The Writing Edge for Business Writers: 8/14/15

Aug 14, 2015 | Better Writing

You’re a businessperson. You may not think of yourself as a writer, but you know that writing well can boost your results and your career. Naturally, you want to do better. Every week I point you to articles and blog posts that I think will teach you something or spark an idea or two. Some weeks there are more pointers than others.

This week I’m pointing you to pieces on drip-feed learning, tapping into trending conversations on social media, and turning out better content. Plus suggestions for business reading.

Articles & Posts

From Harold Jarche: serendipitous drip-fed learning

“If you want to learn something about a field you know little about, what do you do? There are many areas where I know very little, and learning about them in depth would be a major time commitment. Is there anything we can do do to make it easier? I think so.”

From Christy Kirk: Why You Should Tap Into Trending Conversations on Social Media

“Organic growth, which means attracting fans and followers through non-paid avenues, can be a slow process. It takes time and consistent effort to build a tribe on social media. There is, however, a free and easy way to reach more people — and hopefully, pump up your fan base a little faster: start posting content around trending topics.”

From Sherry Gray: 7 Ways to Write Quality Content Your Audience Will Love

“Your content has to be better. It has to stand out. And it has to strike a chord with your audience, and engage your influencers. You can’t write that kind of content consistently off the top of your head. You need research. Here are some proven tactics that will build your knowledge base and help you write quality content your audience will love.”

Reading Lists and Suggestions

Stephen King says that if you want to be a writer, there are two things you must do: read a lot and write a lot. This section of the Writing Edge is about the “read a lot” part.

From SHRM Executive Book Club: August 2015

“As CEO of leading employee survey and HR consulting firm HR Solutions, Inc., Kevin Sheridan knows how it’s done—and in Building a Magnetic Culture, he shares all his secrets.”

From Dan McCarthy: 10 Classic Management and Leadership Books That Will Not Gather Dust on My Bookshelf

“Prior to the 1980s, there were really relatively few books written on management and leadership. There was the classic works from Peter Drucker, Douglas McGregor, Alfred Sloan, Frederick Taylor, Dale Carnegie, and a handful of others, but I’ll bet they only filled a small section of the local library or bookstore.”

Sources I Check Regularly

I find the posts and articles that I share with you on The Writing Edge in many places. But there are a few that provide insightful pieces again and again. Here they are.

Digital Book World

Frances Caballo

jeffbullas.com

Joanna Penn

Merce Cardus

Problogger

Becky Robinson’s Weaving Influence