Stories

I’m not good at corporate jargon. I think business writing should be simple and direct. If I ever write ‘Going forward, we need to work on maximising synergies, aligning our messaging and trackable engagement’, fire me. When I interview someone I want their real voice to be heard. Here’s a small selection of stories.

Making connections

Reporting on a school trip to the battlefields of WW1 proves a powerful lesson in how personal stories connect us to the bigger picture.   A small boy stands solemnly …

A love of letters

We all need a hinterland – territory beyond the world of work. Mine is lettering. When I’m not writing, I’m painting letters. I forget about choosing words and think instead …

A different perspective

An inspiring conversation about leadership (and life) with HR director Toby Peyton-Jones, shortly before he became a Government education advisor, gave me much to reflect on.    Toby Peyton-Jones is …

Life and times

New MDs coming into a business need to share their plans and priorities. What engages readers is an honest conversation – and one free of corporate jargon.   Darren Davidson …

The authentic voice

Apprentices are a joy to talk to. What’s important is capturing their openness and enthusiasm and letting their true voice come through.   “When I walked through the door, I …

Speaking out

Could the Oscar success of The Silent Child, the moving story of a profoundly deaf four-year old girl, result in sign language being taught in many more schools across the …

In their own words

Having a customer say what they value about your product or service is much more compelling than saying it yourself. That’s why I regularly interview my customers’ customers and always …

Life on the outside

Some stories stay with you a long time. One is an article I wrote about a prisoner who was on a National Grid scheme aimed at rehabilitating young offenders. By …

Keeping it real

Stories need to be honest and credible, not rose-tinted. When an engineer on an environmental mission says “I’m far from being a tree-hugger” and admits climate change news can be …

Home alone, stir crazy

A week into being self-employed, I wrote about how I’d found the previous three years working from home. It was a chance to debunk some myths and settle a bet …

Picture perfect

Telling personal stories is often more challenging and more rewarding. This glossy magazine feature is about a woman who had life-changing dental treatment. I wanted to do justice to a …

Starting out

I often encourage people to talk about the start of their career. Many early lessons stay with them for their whole working life. I wrote this story for an alumni …