hi everyone should I stand or sit I
don’t know I could read what I wrote so
um I called this text a TEDx talk don’t
misunderstand me I wrote it down the
importance of writing well and I’m going
to start out with the Beatles
we of course all know who the Beatles
are they were prolific writers Paul
McCartney John Lennon writing lyrics
that were easy to understand
entertaining and inspiring lyrics that
change the world let’s have a listen
[Music]
when I find myself in times of trouble
mother Mary comes to me speaking words
of wisdom let it be and in my hour of
Darkness she is standing right in front
of me speaking words of wisdom let it be
let it be let it be
[Music]
there’s three simple written words let
it be communicating a complete thought
that is simple in its delivery telling
in its meaning complex and rich and of
course very powerful words and when and
if we take the time to actually think
about writing really think about it pen
to paper fingers to keyboard or
smartphone it becomes even more obvious
how much our lives require and actually
depend upon really good writing and when
you actually think about it with the
exception of artificial intelligence
today everything you have ever read
everything that you’ve ever read has a
writer behind it someone took the time
to write it down writing or writing well
is uniquely important it’s a cerebral
and a very physical activity writing
allows us to express our thoughts and
feelings to share and to express who we
actually are as a person
it actually makes us smarter when we
engage our memory and our motor skills
to string thoughts and words together
writing allows us to record our thoughts
if we don’t do it who else will to
stretch our thinking to improve our
ability to communicate verbally writing
is the act of recording history think
for a second writing is absolutely
everywhere from that text or snap or
email that you sent today yesterday and
the one that you’ll probably send
tomorrow to the report that you will
write to the application that you might
fill out to the cover letter for a job
interview to the love letter or to the
letter of condolence a business report a
book or a poem we can all do it but I
get it after writing thousands of words
literally thousands of words and
thousands of stories in the past 25 to
30 years as a journalist I know it’s not
easy
why words have power and we know it we
know how powerful the words can be once
they are written down so let’s take a
look at this
those words right there
[Music]
[Laughter]
[Music]
what do you do to my same I want the
[Music]
his sign says I’m blind please help but
she saw it and she changed those words
those simple words – it’s a beautiful
day and I can’t see it what changes the
game is the example of this sign the
power of words to create feeling and
emotion to be persuasive to cause
someone to act to give money to this man
who needed help
seriously simple but seriously powerful
writing know the quality of written word
makes a difference between understanding
a message and creating opportunity or
missing the mark let’s go back that was
a little video about a tweet and I think
we’ll just skip over it and it was a
misunderstanding between two people a
woman and a man he tweeted something she
tweeted back and/or
messaged back and they totally
misunderstood each other that and they
ended up nearly breaking up but anyway
it all worked out ok so what if this
happened all the time what if good
writers didn’t actually exist who
decides what’s good writing what makes
good writing do people consider it good
writing if they simply agree with it and
they like the message or bad writing if
they don’t like the message or the
intent is it a tweet a speech or a song
or an e-book or a sign and advertisement
a legal document a financial contract I
would venture to say that the better the
writing the more effective it can be we
know there’s a difference between a
tabloid magazine and the New York Times
or tabloid news program and the nightly
news and documentary on PBS if it’s not
good quality writing well it’s probably
not very effective so I’ve collected
some famous quotes and they’re arbitrary
and order but there are important
examples of writing where words are
simply powerful and meaningful and they
have the ability to change the world
that’s right words which are powerful
and influential and we have discovered
I still have a dream it is a dream
deeply rooted in the American dream
I have a dream
[Music]
one day this nation will rise up live
out the true meaning of its I have a
dream that one day on the Red Hills will
be able to sit down one small step for
man
those words so well written and we might
we might just think well someone spoke
those words but someone wrote those
words someone thought about those words
and they wrote them down and they’re
indelible and they’re a part of our
history they have allowed us to feel
allowed us to grow and to learn and of
course those words have the distinct
ability to inspire us again the
importance of writing just as president
William Taft wrote in the early part of
the 20th century don’t write so that you
can be understood right so that you
can’t be misunderstood I think we all
want to be understood I mean that’s part
of what we what we seek we don’t seek to
be misunderstood I chose a few other
quotes that are well written actually
they say and mean a lot more in their
brevity for example Maya Angelou said
there’s no greater agony than bearing an
untold story inside of you I’ve heard
many people talk or agonize over the
prospect of writing but if you can do it
well you can open doors and
opportunities if you can express
yourself in writing well Thomas
