Peer to Peer Magazine

Spring 2016

The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association

Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/657874

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87 WWW.ILTANET.ORG Tips on How To Improve Your Writing THE WORD ON WORDS Our all-time favorite: It is what it is. Oh my, how can you argue with that? We propose we quarantine anyone who speaks Corporatese, releasing him when he vows: » I will no longer drill down, circle back, reach out, lawyer up or impact the boom line. » I will never mention a hard stop, deep dive, game plan, food chain or rodeo. » I will not drink the Kool-Aid, move the needle, press the flesh, peel the onion or shoot the puppy. » I will do nothing from the get go or going forward. » I will not pursue low-hanging fruit or cut bait or mention tiger teams unless referring to cartoons busting out of gas tanks and cereal boxes. » I will not have a dog in the fight or skin in the game. Aer he has vowed never again to say or write this mush, tell him that in place of all those stale expressions to use real words. No slang. No jargon. Instead of impactful use "effective," because people then concentrate on the meaning of the sentence, not the jarring of the jargon. Even beer advice: Let him ramble in Corporatese. You will get the promotion, and he'll still be officing next to where your office used to be. P2P GARY KINDER Gary Kinder is a lawyer and New York Times best-selling author. He has taught over 1,000 writing programs for the American Bar Association and for law firms and corporate law departments around the country. He is also the creator of WordRake, the clear and concise editing software, which Harvard Law School recently recognized as "Disruptive Innovation." Contact Gary at garyk@wordrake.com. RANDI MAYES Randi Mayes is the Executive Director of ILTA where she is responsible for oversight of all operations and serves as editor-in-chief of the association's numerous publications. A member of the American Society of Association Executives and the Texas Society of Association Executives, she has spoken and written on topics related to leadership development and association management. She's more than a little nuts about good writing. Contact Randi at randi@iltanet.org. THERE'S MORE ONLINE! You'll enjoy Gary's humor and expertise on a regular basis by subscribing to his Weekly Writing Tips at www.wordrake.com/writing-tips. Enjoy Gary's humor and expertise on a regular basis by by subscribing to his Weekly Writing Tips at www.wordrake. com/writing-tips. Find exercises and other writing tips on Randi's blog at connect.iltanet. org/blogs/randi- mayes.

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