Other writers may match my combination of skills and experience, but few will have this additional ability:  in-depth understanding of how people read and where the communication process breaks down.   Why?  One of my sons is dyslexic.  In his case, dyslexia showed itself in reading comprehension problems.  Although he sounds like he is reading well, he remembers relatively little of what he reads—including subjects in which he's highly interested.  Did you know that 20 percent of your audience is probably dyslexic (whether they know it yet or not)?  See The Reading Connection below.

But first, I'll show you the abilities I bring to your writing project . . .

Nowadays, when anyone hears about your business or organization, they ask, "Where's your web site?"   If you make a good impression on people but send them to a site that doesn't quickly and clearly tell them what they want to know or (worse yet) contains mistakes or difficult navigation, you've lost them.  And these days, if you have no site at all, people wonder if you're capable.

My 10 years' experience managing corporate communication and training projects means that I can work independently and follow a project schedule without needing to involve you in my day-to-day activities.  I know when to seek your input for something and when to move ahead.  However, you always have the final word on everything—this is your project.

Bachelor of Science—North Texas State University (NTSU)
Major—Journalism; minor—English (with secondary teaching certification in both)

I graduated with honors although I worked to earn all college and living expenses, away from home.  (I don't give up easily.)

The Reading Connection

I know more than most writers do about how people comprehend and remember what they read—and how the process can break down.  I'm motivated to know this thoroughly because my seventh-grade son is dyslexic.

What you may not know is that your dyslexic audience is big—approximately 20 percent of the population—and often includes people who make a difference in the business world (and in the world itself).  However, you probably won't know these people when you see them, just as I didn't immediately notice this in my own son.

We thought he was reading well at first; he had no trouble with phonics or spelling and sounded fine when he read to us.  For several years, his sharp mind masked his inability to easily comprehend and remember what he read; when school became difficult around the end of third grade, everyone was puzzled.

Two years later, thanks to a school counselor who is herself dyslexic, we finally realized what the problem could be and had him tested.  To learn how to help him, I began intense study on how children and adults read.  A year later, I passed the state exam to add Reading certification to my Journalism and English teaching certificates.

During my continuing studies, I've discovered that many dyslexic adults discover their dyslexia only when their child is diagnosed (example: Charles Schwab, pioneer of the discount brokerage business).  Dyslexics work harder than the rest of us to remember what they read, although they're almost always gifted in other ways—often in math, engineering, sports, music, art, or creative problem solving.  In other words, you'll also find them in the top business minds—your clients, if you market your services to other businesses.  Here are a few of these top minds (who are also dyslexic) that you've probably heard of :

The list continues.  Think of Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and Leonardo da Vinci, whose work and struggles all fit the dyslexic pattern.

If you're going to reach this intelligent and capable 20 percent of the population, you need someone who is constantly aware of the many ways a message can break down.  No, I'm not dyslexic and have been a voracious reader from the beginning, which means I can study and understand my client's material quickly.  I didn't understand at first how my child, who was so obviously gifted in math and science, could read something and yet be unable to answer a simple question about a few paragraphs!  "You just read it 30 seconds ago—how can you not know this?"  Now I do know what happens—and ways to communicate in spite of it.

Knowing all this is key to communicating clearly—and most writers don't know much about it because almost all of them were good readers.  Since most dyslexics also struggle to get their ideas down on paper, they usually don't become business writers!

If you also happen to be one of these gifted people, and you have great ideas but struggle to get them down on paper, let me help.  I do it all the time with a son who loves poring over my fully-illustrated book about Dr. Stephen Hawking's cutting-edge theories in physics . . . and who constantly invents devices out of everything he can get his hands on.  Is this kid's room a mess?  Yes!  But is he also developing ideas that could change the world someday?  Definitely.

And don't forget attention deficit disorder (ADD), which means part of your audience won't stay with you long if you don't make your message interesting and easy to grasp immediately.  You'll find a large percentage of these innovative people in the "gifted" and "successful" categories, too.