also owe tremendous gratitude to parish nurse Laura Van Loon, who advised me on how to emerge from a terrible lack of care to safer rehabilitation at home.
Once again, thank you, Laura!
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Entrepreneur of the Month: Stephen Cavan
. . .
Based in Saskatoon and soon to be Calabria, Italy, Stephen Cavan has been a highly motivated entrepreneur in several fields, over the years:

While teaching Greek and Roman Classics at U of S, he began a hobby of brewing beer at home.

But the lack of available supplies motivated him to start his own business, opening Paddock Wood Brewing in 1995.

Steve’s purpose was to sell the best ingredients for making beer. Selling ingredients eventually transformed into selling the finished product. By 2012, his hobby had yielded over $1M in sales in Canada and employed a staff of 15.

The market for craft beer grew very slowly and most local bars hesitated to offer it. So in 2012, Steve opened a bar–The Woods Alehouse–to showcase the world of craft beer. But managing a bar/restaurant with roughly 30 employees became what he terms a “hot potato.”

He was happy to sell that business after four years.
Most recently, since 2019, Steve has retired from brewing and become certified to teach English as a Second Language (ESL). Through his wonderful wife, Kathleen (formerly of the English Department and St. Andrew’s College, U of S), I began to discuss with Steve my own interest in ESL.

Steve has been teaching privately on the “italki” platform, since 2020 and has mentored me to do the same, while we both teach some in-person classes on business and academic topics.

Steve’s current plan is to teach English from retirement in Italy, combining in-person and online classes to a growing number of intellectually curious and admiring students.

Thank you, Steve, for your commitment to the ESL industry. And I hope we will collaborate in the future, as well!
There are always new businesses, non-profits and entrepreneurial programs to promote. Please write me to share your success stories!
I’m excited for what’s ahead in our entrepreneurial community.
But for now, this is a wrap for mid-May!

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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 and economic immigrants to secure contracts by improving their English skills; I help SMEs close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I help major companies tell their legacy stories.

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!

STAY IN TOUCH:

Follow us on Twitter
Become a Facebook fan
Subscribe to my blog
Contact us

 

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Overwhelmed by Spring Cleaning? What to do, in this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter”

April 2023 Vol 5 Issue 4

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

Welcome Mid-April, 2023!

After what felt like an interminable winter, we felt on April 8th an ushering in of more seasonable temperatures and sunshine. Nights of minus 20 degrees (Celsius) have finally yielded to minus single- or even plus-digit temperatures. And Saskatchewanians have breathed a collective sigh of relief (and we hope that this week will bring rain, not snow)!

Although it is brief or even non-existent some years (when winter morphs into summer), spring offers small miracles–the return of birdsong, a rapid melt of residual snow, the thawing of the ground for those who farm or garden, and the budding of trees and bushes . . . . Special thanks to those dedicated neighbours who have cleared storm drains this year, so that enormous puddles don’t impede walking, cycling and driving. (Beware those sinkholes!)

And speaking of spring, in “Article One” this month, I’ll discuss the common issue that many Saskatchewanians face this time of year–of “overwhelm” with “spring cleaning”–the need to declutter our living and work spaces.

And in “Storytellers’ Corner” this month, I feature some truly “wretched writing” from expert editors, Ross and Kathryn Petras. Some of it will make you laugh!

And even if spring is a fleeting (barely existent) season in Saskatchewan, may it be a time, good reader, to renew your health by being outdoors, to achieve the culmination of professional accomplishments, and to relax, as summer approaches, with family and friends–all blessings that still grace our lives, even in these late pandemic days.

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

ARTICLE ONE: Overwhelmed by spring cleaning? What to do in this month’s issue
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:
Purple prose to make you laugh from Wretched Writing by Ross and Kathryn Petras
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US
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Article One:  Overwhelmed by Spring Cleaning? What to do, in this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter”

Entrepreneurs might wonder about the relevance of an article on “spring cleaning” to their lives. But recent articles have abounded on how to improve our workspaces (for work-from-home or hybrid offices) and how to shed the severity of last winter by purging and decluttering!

Spring cleaning, when it involves decluttering, can be essential to this newsletter’s theme of “entrepreneurial wellness.” Whether you dig-in up to your elbows with seasonal cleaning tasks (such as cleaning windows, rugs and boot racks), or whether you delegate such work to others, every entrepreneur needs to know how to pitch and purge. So if your home office (or your entire home) lack order and calm, read on!

In an online article last week, CBC journalist Jenifer Norwell addressed why so many of us find “spring cleaning” a grinding chore. Given that economic challenges in these late pandemic and war-torn years have exacerbated both
rental and buyer housing markets, many people—and entrepreneurs, especially—find we must downsize to live and work in smaller spaces.

Consider the “tiny homes” movement and how living as a minimalist has become desirable for a growing number of people, worldwide.

Either purging and pitching excess belongings in your living or work space, or doing a simple seasonal cleaning, many, many people find “spring cleaning” to be overwhelming. But the work won’t “go away” if we avoid it.

In the CBC article, one interviewee commented: “I am finding things I didn’t even realize I had!” Things you’ve lived without for a year, or maybe even a decade (or more), can and should go “out the door.” You don’t really need that old toaster oven or those back issues from eight+ years ago,
of “Time Magazine” or the Times Literary Supplement.

Canadians across all disciplines have reported that reducing unneeded belongings is the best way to make clearer and better-organized spaces that help us both to be productive (at work) and to relax (in leisure time).

When maintaining a space “takes longer and longer to do, that’s a good sign that it’s time to reevaluate,” says Canadian space organizer, Celeste Imus.
The global tidying-up phenomen Marie Kondo has won followers around the world with her approach to decluttering, in which she shows us how to “pare down [our] possessions,” and only keep what “sparks joy.”

Kondo frames the cleaning/decluttering process as positive, not agonizing, and her approach has benefited those who love minimalism. Some have even become professional organizers—making careers out of training and working with Kondo’s methods.

Economist and writer Tim Harford told Norwell that such reorganizing of your space can work well in a kitchen or bedroom, but not in “dynamic situations”–such as workplaces where there is a constant (high) intake of email, digital or hard copy paperwork, or books. Harford says: “When there’s this constant flow of stuff in and out of a working space, Kondo’s method of asking, ‘Do I
really need this? Does it spark joy?’ does not apply.”

