Archives for November 2009
Video: My favourite idea catchers
P.S. Thanks to Rita Cartwright who wrote a helpful reply to the New Coach Connection group about changing the embed settings in YouTube.
Kind words from the Profit Lounge
“I host the Profit Lounge SIG. It’s a monthly worldwide teleconference call for coaches. Linda Dessau was my guest speaker this month and she discussed “5 Secrets That Will Improve Anything That You Write.” Her tips were practical, powerful, and easy to understand. I know the coaches on the call, including myself, will begin to put her knowledge into action today!”
Steve Borek, End Game Business, www.endgamebusiness.com
I love speaking to groups! If you host a group who would benefit from writing tips or article marketing strategies, please let me know!
I also got this feedback about the Idea Generator blog update emails:
“I get ideas just reading your emails. I once wrote five blog posts off the top of my head just from something you mentioned in a newsletter. Aaah, if all newsletters could spark such creativity. Thank you!“
Joan Bell, http://www.lifecoach101.com
Defining a perfect article opener
I was listening to a silly radio ad about winter tires the other day, and it reminded me of a very common (but sometimes forgotten) article opener – the definition.
A definition is helpful when you're using a phrase your readers may not be familiar with (as I defined the term plain language in this blog post), but it's also an interesting way to start any article.
Often we use the same words over and over again and start making assumptions about what they mean, and how they apply to us. So try giving your readers the gift of a fresh perspective on a well-used term.
Here are some definitions that might be interesting to explore:
- Career coaches: Teamwork, reward, motivation, development
- Life coaches: Vision, balance, boundary, happiness
- Parenting coaches: Discipline, love, need, model
- Business coaches: Sell, service, alignment, success
- Spiritual coaches: Faith, surrender, meaning, awe
Writing prompt: Head over to Merriam-Webster or another online dictionary and look up the formal definitions of the terms you use most often in your coaching conversations. Explore alternate or deeper meanings that could spark some insight for your readers. You can also check out these other 10 article openers.