Trafcom News

Reprise: The Bible in 50 words

I ran this in my blog a few years ago, but decided to revisit it. I hope you like it.

As communicators, we’re often asked to edit material for clarity or to fit a certain space. Well, imagine distilling the Bible down to 50 words. In this Easter season, I though I’d share this with you as an example of the brilliance of brevity. (Note, I have no affiliation with the denomination or the church cited as the source; this was emailed to me long ago and I’ve kept it in my files ever since.)

The Bible in 50 Words 

God made 
Adam bit 
Noah arked 
Abraham split 
Jacob fooled 
Joseph ruled 
Bush talked 
Moses balked 
Pharaoh plagued 
People walked 
Sea divided 
Tablets guided 
Promise landed 
Saul freaked 
David peeked 
Prophets warned 
Jesus born 
God walked 
Love talked 
Anger crucified 
Hope died 
Love rose 
Spirit flamed 
Word spread 
God remained 

Source: LIFE, newsletter of St. Philip's Lutheran Church, Etobicoke, Ontario 

I ran this in my blog a few years ago, but decided to revisit it. I hope you like it.

As communicators, we’re often asked to edit material for clarity or to fit a certain space. Well, imagine distilling the Bible down to 50 words. In this Easter season, I though I’d share this with you as an example of the brilliance of brevity. (Note, I have no affiliation with the denomination or the church cited as the source; this was emailed to me long ago and I’ve kept it in my files ever since.)

The Bible in 50 Words 

God made 
Adam bit 
Noah arked 
Abraham split 
Jacob fooled 
Joseph ruled 
Bush talked 
Moses balked 
Pharaoh plagued 
People walked 
Sea divided 
Tablets guided 
Promise landed 
Saul freaked 
David peeked 
Prophets warned 
Jesus born 
God walked 
Love talked 
Anger crucified 
Hope died 
Love rose 
Spirit flamed 
Word spread 
God remained 

Source: LIFE, newsletter of St. Philip's Lutheran Church, Etobicoke, Ontario 

How to give good audio

Have you been invited as a guest on a podcast or radio show? Before you sit down at the microphone, listen to these tips for giving good audio so that you’ll be invited back. At the same time, you’ll be making the most of the investment of your time. (After all, both you and the host should benefit, right?)

Here’s a preview of the tips:

• Prepare, but don’t expect precise questions in advance; jot down notes but don’t read them!
• Keep facts and figures at your fingertips
• Know your key messages
• Use metaphors; tell a story
• Slow down
• Keep it short; don’t pontificate; think of sound bites
• The whole time you’re talking, think of your audience

Please tune in to this 14-minute podcast and let me know what you think! You can download the MP3 file on the Trafcom News Podcast page.  You’ll also find detailed shownotes there.

What happens in Vegas is customer service

Say what you will about Las Vegas: it’s glitzy, the cacophony of architecture is over the top, and it’s Sin City – with the gambling, boozing and girls girls girls. But one thing that Las Vegas can claim for sure is a superior level of customer service – from the cabbie who greets you at the airport like a long-lost cousin, to the clerk at the Gap who won’t give up until he finds the sweater in your size in the back room, to the waiter at Wolfgang Puck who swoops by to refill your glass and seems to genuinely care that you’re happy with your steak.

Over the past week, I haven’t met one person in the service industry who wasn’t smiling, or who didn’t seem interested in the welfare of guests.

Maybe it’s all this sunshine that puts people in a positive mood?

How to subscribe to podcasts in iTunes

When I  talk to people about podcasting, they’re often puzzled about how to access these free audio (and sometimes video) shows.

The most generous podcasters offer several ways to listen and/or subscribe:

• Direct download of an MP3 file
• Streaming audio from a Flash player
• A link to an RSS feed
• An email link to a subscription
• A one-click link to iTunes.

I find iTunes to be a handy way to download and keep track of the podcasts I subscribe to, and to synch them with my iPod.

If you’re new to iTunes and find the whole idea of subscribing a little daunting, check out this short tutorial from Apple. You’ll be a savvy listener in no time.

Hat tip to Jason Van Orden.

Top 10 grammar myths

Grammar Girl (a.k.a. Mignon Fogarty) has put together a nice list of what she considers the top 10 grammar myths. I think she’s spot on! (Well, except for irregardless as a bona fide word. Yikes! How can it be so???)

Her list transports me back to sixth grade, when Sister Grace Agnes lorded over us with her hard-and-fast English-language rules – rules I break almost daily. Ha!

10. A run-on sentence is a really long sentence.
9. You shouldn't start a sentence with the word however.
8. Irregardless is not a word.
7. There is only one way to write the possessive form of a word that ends in s.
6. Passive voice is always wrong.
5. I.e. and e.g. mean the same thing.
4. You use a before words that start with consonants and an before words that start with vowels.
3. It's incorrect to answer the question "How are you?" with the statement "I'm good."
2. You shouldn't split infinitives.
1. You shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition.

Read her post to get the full skinny.

Big Ideas, Small Budget: The podcast

If you work for a nonprofit, you'll be especially interested in this podcast, which is based on a conference call where a group of us talked about communications ideas for nonprofits. The discussion ranges from  finding skilled yet inexpensive voice talent, recruiting volunteers, communicating with donors and the public, and the reluctance of some colleagues to adopt new technology.

To keep the discussion going, I've created a wiki to accompany this podcast. If you work in the nonprofit sector and you want to share ideas or resources, please contribute to the wiki (email me for the password). Of course if, you were a participant in the conference call, I really hope you'll add your thoughts to the wiki.

Hop over to the Trafcom News Podcast page to listen to the podcast.