So what can we do to make “decluttering” more manageable? Organizer Celeste Imus provides six tips to succeed in the process:
(1) “Start small”: Begin with a small area, like a closet or dresser drawer, instead of feeling overwhelmed by an entire house, apartment or room. Work by one item at a time, so you don’t over-pitch, she says.

(2) “Take breaks”: Don’t work to declutter, purge and pitch for more than two hours at a time, because after that, our brains stop engaging and we can feel “frantic,” pitching out things we should keep, like passports and birth certificates.

(3) “Declutter with a buddy”: Working with someone you trust will make the process more enjoyable and give you a chance to share stories about your things, after which it becomes easier to get rid of some of them.

(4) “Choose comfort”: Bringing items up to table height and working in a well-lit room at a comfortable temperature can reduce the feeling that decluttering is drudgery. Be aware that decluttering is hard on the body, as well as the mind.

(5) “Customize your process”: Know that some organizational approaches might work well for some homes but not always for yours.

(6) “Cut yourself some slack”: Allow yourself to keep some things because they could be useful later, or just because they have sentimental value. Imus says: “Sometimes it just makes you feel comfortable to have the things you love around you.”

And yet, organizers also warn, that what may start as clutter can become for some a hoarding disorder. Jenifer Norwell asks: “ When is clutter just clutter and when is it a hoarding disorder at work?” Psychiatrists say that extremely severe cases of clutter are associated with clinical “hoarding
disorder,” a medical condition that requires ongoing treatment. Hoarding is a form of obsessive/compulsive disorder, in which an individual finds they cannot discard old possessions, even those that have no value.

Purging your home of excess stuff needn’t mean discarding its stories, altogether. Do consider keeping a few items or pieces that have particularly sentimental value.Consider what life would be like without the public who share stories on “The Antiques Roadshow” on both sides of the Atlantic!

In the end, “for some people. . . if they can clear their abode a little bit, it helps to clear their minds,” says B.C.-based counsellor, Murray Anderson. He concludes: “It’s a matter of having sense and order and being able to make space for other things in your lives.”

And now it’s your turn: do you feel overwhelmed by the disorder of your living and/or working space? Do the above tips help to reduce the overwhelm?
Please write in: I’d be delighted to hear from you!
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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Words, stories, riddles and jokes on Writing and Editing . . .

This month: “Wretched writing”: Ross and Kathryn Petras on ” ‘crimes against the English language’ “

In a 2012 volume aptly called, Wretched Writing: A Compendium of Crimes against the English Language, sibling editors, Ross and Kathryn Peters, define bad writing as “a felonious assault on the English language.”

 

 

They continue: “It is the lowest of the low. It plumbs the depths of literature and spelunks in the caves of nonfiction. In other words, it stinks. . . . [It] comes in numerous and quite varied forms and modes . . . . exhibiting a blatant ignorance of the constraints of grammar and . . . exuberantly and
brazenly excessive prose. . . . [It] can be marked by overusage of literary tropes or underusage of good taste.”

Such writing, they add, is regrettably “timeless,” implicating writers of the past, present and future. Here are some fun(ny) examples to tickle your funny bone this month. If you’ve ever regretted writing poorly, consider that it couldn’t be worse than the following examples:

(1) A blatant case of “purple prose” (i.e. overwritten, under- or un-edited, self-indulgent and excessive writing) comes From Samuel Alexander White’s book, Called Northwest (1943). Every noun in his writing has one or more adjectives, exhausting our imagination:  “Her slim arms, agile as darting javelins, alternately waved and reined, fluttering the open collared, gray, pearl-buttoned waist that she wore with her chamois-colored riding costume and striking tan boots and copper-hued chaps encasing her mobile thighs with whipping jacket
tails.”

(2) Some writers write anatomical impossibilities in descriptive prose:
(a) “She stood at the foot of the stairs, narrowing her eyes and breathing through her hips” (from a short story in The Saturday Evening Post, no date given).

b)“People who leaned over backwards, McCullough thought grimly, frequently fell flat on their face . . .” (James White, All Judgment Fled, 1948).

(3) Some governments and corporations write bureaucratese that says “absolutely nothing about something”: “No unmet needs exist and . . . current unmet needs that are being met will continue to be met” (Transportation Commission on Unmet Transit Needs, Mariposa County,
California).

(4) Faulty translations abound, to the detriment of the English language:
(a) “Here you shall be well fed up and agreeably drunk. In the close village you can buy jolly memorials for when you pass away” (In a brochure for an Italian hotel in the Dolomites area).
And (b) “You are properly exhausted after journey or business work. Worthily divert yourself from boredom and create new sense of perception that makes you completely relaxed and happy, please call on LONGMAN HOTEL where our multifunctional recreations will surely feast your tastes. YOU ARE ADDED WITH FUN. Welcome to Piano lounge, where you could enjoy abundant beverages besides cocktails in an elegant atmosphere while being introxicated With pianists famourse musics from home and aboard. YOU ARE AN EXTRAORDINARY VOCALIST AT KAROKE” (In a brochure from
the Longman Hotel, Shanghai, China).

Do you have a story, riddle or joke on any aspect of writing or communications? Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue.
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SHOP NEWS:

Thank you to the administrative and operating staff at The Franklin Retirement Residence (Revera), for working hard to support seniors of all ages and abilities, in their later years. The quality of life, including diet, transportation, social activities, openness to home-care support and
other programming are excellent, and have created a positive home for a senior in my family.

 

 

Special thanks to Vinod (Executive Director), Steve, Mason, Charmaine, Dea, Danae, Sharla, Amrit, Bonnie and others whose names I may temporarily have forgotten (with apologies).

Currently, when our senior health care system is woefully neglected and neglectful, assisted living facilities like The Franklin are providing options even for advanced elderly with disabilities in our communities, for which I am deeply grateful.

To tour the various sizes of suites and discuss many options for residents, please contact Daniel Knudsen, at Daniel.Knudsen@reveraliving.com or call (306) 241-1092.