Jefferson for instance he said and wrote
and I quote honesty is the first chapter
in the book of wisdom writing or
thinking clearly in writing well allows
us to be authentic and genuine and
seriously who doesn’t want authenticity
and truth in their life some more
examples Amelia Earhart wrote you can do
anything you decide to do you can act
change and control your life and the
procedure in the process is it’s the
most difficult thing is the decision to
act the rest is merely tenacity the
fears are paper tigers you can do
anything you decide to do you can act to
change and control your life and the
procedure the process is its own reward
former President Bill Clinton writing we
must teach our children to resolve their
conflicts with words not weapons how
powerful is that words not weapons
whether politician or poet we know that
writing becomes a vital tool to
communicate the truth of the matter so
many influential authors would not have
mattered if they didn’t write down their
thoughts and Frank one of the most
important Diaries ever kept she’s one of
the most influential widely read writers
of the 20th century and she never lived
to see her book and print or even to see
her 16th birthday we’re talking about
Anne Frank a symbol of resilience and
lost innocence in the face of the
Holocaust another example the writer
Jack Kerouac he could have kept on
hitchhiking and doing drugs but by
writing on the road he spawned the
sixties movement seven years on the road
three weeks to write a book that became
a classic bestseller and its author Jack
Kerouac came a celebrity partly because
he’d written a powerful and successful
book generation moving forward there is
Malala yousufzai her story well I think
most of us know her story but just play
this here she’s an advocate for girls
access to education worldwide is the
youngest person ever to be nominated for
a Nobel Peace Prize her new book is
called I am Malala the girl who stood up
for education and was shot by the
Taliban please what were the programme
Malala yousufzai
all examples of the power of writing the
importance of writing to be understood
rather than to be misunderstood and so
you can start your personal journey to
better writing clarity and understanding
by doing just a few simple things focus
on your thoughts we all have many
thoughts bouncing around in our head at
any given moment
write them down rewrite them practice
writing read your writing and then read
your writing out loud to see how it
sounds and check your facts if your goal
is to persuade don’t let exaggeration or
fluff get in the way of what you’re
trying to convey with your writing
communicating and connecting with others
is all part of life we can’t ignore and
if we’re all better writers in some
small way perhaps we can have a better
tomorrow and build a better future happy
writing
don’t know I could read what I wrote so
um I called this text a TEDx talk don’t
misunderstand me I wrote it down the
importance of writing well and I’m going
to start out with the Beatles
we of course all know who the Beatles
are they were prolific writers Paul
McCartney John Lennon writing lyrics
that were easy to understand
entertaining and inspiring lyrics that
change the world let’s have a listen
[Music]
when I find myself in times of trouble
mother Mary comes to me speaking words
of wisdom let it be and in my hour of
Darkness she is standing right in front
of me speaking words of wisdom let it be
let it be let it be
[Music]
there’s three simple written words let
it be communicating a complete thought
that is simple in its delivery telling
in its meaning complex and rich and of
course very powerful words and when and
if we take the time to actually think
about writing really think about it pen
to paper fingers to keyboard or
smartphone it becomes even more obvious
how much our lives require and actually
depend upon really good writing and when
you actually think about it with the
exception of artificial intelligence
today everything you have ever read
everything that you’ve ever read has a
writer behind it someone took the time
to write it down writing or writing well
is uniquely important it’s a cerebral
and a very physical activity writing
allows us to express our thoughts and
feelings to share and to express who we
actually are as a person
it actually makes us smarter when we
engage our memory and our motor skills
to string thoughts and words together
writing allows us to record our thoughts
if we don’t do it who else will to
stretch our thinking to improve our
ability to communicate verbally writing
is the act of recording history think
for a second writing is absolutely
everywhere from that text or snap or
email that you sent today yesterday and
the one that you’ll probably send
tomorrow to the report that you will
write to the application that you might
fill out to the cover letter for a job
interview to the love letter or to the
letter of condolence a business report a
book or a poem we can all do it but I
get it after writing thousands of words
literally thousands of words and
thousands of stories in the past 25 to
30 years as a journalist I know it’s not
easy
why words have power and we know it we
know how powerful the words can be once
they are written down so let’s take a
look at this
those words right there
[Music]
[Laughter]
[Music]
what do you do to my same I want the
[Music]
his sign says I’m blind please help but
she saw it and she changed those words
those simple words – it’s a beautiful
day and I can’t see it what changes the
game is the example of this sign the
power of words to create feeling and
emotion to be persuasive to cause
someone to act to give money to this man
who needed help
