| In the 'I' of the storm | ||
| Lees beter: a | a | a | ||
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| The simple secrets of writing & speaking (almost) like a professional. | ||
| ISBN: | 9789087640019 | |
| Auteur(s)/ Editor(s): | P. Yaffe | |
| Druk: | Eerste druk | |
| Uitgave: | 2006 | |
| Pagina's: | 84 | |
| Categorie: | Dossiers | |
| Prijs: | 23,85 € | |
| Omschrijving: “The problem with most so-called good writing books is that they are . . . well, poorly written,” says Philip Yaffe. “This is because they concentrate on use of language and not on the fundamentals of writing itself.” Mr Yaffe, a former reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal and marketing communication consultant, teaches a course on good writing and good public speaking in Brussels (Belgium). Because most of his clients speak English as a second or third language, his approach is somewhat different from conventional communication coaches. As he points out, “The principles of good writing and speaking are few and easy to understand. Unfortunately, in most books on the subject, they are buried under an avalanche of verbiage about technique.” In the ‘I’ of the Storm clearly separates principle from practice. The “theoretical” part of the book is less than 40 pages, supplemented a series of appendices of illuminating examples and exercises. Almost everyone agrees that a well-written text must be “clear” and “concise”. But how can you know if it really is? These are words that everyone speaks, but hardly anyone can tell you what they mean in any practical, applicable way. For example, if you try to define clarity, you would probably do something like this: Question: What makes this text clear? Answer: It is easy to understand. Question: What makes it easy to understand? Answer: It is simple. Question: What do you mean by simple? Answer: It is clear. You in fact end up going around in a circle. The text is clear because it is easy to understand . . . because it is simple . . . because it is clear. “All of these words are synonyms. Whilst synonyms may have nuances, they do not have content, so you are still left to your own subjective appreciation. However, what you think is clear may not be clear to someone else,” Mr Yaffe explains. He describes objective tests for clarity and conciseness. “If the text fails these tests, then it needs to be revised. If it passes them, then—and only then—should you look at the subtleties of your particular language (English, German, French, Italian, etc.) to make your already good text even better.” He also talks about “density”, a third pillar of good writing, which basically concerns how to order information for best effect. He then shows that the basic principles of good writing and good speaking are essentially the same, but with some subtle and important differences in application. In the ‘I’ of the Storm is deeply didactic, but anything but professorial. As one reviewer exulted, “It’s really fun to read.” bookreview: http://tcm-ca.com bookreview: http://www.thesop.org/index.php?id=6085 bookreview: http://tcm-ca.com bookreview: http://www.acm.org/ubiquity/views/v8i33_yaffee.html | |||
| Inhoud: Onduidelijk geschreven of slecht gestructureerde teksten en presentaties vergen heel wat energie. Zowel van de schrijver/spreker als van de lezers/toehoorders. U herkent dit ongetwijfeld: collega’s lezen het rapport niet waar uren op gewerkt is, de e-mail met nieuwe instructies rond onkostennota’s wordt verkeerd geïnterpreteerd en tijdens een presentatie is de aandacht al na 10 minuten weg - het verkeer op straat blijkt superboeiend te zijn. De auteur Philip Yaffe diept in het boek “In the ‘I’ of the Storm” de redenen uit van slechte teksten. De meeste zakelijke schrijvers gaan er nl. van uit dat iedereen zit te wachten op hun tekst. De juiste basisinstelling voor zakelijke teksten is: niemand wil uw tekst lezen. Pas als de basishouding juist zit, kunt u dankzij de praktische voorbeelden en tips in het boek uw tekst verder bewerken. Aan goede teksten liggen 3 principes ten grondslag: helderheid, beknoptheid en dichtheid. Uiteraard vindt elke schrijver dat zijn tekst aan deze principes voldoet, daarom bevat het boek ook objectieve tests. Slaagt uw tekst in deze tests, dan kunt u deze bijschaven op taalgebruik en de overige tips toepassen om tot een goede tekst te komen. Ook al is het boek in vlot Engels geschreven, de principes kunnen probleemloos toegepast worden op het Nederlands en Frans. De basisinstelling is nl. universeel, net zoals de tips rond aanpak, structuur en taal. | |||
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