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And even more overdue thanks goes to the mature care professionals of “Home Instead, Inc.” in Saskatoon, including Starr, Amanda, Lavern, Lil, and administrators Rita, Helen and Marina.

Enabling the elderly to “age in place” in homes that are familiar to them is a tremendous service to our community. Thank you to you all.

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Another essential supporter has been my faith group’s parish nurse, the amazing Laura Van Loon. Although mandated to work only a handful of hours each week, Laura deftly arranges everything from infant baptisms (at one end of life) to bedside vigils for those in palliative care (at the other).
She continues to be my guiding light as I shepherd an elderly relative through the complex and very broken bureaucracy of our senior “care” system.

Thank you, Laura!

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Special thanks to Lisa Focardi, organizer of Saskatoon Open Door Society’s conversation circles for newcomers, for welcoming me back as a circle leader, on a schedule that will accommodate my commitments. Helping newcomers with language training brings me (and so many ESL teachers)
much joy.

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Entrepreneur of the month: Meet Silvana Cracogna, ESL teacher and administrator, Global Infobrokers! This month’s entrepreneur is my fellow ESL teacher, Silvana Cracogna, coordinator and facilitator of language programs at Global Infobrokers (home of the Praxis group of schools).

Silvana has been the primary assistant of Praxis -Global CEO Monica Kreuger for over 10 years, but prior to that taught ESL to various students, including children in a Korean elementary school.

Born in Argentina, Silvana moved to Saskatoon with her parents when she was eight years old.  She earned a BA in Spanish at the University of Saskatchewan and an MA (focused on Latin American literature), at the University of Ottawa.

While at university, Silvana was a teaching assistant, taught ESL to a Pfizer employee from Colombia, and to two RCMP employees. She was later certified in a 150 hour TESOL/TEFL course through Global Leadership College,
while she was also working for Praxis.

While Silvana prefers teaching adults, she has also worked with teenagers and children, including some with varying abilities.

Silvana looks forward to taking new ESL students, although she currently works full-time for the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship. She comments on why she loves teaching ESL: “I love languages and helping people acquire the
ability to work within a new language. . . “There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing the lights go on, as students navigate the world with new-found skills.”

Thank you Silvana for your commitment to the ESL industry. And I hope we can collaborate in the field soon!
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Four years after undertaking nine months of programming through startSMART at the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship (PSE), I continue to find fruitful relationships with talented individuals, including Silvana Cracogna and Deanna Litz.

All of this is only possible due to the vision of Global Infobrokers’ CEO, Monica Kreuger; VP Global Infobrokers Inc., Brent Kreuger; and Praxis program administrator and Principal, EDM Business Services, Elaine Mantyka.

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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 by improving their English skills; I help small-sized businesses close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I help major companies tell their legacy stories.

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)

 

Posted on

Weird English idioms and some history behind the “Ides of March” in this month’s newsletter!

March 2023 Vol 5 Issue 3

 

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

Welcome Mid-March, 2023!

After enduring unseasonably cold weather for the first 10 days of March, we have seen temperatures gradually rise, as we reached a calendar milestone— the famous “Ides of March!” You may recall that March 15th is the day when Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated (in 44 BCE, an event made famous by Shakespeare’s tragedy in 1599).

Although Saskatoon sidewalks and roads continue to be slick with ice, for the most part, there are no toga-clad conspirators, waiting with daggers for us at work! (Perhaps the risk is why some of us prefer self-employment? Lol!)

If such “workplace safety” isn’t relief enough, our daylight hours are lengthening beautifully and, after a stretch of grey days, our familiar prairie sunshine has returned!

I expect that none of you, good readers, were accosted (much less, assassinated) by Roman senators (or other “back-stabbing” colleagues) on your commute to work, yesterday! And hopefully, you weren’t headed for the Theatre of Pompey, either. . . . You may remember Wayne & Shuster’s
famous retelling of the story of Caesar’s demise on the Ides of March, from his wife Calpurnia’s perspective: “I told him, ‘Julie, don’t go!’”).

After having addressed serious philosophical and psychoanalytic concepts of stoicism, shame and resilience in recent postings of this newsletter and my blog, today I share some more lighthearted “fare.”

In “Article One,” I present some “weird and wonky” English idioms from a list compiled by the team at Tefl.org in the UK (from whom I earned my accreditation to teach ESL, in 2021). Newcomers and native English speakers alike may have been puzzled by some of these expressions.

And in “Article Two, “Word Nerd’s Corner,” I present some humourous aspects and history of the date of March 15th, more than two millennia after the date gained its murderous origins. (Thinking Edward Gorey, anyone?)

May the coming of spring dispel any superstition from your minds, good readers, so that yesterday’s “Ides of March” will connote no disloyalty or violent ends!

Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
ARTICLE 1: Ten weird English idioms from Tefl.org (in the UK)
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:
Some history behind the date, the “Ides of March”
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US
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Article One: Ten weird English idioms from mentors and colleagues at TEFL.org (UK)

While other languages may be very direct and use fewer figures of speech, English has many idioms that arise everywhere, whether in ordinary “watercooler” chat to official government documents.
Some of our simple phrases sound normal to native-speakers, but very odd to newcomers as they study English:

(1) “The Elephant in the room”: The metaphor of the “elephant” generally refers to a controversial or difficult topic that most people want to avoid. The idiom as a whole is attributed the Russian writer, Ivan Krylov, who wrote a fable (in 1814) of a man who visits a museum, observes small trinkets but not a large elephant in the room.

Fyodor Dostoevsky then used the idiom, writing in his book, Demons (1871-1872), that “Belinsky was just like Krylov’s Inquisitive Man, who didn’t notice the elephant in the museum.”

(2) “You can say that again”: This idiom can cause confusion, as it seems to ask a speaker to repeat themselves, when it means simply to express agreement on something. For instance, if I tell you that the weather is unseasonably cold for late March, you might say, “You can say that again!”

(3) “Lose your marbles”: To lose one’s marbles is to forget something, be frustrated or confused by something. These connotations are common, especially in UK English, since competitive marble playing has occurred for centuries there, and with much attention.

