Cognito Communication

Category: Blog

  • Lightbulb moments

    Light bulbs mean different things to different people. To some, they represent a moment of inspiration; to others, a waste of energy. As a writer I can see both sides. Light bulbs burn out and frequently need to be replaced. But don’t they fend off the dark, illuminate our work and help us to see […]

  • The power of words #3

    This post is inspired by the poem ‘Spelling’ by Margaret Atwood, one of the writers I admire most. While she uses spelling as a metaphor for the power so often denied to women, the quote about words themselves as a source of power resonates on many levels. Read the poem in its entirety below. Margaret […]

  • The power of words #2

    Which means they must be used wisely, at the right dose, and targeted to your audience. Helping you inject the most powerful words into your communications is what a good writer does best.

  • The power of words #1

    Do you have something to say? Putting words on paper is the quickest way to focus your thoughts and find out.  #writingisthinking

  • Lessons from writers

    I had the privilege of attending the 11th Geneva Writers’ Conference last weekend. It was hosted by the Geneva Writers’ Group, founded in 1993, an international group that brings together 300 English-language writers from 30 countries. It was my second time at the conference. I earn a living as a freelance corporate writer and when […]

  • Bird by bird

    Bird by bird

    6 ways to write like a writer Few people are writers but everyone has to write, even if it’s only an email to accompany their CV. Whether you are writing a social media post, a project report or a cover letter to a prospective employer, you need to get your message across in a way […]

  • Unfriendly skies

    This is a cautionary tale — about reputation, story and social media. The world loves a story. United Airlines’ misadventure in passenger ‘re-accommodation’ on a flight from Chicago to Louisville on Sunday is a reminder of what can go wrong when companies fail to remember that. If the world loves a story, the internet loves […]

  • The power of one

    The power of one

    Each day, it is possible to do one thing. Make a small change. Take that first step towards a goal. What will yours be?

  • What will you miss?

    What will you miss?

    “This is one thing I won’t miss!” said one of my clients the other day. We were going over the latest round of changes to a document she had asked me to draft. She may have been referring to the politics of approvals, a tendency by certain members of executive management to nitpick, too many […]

  • Distraction-free mode

    Distraction-free mode

    Something beeped. It wasn’t my phone: no calls, no messages. Nor was it a desktop notification from my Mac – they’re mostly disabled anyway, and I’ve also muted all sound from my keyboard so as to enable distraction-free work. It could have been one of the smoke detectors, advising me that the battery needs replacing. […]