seriously simple but seriously powerful
writing know the quality of written word
makes a difference between understanding
a message and creating opportunity or
missing the mark let’s go back that was
a little video about a tweet and I think
we’ll just skip over it and it was a
misunderstanding between two people a
woman and a man he tweeted something she
tweeted back and/or
messaged back and they totally
misunderstood each other that and they
ended up nearly breaking up but anyway
it all worked out ok so what if this
happened all the time what if good
writers didn’t actually exist who
decides what’s good writing what makes
good writing do people consider it good
writing if they simply agree with it and
they like the message or bad writing if
they don’t like the message or the
intent is it a tweet a speech or a song
or an e-book or a sign and advertisement
a legal document a financial contract I
would venture to say that the better the
writing the more effective it can be we
know there’s a difference between a
tabloid magazine and the New York Times
or tabloid news program and the nightly
news and documentary on PBS if it’s not
good quality writing well it’s probably
not very effective so I’ve collected
some famous quotes and they’re arbitrary
and order but there are important
examples of writing where words are
simply powerful and meaningful and they
have the ability to change the world
that’s right words which are powerful
and influential and we have discovered
I still have a dream it is a dream
deeply rooted in the American dream
I have a dream
[Music]
one day this nation will rise up live
out the true meaning of its I have a
dream that one day on the Red Hills will
be able to sit down one small step for
man
those words so well written and we might
we might just think well someone spoke
those words but someone wrote those
words someone thought about those words
and they wrote them down and they’re
indelible and they’re a part of our
history they have allowed us to feel
allowed us to grow and to learn and of
course those words have the distinct
ability to inspire us again the
importance of writing just as president
William Taft wrote in the early part of
the 20th century don’t write so that you
can be understood right so that you
can’t be misunderstood I think we all
want to be understood I mean that’s part
of what we what we seek we don’t seek to
be misunderstood I chose a few other
quotes that are well written actually
they say and mean a lot more in their
brevity for example Maya Angelou said
there’s no greater agony than bearing an
untold story inside of you I’ve heard
many people talk or agonize over the
prospect of writing but if you can do it
well you can open doors and
opportunities if you can express
yourself in writing well Thomas
Jefferson for instance he said and wrote
and I quote honesty is the first chapter
in the book of wisdom writing or
thinking clearly in writing well allows
us to be authentic and genuine and
seriously who doesn’t want authenticity
and truth in their life some more
examples Amelia Earhart wrote you can do
anything you decide to do you can act
change and control your life and the
procedure in the process is it’s the
most difficult thing is the decision to
act the rest is merely tenacity the
fears are paper tigers you can do
anything you decide to do you can act to
change and control your life and the
procedure the process is its own reward
former President Bill Clinton writing we
must teach our children to resolve their
conflicts with words not weapons how
powerful is that words not weapons
whether politician or poet we know that
writing becomes a vital tool to
communicate the truth of the matter so
many influential authors would not have
mattered if they didn’t write down their
thoughts and Frank one of the most
important Diaries ever kept she’s one of
the most influential widely read writers
of the 20th century and she never lived
to see her book and print or even to see
her 16th birthday we’re talking about
Anne Frank a symbol of resilience and
lost innocence in the face of the
Holocaust another example the writer
Jack Kerouac he could have kept on
hitchhiking and doing drugs but by
writing on the road he spawned the
sixties movement seven years on the road
three weeks to write a book that became
a classic bestseller and its author Jack
Kerouac came a celebrity partly because
he’d written a powerful and successful
book generation moving forward there is
Malala yousufzai her story well I think
most of us know her story but just play
this here she’s an advocate for girls
access to education worldwide is the
youngest person ever to be nominated for
a Nobel Peace Prize her new book is
called I am Malala the girl who stood up
for education and was shot by the
Taliban please what were the programme
Malala yousufzai
all examples of the power of writing the
importance of writing to be understood
rather than to be misunderstood and so
you can start your personal journey to
better writing clarity and understanding
by doing just a few simple things focus
on your thoughts we all have many
thoughts bouncing around in our head at
any given moment
write them down rewrite them practice
writing read your writing and then read
your writing out loud to see how it
sounds and check your facts if your goal
is to persuade don’t let exaggeration or
fluff get in the way of what you’re
trying to convey with your writing
communicating and connecting with others
is all part of life we can’t ignore and
if we’re all better writers in some
small way perhaps we can have a better
tomorrow and build a better future happy
writing
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