A secondary meaning known better in Canada, connects “losing marbles” with “cognitive deterioration” (i.e. insanity). “The mail deliverer must be losing his marbles today, because he stooped down while delivering our letters, to pet our Rottweiler.”

(4) “Butterflies in my stomach”: The metaphor of having insects occupy your digestive tract reflects the feeling of “flutters,” or nervousness about something. This idiom gets trotted out when you have a job interview, go on a blind date, or worry that a costly parking ticket awaits you, as you leave an appointment that ran late.
So, when you are nervous, your mind kicks into “fight-or-flight” mode, and this causes a fluttery feeling in your stomach or digestive tract..

(5) “Easier said than done”: This is an unusually literal idiom which refers to something that is challenging to do, but may not be acknowledged as such. So a newcomer student might say, “I’m going to master the perfect conditional tense” today, when that is much easier said than done.

(6) “To let the cat out of the bag”: refers to revealing a secret, especially if it occurs by accident. To accidentally reveal a surprise retirement party to a good friend would be a typical example. TEFL friends clarify that the idiom “has nothing to do with cats, or indeed, bags.”

(7) “Hit the sack” or “Hit the hay”: these are two idioms that refer simply to “going to bed.” Historically, human beds were not always bought in furniture stores (“move over, IKEA”), so people commonly rested their heads on some loose fabric (sack) or even on some harvested farm crops (hay).

(8) “The best thing since sliced bread”: In the US, where sliced bread was first sold in the 1920s, it was advertised as “the greatest forward step in the baking industry, since bread was wrapped.” The convenience of buying pre-sliced bread led to the simplified phrasing of “the best thing since sliced
bread.” Americans started to apply the term to all kinds of modern conveniences and it persists today.

(9) “The bees’ knees”: this idiom was part of a popular movement in language in the 1920s that used the animal kingdom to create fun expressions of praise. This idiom means something of high quality; and there other idioms that had similar meaning, such as “the cat’s pyjamas” and “the sardine’s whiskers.” While none of these may strike you as terribly persuasive today, the 1920s were a completely different time, linguistically.

(10) “It takes two to tango”: TEFL writers say that the “tango” originated in the border between Argentina and Uruguay and was considered a “risqué and working-class” dance when it began. Now it’s a regular influence on network television, such as on the American program “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Do you use any of these weird and wonky idioms in your conversations in English? Do you know some that didn’t make it to the list? Please share; I’d be happy to post them in a future issue!

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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . 

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Words, stories, riddles and more on writing and editing . . . Some history behind the date, the “Ides of March”

• The word “Ides” (the 15th day of a month) comes from the Latin word, “idus,” which refers to the middle day of any month in the ancient Roman calendar.

• The Ides refer the 15th day of the months of March, May, July or October; and the 13th day of the remaining months.

• There is much superstition surrounding the origins of the date, but in fact it only marks the first day of a full moon in every month (falling between the 13th and the 15th days).

• Part of the negative connotations of the “Ides” is that they were designated as the date to settle outstanding debts each month in the ancient Roman calendar. Debtors who could not pay their debts were typically thrown into prison or forced into slavery. Therefore, the “Ides” were thought to be especially unlucky days.

• The connotations of an unlucky day with particularly disastrous implications is, of course, tied to Ancient Rome. Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was murdered on the “Ides of March” in 44 BCE. Historians have said that Caesar’s senators murdered him out of fear that his popularity would turn him into a dictator (and them into slaves).

• A lot of the story surrounding the “Ides of March” comes from Shakespeare’s sensational dramatization of the murder of Julius Caesar. For instance, Shakespeare dramatizes that Brutus was Caesar’s best friend and the leader of the assassination plot, which are not true.
In fact, there were three conspirators, among whom Decimus, not Brutus, was most trusted and known by Caesar. And it was Decimus who led the murderous plot.

• Caesar was not warned to “Beware the Ides of March” by an anonymous soothsayer (in Shakespeare’s version). The omen was actually “Beware the next 30 days,” uttered on February 15, 44 BCE by an Etruscan soothsayer, called Spurinna (historians tell us).

• Dictator Adolf Hitler chose this day in 1939 to attack and seize the provinces of Czechoslovakia.

• Some parts of the world observe March 15 with national holidays that are not deemed unlucky, such as Constitution Day in Belarus; National Day in Hungary; and even Youth Day in Palau.

What was your “Ides of March” (yesterday) like?

Do you have a concept, story, joke or problem involving any aspect of writing or communications? Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue

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SHOP NEWS:

Every month brings new ways for me to thank my Raj Manek mentor and dear friend, Monica Kreuger. This month, she included me, among other team members of Global Infobroker’s ”Praxis School of Entrepreneurship,” in a deferred Christmas party.

A death in Monica’s family sadly occurred shortly before last Christmas, pre-empting the usual holiday festivities.

But amazingly generous soul that she is, only three months into the new year, Monica graced Elaine Mantyka, Deanna Litz, Silvana Cracogna, Grace Wang, Carmen Karin Rosner and I with pampering spa services (including several kinds of facials, sugaring, ion cleanses, foot wax, eyebrow and nail
treatments!).

It was heavenly! Missing but in our thoughts were also team members Marie Weinkauf and Jolene Watson. (On who the magical service providers were for the evening, see below.)

And in Monica’s impeccable way, the food was scrumptious, featuring the charcuterie and desserts of local entrepreneur, Colleen Middlemiss, of Colleen’s Catering.

Thank you, Monica, and to fellow entrepreneurs of the Praxis team, who have learned from Monica’s genius and generosity!

Entrepreneur of the month:
Writing two days after the above evening spa event, my skin still feels great. So I’m delighted to shine a spotlight on the service providers at Bailey Kreuger’s woman-owned business, “Drop Dead Gorgeous Day Spa.”

Along with estheticians Sara Kreuger, Megan Kent and “Essentials” hairdresser, Crystal Hill, “Drop Dead Gorgeous” provides a wide variety of services that will make you feel as beautiful as you look, including facials and skin care, lashes and brows, hands and feet, makeup application, hair
removal, tanning, tattooing and permanent makeup.

