BIRMINGHAM OR BORNEO - PULFORD TRAINERS GO THERE

Distance is no object for Pulford Media trainers – and this can as well mean a mile or two down the road as on the other side of the world.

Programmes were run last year in Malaysia and Dubai. Now the company has extended its services to companies in its Northamptonshire base area.

We have been accepted onto the registry of East Midlands Brokerage Services. This is a government-backed initiative that links companies needing business services with specialised suppliers.

Our satisfied customers supported our application with some of the most glowing reports received by the registry.

This registration means that Pulford Media offers training

• Internationally
• Nationally
• Regionally

all to the same high standards. Our trainers are committed to travelling wherever there is a job to be done, in Birmingham or Borneo. 

Director Cedric Pulford said: "There are firms of every size and sophistication all over the UK. We’ve never focused totally on London, but now we’re happy to add our local knowledge to courses in our 'backyard'.

"Not only is distance no object; so is size. We’ll happily train one-person companies or organisations with thousands of staff."

PML is also known for its public sector expertise through its long-standing association with the official National School of Government.

RETURN VISIT TO GENEVA FOR FREELANCING COURSE

Pulford Media has announced two more runs of its popular Successful Freelancing course in Geneva: Thursday May 6 and Saturday May 8.

The Swiss city, which is host to the United Nations and many international agencies, has one of the largest concentrations of English speakers in Europe.

Training manager Liz Tayfun explained: "Many international workers are keen to make use of their experiences through the medium of freelance journalism. Our course lets them find out what it’s all about, with topics like starting out, finding ideas, persuading editors and winning commissions.

"Successful Freelancing  is also a useful update for established freelances with sessions on copyright problems and possibilities, brighter leads and business matters."

Both courses will be led by one of the UK’s most experienced freelance journalists, Cedric Pulford. He has had a long association with the Guardian and Observer in London as a writer and editor.

The course fee is 200 Swiss francs (or equivalent), to include lunch, refreshments, handouts and a complimentary copy of Cedric’s book, Byliners: 101 ways to be a freelance journalist.

A sample programme for Successful Freelancing appears on
www.pulfordmedia.co.uk/ under "Open Courses".

To book your place for either of these days, or for more information, contact Liz Tayfun, training manager, at liz@pulfordmedia.co.uk

SECRET OF CLEAR WRITING IS SO SIMPLE

Waffly writing shouldn’t be confused with colour writing. Adverse weather conditions is simply bad weather; in spite of the fact that is a long-winded way of saying although; seating accommodation means nothing more than seats; in short supply doesn’t earn its passage as scarce does.

Seasoned editors know the impact of breaking rambling sentences into two. Look hard at any sentence which has more than  two structural elements – for example, a relative clause introduced by which and a second statement following the conjunction and:

The Battle of Hastings, which was fought in 1066, was a turning point in English history, and added a new tier of overlords.

This becomes

The Battle of Hastings, which was fought in 1066, was a turning point in English history. It added a new tier of overlords.

or

The Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066. It was a turning point in English history, and added a new tier of overlords.

Short words are another yardstick of readability. We neither can nor should eliminate/get rid of all long words, but mainly the shorter alternative should be preferred. In the previous sentence, by using the three short words instead of the one long one, we express ourselves more clearly.

Adapted from Byliners: 101 Ways To Be a Freelance Journalist, by Cedric Pulford (Ituri). Buy this book direct from Pulford Media with 20% discount (any quantity) – just £8.00 per copy including P&P.

Orders: info@pulfordmedia.co.uk marking message NEWSLETTER SPECIAL

SLOGANS THAT STICK IN THE MIND

Shakespeare was right to declare that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but in business the right words can crystallise a company’s offer.

Pulford Media over two decades of operation has used a number of slogans to sum up our services and our values.

The earliest was

WE ARE SERVICE LED

The most enduring (still in use) is

TRAINING AT THE SHARP END

Sometimes these slogans have been used on envelope stickers – a visible way of reminding customers of our activities. Stickers were a brainwave of company secretary Roderick Thomson.

They have included:

THE CAREER CATALYST

Calling attention to the potential impact of our short courses

PULFORD IS THE FORCE

A slogan playing on a catch-phrase (Star Wars), which referred to both our publishing and our training activities.

KEEP AN EYE ON US

Probably our least successful slogan. It is unclear (even to us) what it referred to.

PRESS AHEAD WITH PULFORD SKILLS

Is the current sticker slogan. It is an acknowledgement of our background in journalism training, which continues to inform our approach to all areas of training.

Tell us your favourite Pulford slogan (info@pulfordmedia.co.uk) and say why. A complimentary copy of an Ituri book (your choice) to the three winners .