
Tactful Writing: How to Say “No” & “Sorry”
When it comes to tactful writing in business, two small words can cause an impressive amount of trouble. You’ve read the title of this article, so you’ve probably guessed… They’re “No” and “Sorry”. “No” can
I’m an expert consultant for clients who need content strategy or writing planning, around the world and closer to home in Sandton, South Africa. We might focus on specific items, like newsletters, blog posts and thought leadership, or work across the board, from internal comms to social media.
My consulting service usually begins with brand voice, message map and brand narrative.
Defining a brand’s voice is critical to managing how it is presented and perceived. My process delivers a set of guidelines to direct, define and sense-check how your brand sounds when it writes and speaks.
I’ll fit your brand’s messages onto a page of info nuggets that are perfectly sized for the human brain. These include customer segments, functional and emotional messages, purpose, promise, positioning, proposition and proof points.
A brand narrative is a compact story that serves as the starting point for all of your marketing and communications. It underpins every other application of brand, from messaging strategy to customer service.
As far as I know, no else in the industry currently does this. So if you feel that your brand could be working harder for your business, let’s chat.
As a rule, you probably shouldn’t trust free advice. Except for this.

When it comes to tactful writing in business, two small words can cause an impressive amount of trouble. You’ve read the title of this article, so you’ve probably guessed… They’re “No” and “Sorry”. “No” can

How much useful info can email signatures carry, before they become furniture? In 2012, I wrote an article about email signatures. At the time, the dilemmas seemed pressing. To keep it small or make it

Your reader has an overflowing inbox, back to back meetings, 14 browser tabs open and a WhatsApp group on fire. Clear writing in your business emails gives that person momentum. Clunky writing gives them admin
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