As proud daughters of amazing entrepreneurial parents, Monica and Brent Kreuger, Bailey and Sara belong to the Chamber of Commerce and support “Totally Locally Saskatoon.” They do so by also promoting the work of entrepreneurs who are among their regular and loyal clients.
Ready to feel as gorgeous as you look? Visit their website or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DropDeadGorgeousDaySpa !

There are always new businesses and new ideas to promote and discuss. Please write me to shareyour stories! . . . . But for now, this is a wrap for mid-March!

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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 by improving their English skills; I help SMEs close more sales by communicating more effectively, and I help major companies tell their legacy stories.

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)

 

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Does stoicism bring resilience? Read this month’s issue for an answer!

February 2023 Vol 5 Issue 2

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling

Let me tell your story!

Welcome Mid-February, 2023!

Although winter hit us early and hard toward the end of 2022, more recent weeks (apart from a cold interval in January) have been unseasonably mild—and lately sunny, too!

However, in the middle of February (often thought in Saskatchewan to be winter’s “cruellest” month), the cold has returned and more of it is promised next week.

Friends who suffer from migraine headaches, people with sinus challenges and those with weakened immune systems, can be overheard lamenting recent weather fluctuations. But now into year three of the global pandemic, good readers, aren’t we all happier that 2023’s cold spells don’t seem to last? Saskatchewan winters demand such resilience from us.

The principals or directors of “ei advantage (Emotional Intelligence Advantage),” Winnipeg-based Hayley Hesseln and Janice Gair, published a blog posting recently on how stoicism can foster that same resilience in all of us–especially in these costly, challenging, Covid times. So in “Article One” this month, I review some of the arguments of their posting, “10 Stoic Quotes to Build Resilience.”

What’s in store in Article Two, “Word Nerd’s Corner,” you may ask?  For a change of pace this month, I present some compelling book dedications— intriguing or inspiring statements that I’ve encountered when reading business books, entrepreneurial guides, fiction and more.

May the next month be kind to you, good readers, as we are closing the long loop of winter!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

 Principal

Storytelling Communications

 www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: Does stoicism build resilience?

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:  Book dedications from assorted authors

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Article One: Does stoicism build resilience?

Hayley Hesseln and Janice Gair offer progressive programming for leaders and entrepreneurs through their “ei advantage” company. In one of their recent blog postings, they offer “10 stoic quotes that build resilience.” Why? Because as part of our unending global pandemic, soaring inflation affects every sector of life, the bottom drops out of the stock market and even routine aspects of life now sometimes feel that “they’re too much to handle.”

When “such vicissitudes have always been part of the human experience,” Hesseln and Gair are among many business thinkers who give credence to stoic philosophers whose writings (as early as 300 BCE) still have value and “ring true to this day.” Ryan Holiday’s book (whose title encapsulates his value for stoicism), The Obstacle is the Way (2014), has sold like hotcakes.

Hesseln and Gair write that stoicism has been practiced by “kings, artists, thinkers, presidents and entrepreneurs” from the likes of Adam Smith, Ralph Waldo Emerson, George Washington, and many more. Its perspectives, from writers like Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus, are designed “to increase resilience, manage adversity” and (writes Aurelius), to “stand ready and firm to meet sudden and unexpected onsets.”

“Emotional Intelligence,” Hesseln and Gair write, can arise from the four central virtues of Stoicism: (1) Courage—reframing the world of difficult situations as opportunities to learn and better ourselves; (2) Temperance—doing nothing to excess when being brave can lead to recklessness; (3) Justice—doing the right thing because it is more important than anything else; and (4) Wisdom—recognizing that there is always more to learn, so we should strive to deepen our understanding of the world around us.

Among the 10 quotations of ancient Stoics that are cited in the blog posting, more than one  argues Seneca’s point that “we are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more in imagination than in reality.” In other words, most of what we worry about is in our heads, or that things do not disturb people but only the judgments we make of those things. So we get anxious running imaginary arguments, mapping out situations in our minds that never occur and worrying about risks that never lead to disasters.

These thought patterns are what contemporary psychologists and psychoanalysts call anxiety. The key to resilience, then (say the stoics), is to “pay attention to your thoughts and the things you worry about” and ask this: “are these real problems or just my imagination?”

 

Some other quotations advocate against hoping that events will turn out as you want them, but welcoming whatever happens, as the “path to peace” (Epictetus). It can be hard to welcome pain, loss and violence and make peace out of them, I might counter.

 

The posting concludes with Seneca’s teaching that “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness”–i.e. that “we [can be] remembered for how we treat others in our lives.”

 

Hesseln and Gair show that Stoicism does underpin some of contemporary thought and familiar expressions, such as “learn to roll with the punches” and “be the change you want to see in the world.” It’s good to know that such thinking dates to times as long ago as 300 BCE—we should not reinvent the wheel!

 

But while I admire the leadership training and coaching of Hesseln and Gair,  and I while I admire some of Holiday’s writing (that I reviewed in an earlier blog posting), what concerns me most about such ideas is that they assume that we can all “hurry-harder” (to borrow a curling term) in trying times, and that adopting an attitude of “tough-love” for oneself is healthy, tenable, and sustainable.

 

To push through the obstacles we meet in life (as Holiday’s title suggests), we would have to curtail our emotional lives, bracketing off our feelings indefinitely and apparently without repercussions. This assumption is patently false. Who among us hasn’t experienced a breakthrough in our work only after we have grieved heavily over stressful obstacles, disappointments and lost time and energy that undermined our goals?

 

To deny our emotional lives is guaranteed to lead to thinkers’ and writers’ block (i.e. more obstacles) which reflects depression, not progress. Yes, contemporary life requires us to grapple with life’s obstacles first-hand. But if we are to force ourselves through them, blind to the pain and emotion involved, that would

require self-abnegation.


 

American psychologist Kristin Neff has argued over the past 20 years that we need compassion for ourselves, not self-denial, if we are to find satisfaction in life. She cites the Buddhist belief that “suffering = pain x resistance”–that when we resist emotional pain, we only compound our suffering. But the “highlights” of stoicism by their very nature resist pain and fail to connect how it pertains to suffering. When we experience at least some of the pain of our lives (instead of denying it), we stop resisting it, and, with the support of a therapist, good friends or family, that process can (albeit counterintuitively) actively reduce our suffering.

