Author: phil.yaffe@yahoo.com
About Author: Philip Yaffe is a former writer with The Wall Street Journal and international marketing communication consultant. He now teaches courses in persuasive communication in Brussels, Belgium. Because his clients use English as a second or third language, his approach to writing and public speaking is somewhat different from other communication coaches. He is the author of In the “I” of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional. Contact: phil.yaffe@yahoo.com.
Published articles: 47
by Philip Yaffe Part 12 of an occasional series I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school. I am particularly fond of what I like to call “pithy prose”. These short quotations can cover an unlimited variety of subjects: love, …
by Philip Yaffe I am an animal lover. I love all kinds of animal: dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, ferrets, goldfish, etc. So I was lucky to have a very unusual pet when I was a kid. I grew up in Los Angeles, One day when walking home from school, I saw what looked like a …
by Philip Yaffe “I know that half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The problem is, I don’t know which half.” This succinct resume of the advertiser’s dilemma is often attributed to John Wanamaker, the department store pioneer. Some people prefer to give the credit to Henry Ford, the automobile pioneer, or other …
by Philip Yaffe Part 10 of an occasional series I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school. I am particularly fond of what I like to call “pithy prose”. These short quotations can cover an unlimited variety of subjects: love, …
by Philip Yaffe I am usually very reticent about offering writing tips. Unless they are linked to the absolute, inescapable fundamental principles of good writing, such tips are too often poorly applied or misapplied. There is really only a handful of fundamental writing principles. Before this extraordinary tip can be properly revealed, we need to …
by Philip Yaffe According to the adage, “Travel is broadening”. In other words, when you leave your home and go somewhere else, your mind will expand because of the differences you will see. For me, the most valuable, mind-expanding differences are not the big ones that you might be prepared for by reading and education. …
by Philip Yaffe If saying that good grammar can spoil good writing sounds like heresy, it was meant to. When I search the Web for writing tips, all too often the first bit of advice that comes back is “Be sure to use good grammar”. But that’s putting the cart before the horse. It’s like …
by Philip Yaffe This is a story about a young man growing up in Los Angeles in the 1950s. He was a bit strange for a Californian of that epoch. He of course loved surfing, but he loved mathematics and physics even more. His dream from a very young age was to go to university …
by Philip Yaffe Part 9 of an occasional series I am a collector of quotations. I have been ever since I learned how to write, I mean professionally, not in primary school. I am particularly fond of what I like to call “pithy prose”. These short quotations can cover an unlimited variety of subjects: love, …
by Philip Yaffe It is a widely accepted adage that, “The older you get, the faster time seems to go.” But why should aging have this effect? After all, there is the parallel adage that, “Time flies when you are having fun.” But as we age, time flies whether we are having fun or not. …