198 How to Sell Yourself
Be positive.
- Change: “We are not just standing by and watching.”
To: “We’re joining in.” - Change: “It is not difficult to comprehend.”
To: “It’s easy to understand.” - Change: “Knowing how to learn has not often been high-
lighted explicitly as part of instructional content in the
English language arts.”
To: “Teaching how to learn is rarely seen as part of teach-
ing English.”
Be specific.
- Change: “Educator.”
To: “Teacher or professor or coach or trainer.” - Change: “Facility.”
To: “School or hospital or factory or prison.” - Change: “Legislative initiative.”
To: “Law or regulation.”
Break up long, complex sentences.
- Change: “Literary works are valuable not just as informa-
tive or communicative vehicles, but as artistic creations
and representations of human culture at particular times
and in particular places.”
To: “Literature is valuable, not just as information but as
art. It represents the human culture of a certain place and
time.”
•••
No one can follow all these rules all the time, but the closer
you get, the better you’ll be at getting your message across.
A final word
Nothing summarizes my training and the contents of this book
better than an ancient proverb:
Tell me and I’ll forget.
Show me and I may remember.
Involve me and I’ll understand.