In my 2017 book of interviews, Keep Going: Five Creatives Build Resilience, I cite the Concise Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of “resilience” as the ability “to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.” More intensive definitions come from psychoanalysis, which a whole volume of blog postings could only begin to address. (But do consult Diane Coutu’s masterful article on the topic in the “Harvard Business Review”).

But if we are to recover and so find resilience from these “stressful and overwhelming times” (Hesseln and Gair), I still contend that we won’t be able to do it with stoic thinking or “self-mastery”– an inconvenient truth.  The annual mental health expenditures of most Western nations (including ours) provide ample evidence that many sufferers are not achieving resilience, despite the popularity of Holiday’s and others’ tracts on stoicism.

We also need leaders who recognize the importance of health care and, in particular, mental and senior health care, so that our communities have resources to turn to, in especially these “stressful and overwhelming times.” Not coincidentally, evidence shows that quite the opposite is happening.  In this week’s news, our second (and last) gastroenterologist has announced that she’s departing Saskatchewan, leaving more than 1000 local patients without specialist care. And at the same time, support is growing among seniors for physician-assisted dying, as at least some of the time, a tragic alternative to the very broken senior health care system in SK.

On these matters, stoicism could (and may already) underpin political quietism. For that reason, either the stoics’ ancient or contemporary formulations should be vigorously analyzed before they’re adopted as truisms for life.

And now it’s your turn: Do you find writings of stoicism (whether ancient or recently adopted) to help you find resilience within? Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER

STORYTELLER’S CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . .

This Month:  Memorable Book Dedication Pages

Do you ever wonder about the “dedications” of the books you read? I often find them intriguing. Here’s a recent sample:

  •   “To Amazon Addict” (Dr. Jud Brewer, Unwinding Anxiety: Train Your Brain to Heal Your Mind [2021]). Psychiatrist Jud Brewer dedicates his latest book to the anonymous reviewer of his first book. The reader protested in his/her Amazon review (ie. s/he is the “Amazon Addict”) that Brewer provided no insights on how to heal. And I agree! (His comprehensive online program of the same name now addresses  that.)
  • “To Evan, who always trusts his cape. And to Caroline, who does things that scare her.”  (Ann Handley: Everyone Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content [2014]).
  • “For all the children left behind when fathers and mothers go off to war.” (Laurel Corona:  Penelope’s Daughter [2010]).
  • “To my wife Maggie, who always believed. She just always believed” (Pete Savage, co-author of The Wealthy Freelancer [2010]).
  • “To all the well-fed writers around the globe—past, present and future” (Peter Bowerman, The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Commercial Freelancer in Six Months or Less [2009]).
  • “To Dad, for driving an old tan Chevette while putting us through college.  To Mom, for making us breakfast every day for eighteen years. Each.” (Chip and Dan Heath: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Take Hold and Others Come Unstuck [2007]).

Do you have a book dedication or a story, riddle or joke on any aspect of communications? Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue. 

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SHOP NEWS:

 

Special thanks every month to Parish Nurse, Laura Van Loon, for so generously assisting me as I continue to provide elder care. As I’ve observed in past months, the cuts to senior care in Saskatchewan for more than 20 years have left the burden of care to living family members, who often lack the time, funds, space and health to bridge the gap.

Laura has witnessed much mishandling and mismanagement and still advocates for fair and better senior health care. The words “thank you” do not really suffice, but I offer them again here to her (she is also  a faithful reader of this newsletter)!

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And in other spaces and places . . . .

A hearty thanks this month (and maybe a Reuben sandwich?) to Brent Kreuger, IT specialist, VP of Global Infobrokers and founder of Praxis International Institute (the province’s first entrepreneurial high school, based in Craik, SK). Why?

Brent continues patiently to handle the tech side of meetings and classes for a local charity’s “Women’s Employment Readiness” program, for whom he also facilitates on diverse and numerous topics, including digital competency and software skills. He teaches on expansive terms how to think and live well, to our newcomers and to budding entrepreneurs.

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The same local charity recently contracted me to facilitate on business communications these same newcomer women, who are already fluent in English. (And thanks for the referral go to Monica Kreuger, CEO of the  Praxis School of Entrepreneurship).

Thank you also to Employment Specialist, Nuru Nyoni, and Women and Family support coordinator, Hannah Enti-Brown, for discussing the contract with me, last month.

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And as a part of this work, I’ve been delighted to start learning about the experience of African-Canadians in Saskatchewan by tuning into activities for “Black History Month.”

Discussing themes of “Black resistance, resilience and resolution” and leading to a discussion on black women entrepreneurs in Saskatchewan, our local African Canadian network (in SK) asserts many ways that our province’s history is black history. I look forward to discussing further some aspects of that history, as I meet course participants.

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Entrepreneur of the month: I have meant to add for months (if not years) how much I appreciate Massachusetts-based Michael Katz’s postings on LinkedIn, where he grapples with some of the most vexed aspects of freelance creative life.

For instance, how do entrepreneurs sustain prospecting, when they have been self-employed for over a decade (and suffer burn out)?

 

How do we adapt to AI, without losing our writing practice, or our minds (e.g. ChatGPT, air tag surveillance, etc.) !?

 

And how can we value fellow newsletter-ists and bloggers, despite their differences (or because of them)?

 

Michael’s humourous approach belies his shrewd and well-read mind. As “Chief Penguin” of Blue Penguin Development, he inspires his followers: a few sentences from him can warm even the coldest winter morning!  (And, btw, Michael tells me he once dated a woman from Saskatoon whom he met as an undergraduate student at McGill University in the 80s! Small world. . . .)

 

Thank you, Michael, for caring and not just doing!

 

There are always new businesses and ideas to promote and discuss. Please write me to share your stories . . . . . .But this is a wrap for 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 to secure better jobs by improving their language skills; I help small- and medium-sized businesses to close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I help major companies tell their legacy stories.

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).

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STAY IN TOUCH:

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Posted on

Do you know newcomers seeking better jobs? Read this month’s issue of ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’

January  2023 Vol 5 Issue 1

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial Storytelling

Let me tell your story!

