Category Archives: Effective Commentary Strategies

Media exposure creates ripples of influence

There’s no predicting what impact your media intervention might have, but here are a couple of recent examples of the ripples created by published op eds… ****** Two days after Kathleen Wynn was elected leader of the Ontario Liberal party, … Continue reading

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“It’s not about you”

Will Dena McMartin’s recent op ed in the Regina Leader-Post help prevent a flooding disaster and save lives? It just might. And even if it doesn’t, the informed analysis of the University of Regina professor of environmental systems engineering offered … Continue reading

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Getting Ahead

… of the news story, that is. It’s a great strategy to increase your likelihood of publication: if you know that a research report, government announcement or legal decision is about to be released, and your informed opinion about the … Continue reading

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New Year’s Resolution: How to disregard criticism by applying the “reasonable man” test

Celebrated American poet and critic, Ezra Pound, in his considered advice to beginning poets offered the following advice: “Pay no attention to the criticism of men who have never themselves written a notable work.” But he could have been speaking to … Continue reading

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Five tips to developing a successful TED talk

Even if you’re telling people 10 things they didn’t know about orgasms, or describing the experience of having a stroke from the inside out, it’s a lot harder to engage an online audience for your TED talk than it is to gather … Continue reading

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Most common errors made by aspiring op ed writers – part 2

Far too much research has already documented that when something goes wrong, women are highly inclined to blame the problem or setback on their own deficiencies. This tendency operates in stark contrast to men, who are more likely to blame … Continue reading

Posted in Better Writing, Effective Commentary Strategies, Reach and Impact, Scholarly Concerns, Uncategorized, Valuing Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Most Common Errors Made by Aspiring Op Ed Writers – part 1

Whether you’re picked last for the ball team, get rebuffed on the first date, or fail to elicit a positive response from an editor, rejection stinks. That’s why Informed Opinions offers online editing feedback (free to our workshop participants, but … Continue reading

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Think “outcome” when crafting an op ed

In the middle of delivering an op ed writing workshop recently to a very engaged group of United Way staff and volunteers from across Ontario (organized through Sean Moore‘s fabulous Advocacy School initiative) I was reminded again of the value … Continue reading

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Ignoring the haters

So you’ve crafted your insights into an engaging and persuasive op ed, and the comment editor of your local newspaper has published the piece. Your inbox is now receiving congratulatory notes from friends and colleagues, and maybe even a query … Continue reading

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Lessons from a published op ed

Yeah, but I’m not Eddie Greenspan. That’s what I thought last December when Globe and Mail op ed page editor, Natasha Hassan claimed to a room full of Osgoode Hall profs that her paper’s online commentary hub was an enormously influential … Continue reading

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