Welcome Mid-January, 2023!

Although Saskatchewanians (indeed, Western Canadians) had extended blasts of arctic cold during November and December, the new year has brought much welcome relief, with daytime highs in (only) the minus teens or single digits. As Jeff Rogstad quipped on a recent weather report for CTV Saskatoon, “It’s like we’re in England,” with the fog and mild air.

Although January is often thought to be the gloomiest month in the calendar (and January 16th, “Blue Monday”), I continue to thrive while connecting with die-hard locals at Saskatoon’s YWCA! And this isn’t any “New Year’s Resolution,” as 2023 marks my 17th year of gym membership. . . .  Enthusiastically staffed by kinesiology grads, customer service reps and personal trainers, the YW provides reasonably priced memberships to land fitness classes, a fully appointed gymnasium, a cardio theatre and weight room. And you can’t beat their extended daily hours.

Covid has been brutal for gyms like the YW. So if you find January and February to be times of winter blues or blahs, please consider stopping by! Previous fitness training and conditioning are not required.

The appreciable lengthening of our days, as winter proceeds, also give us hope. If you have not been able to travel successfully this winter (given the woes of holiday travel on Sunwing and other airlines), I hope that you, good reader, found time for a staycation of reading great books and maybe catching up on Netflix releases for December!

Happy midwinter and keep moving! To quote Tom Webster in Paul Feig ‘s holiday classic film, “Last Christmas,” “Keep looking up!”

Friends, the sun will return–and with it, eventually, spring.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Principal

Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: Do you know any newcomers searching for better jobs? 16 tips in this month’s issue of ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Word nerd alert: The case of “weasel words” with Bryan Garner

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Article One:  Do you know any newcomers searching for better jobs? Sixteen tips to help them in this month’s issue of ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’ 

One of the “side-effects” (as I jokingly call it) of becoming an ESL facilitator (a term I prefer to “teacher,” because “students” range so widely in age, approach and skill level) is that one’s often asked to bridge a gap between a newcomer’s English language skills and the career goals they want to achieve in our community.

As a result, while discussing phrasal verbs or idioms in Business English classes, I sometimes receive questions on how best to search for jobs, how to write a strong cover letter or how to prepare for an interview that uses behavioural (or other, intensive) questions.

So in this inaugural issue of 2023, I thought I might automate some of my advice for newcomer clients by sharing some knowledge about the job search process, as promoted in various webinars I’ve attended with the Career Centre (University of Saskatchewan), over Linkedin and/or Flexjobs.com .

So let’s get started. One of the first tips professional career coaches give is to job seekers is to “manage your expectations”: On average, it takes three to six months to obtain a new job, especially if it is not an entry-level one.

The higher the salary, said Toni Frana recently (over Flexjobs.com), the longer the search will take. But continuing to customize your resume for each application and networking in your field and among targeted companies can speed up the process.

(1) Career coaches generally recommend that job seekers analyze their own values, interests, skills and cultural fit; these can be assessed on sites like careeronestop.org . Be sure to research companies you view as potential employers: consider what you most (and least) want to do in a potential job and if such preferences would fit with the job they’re interviewing for.

(2) Job seekers should also explore the field(s) of their expertise. Sites like onetonline.org, Statistics Canada (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/subjects?MM=1),

YouTube and independently organized informational interviews can help inform job seekers, early in the process. Try to talk with someone doing your “ideal job.” Ask them what an ordinary day looks like in the position and whether the job is sustainable or (too often) viewed as a stepping stone to something else.

(3) Companies of particular interest can be researched over  LinkedIn (where companies will have detailed profiles), Google Maps (to locate companies), professional associations in your industry (not-for-profit organizations) and Chambers of Commerce in relevant cities.

(4) Although it’s been said for decades in Canada, newcomers may not know that one should never send out “mass applications” to a number of employers, effectively spamming them with one’s resume and generic cover letter (itself an oxymoron).

(5) Job seekers should always keep their application materials updated: customize each draft of resume that they submit to target the job in question. What transferable skills and experience do you have, if the position is not in your niche?

(6) Always send a customized cover letter (even if the employer says it’s “optional”). Whereas one’s resume describes the candidate, the cover letter should reflect the needs of the employer, as gleaned from the job posting and research one can do to learn more, beyond it.

(7) Build a strong Linkedin profile—after reading you resumes (taking 30 to 45 seconds, maximum), employers next go to Linkedin. Applicants should update their profiles so that the employment section matches their resume and use the opportunity to upload special projects, detail volunteer work and provide work samples, which a two-page resume alone cannot convey.

(8) Applicants should also check their social media (including searching their own names) to clean up one’s profile (if you have photos from high school in it), and to adjust one’s privacy settings. Make sure anything about you online is acceptable for an employer to see or read.

(9) It’s still true that the number one way for a person to get hired is by networking to increase their connections. People should take care to contact others inside of the companies they like, to seek advice. Tell family and friends about what kind of work you are seeking, so as to benefit from their networks, too.

(10) Informational interviews have helped many ambitious executives to secure a foothold in companies they eventually lead, as described by many, including Lisa Lisson, in her 2017 memoir, Resilience: Navigating Life, Loss and the Road to Success (and reviewed in an earlier issue of this newsletter). And do be gracious enough to return support provided by others with professional favours, gifts, “thank you” cards and the like.

(11) Seven to 10 days after applying for a position, send a follow-up email, of two to three sentences (short, sweet, positive), making sure they received your application. Job seekers should keep track of all applications, as they go, updating  notes with new developments of a company, in case if they are contacted for an interview (and possibly not even one for the job they had in mind!).

(12) While many job seekers dread interviews, they can be manageable. Researching the company and its online postings is the place to start; job seeker should learn their own resumes very well, to be able to defend the claims they make there.

Rehearse answers to challenging behavioural questions (predicated on the theory that one’s current and future work can be measured by their past performance), using the STAR method (name situation, task, action and result). Now’s the time to bring forward questions for the company. Since most interviews are now held via online meeting software, make sure you can handle that and that your technology is functioning properly before any interview starts.

(13) Make sure the physical background for the interview (in your home office, for instance) is neutral and professional (e.g. without clutter, inappropriate furniture, food, etc.).

(14) Before leaving any interview, seekers should secure the hiring committee’s contact information (if they don’t already have it), so they can send a “thank you” note within 24 hours. Then follow up on that note. If the job is not offered, seekers should ask if there are other opportunities in the same company, saying “I’d be happy to know and be considered for another position, because I believe deeply in this company,” etc.

(15) And on their own time, I tell seekers to research issues like salary. “Know your worth, or you leave money on the table,” says Frana. Most of us have looked at glassdoor.com,  but salary.com, payscale.com and careeronestop.org can also be helpful in tracing remuneration levels.

(16) For those lucky enough to get the job offer and resign their old posts, virtually everyone would agree that it’s essential to resign gracefully (never “burn bridges,” even if the company was a poor fit), wrap up loose ends, offer to train the next hire and prepare for an “exit interview,” where you can suggest some changes you would like to have seen, while also being gracious and professional.

The above are 16 tips I’ve uncovered during my own research and that newcomers (not to mention job seekers born and raised in Canada) may find helpful. “This isn’t rocket science,” many professionals would say. Yet  committing to the process with sustained energy is crucial to any job seeker’s long-term success.

And now it’s your turn: are there particular strategies not mentioned above that have helped you in your job search? Are you a newcomer or were you born and raised here and how has that affected your job search?

Please share your thoughts through the “contact” link below. I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER
Word nerd alert! The case of ‘weasel words’
with etymologist, Bryan Garner

American etymologist, Bryan Garner, recently blogged on the phenomenon of “weasel words.” Garner quotes the former US president, Theodore Roosevelt, who first used the term in a speech in Missouri on May 31st, 1916: “One of our defects as a nation is a tendency to use what have been called ‘weasel words.’ When a weasel sucks eggs, it sucks the meat out of the egg and leaves it an empty shell.

If you use a ‘weasel word’ after another, these is nothing left of the other.”

Garner writes that “some writers have incorrectly assumed that the metaphor (‘weasel words’) suggested itself because of the wriggling, evasive character of the weasel. In any event, sensitive writers are aware of how supposed intensives (e.g. “very”) often have the effect of weakening a statement.”

Some other words have a similar effect of making uncertain, or hollow, the statements in which they appear, such as “candidly,” “clearly,” “manifestly,” “seriously,” “obviously,” “perfectly,” and more.

Garner recommends using such words sparingly, at best, and more in casual conversation than in print.

And now it’s your turn: can you share ‘weasel words’ that have infiltrated your speech or writing? Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you. 

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SHOP NEWS:

As the first month of 2023 flies by, here are some “bits n’ bobs” of items that have crossed my screens or desk . . .

I’m delighted to share that two talented and valued colleagues, podcaster and communications specialist Christine Cherneskey; and geographical planner, sociologist, facilitator and interviewer extraordinaire, Lenore Swystun, have joined forces to broadcast over Saskatoon’s community radio station, CFCR!

As the page of their shared program,  “Civically Speaking,” says, it is now “a podcast that focuses on all things civic in the 21st century.”

These two multi-talented hosts “invite guests and guest panels to discuss all things current and topical. . . . We talk planning, politics, people . . . civically speaking!”

You can read more (and tune in) here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/252451

Last week’s interview featured Dave Meslin, author of Teardown: Rebuilding Democracy from the Ground Up.

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Although I prefer not to exchange many gifts with family and friends at Christmas, especially during pandemic financial times, I was deeply touched by the handmade gift that an dear friend mailed me last month.

My former copywriting buddy Christine Loff, with whom I trained through the American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI), back in 2010, has since worked as a freelance photographer, and now enjoys extensive sewing, embroidery and handmade craft making.

Although not “local” in the strictest sense of living in Saskatoon or Saskatchewan, Christine is an entrepreneur whose creative talents and instincts warrant promoting, this month!

She has formally retired to a farm near Riverton, MB, in the province’s interlake region with her husband, a professional bassoonist, formerly of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

There, when Manitoba’s flooding does not destroy the family garden, Christine plants and harvests enough food for a large army (!), makes crafts using skills she learned as a child from her mother, a European-trained tailor. She makes everything from dolls’ clothes to cell phone cases, bookmarks and mug pads.

You can learn more about Christine’s work here: https://www.sew-fashion-doll-clothes.com/aboutme.html

She takes custom orders on handcrafts- and finds the work both soothing and fulfilling.

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Special thanks this month go to the recently departed Fitness Director at the YWCA, Fred Dyck. For the past seven years, Fred has manned the helm of the cardio, gym and weight rooms, welcoming everyone, while also maintaining a respectful atmosphere in which all of us could move, safely and positively.

Fred could often be found helping at the reception desk, teaching classes and even shovelling snow behind the building, to make the facility more accessible.

Fred has moved on to direct the SPCA and we “regulars” miss him already! Thank you so much, Fred, and all the  best for your next chapter!

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And as I prepare intensively to teach business communications to local newcomers for a local charitable organization, I remain ever grateful for the sharing of resources and mentorship offered me by my long-term advisor, dear friend, and (always) attentive listener, Monica Kreuger. 2023 marks ten years that I have known her through another of our province’s gems, the Raj Manek Mentorship Program.

When not chairing our local Chambers of Commerce, or LutherCare Communities with umatched insight, Monica continues to forge new markets as the Chief Visionary (and Executive) Officer of the Praxis Group of Schools, including the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship (PSE), where many of my colleagues and I are alumni.

Bringing passion to everything that she does, Monica inspires her proteges and affiliates to reach beyond their limits, and strive for the greater good of our community–and ourselves.

And speaking of that, intake for a new cohort of PSE’s flagship course, the startSMART program, is underway: Help support a fledgling entrepreneur in your life by contacting PSE administrator, Elaine Mantyka, for all the details. And do so now, so you don’t miss out on the programming!

(306) 664-0500.

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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.

On January 1, 2019, my company rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now  assist new and economic newcomers to secure better jobs by improving their English-as-a-Second-Language skills; I facilitate business communications courses for job seekers and budding entrepreneurs; 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).