His reasoning is that a child could write an excellent essay, but it may be littered with spelling mistakes, and if they get it back covered in red corrections, their confidence will be undermined. I find it particularly baffling given the concern about literacy levels in the UK.

While I understand his point I’d argue that children who leave school with poor spelling will most certainly have their confidence undermined when they start to apply for jobs, or even when they land one.

According to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) the UK youth unemployment rate for March 2012 stood at 21.9%. As in France, Sweden, Poland, Ireland, and Italy, one in five young people is out of work in the UK.

Competition for jobs at any age is tough but getting doors to open when you have no work experience is increasing difficult.

According to TheLadders research, recruiters spend an average of six seconds before making a decision about a candidate. *

Imagine if someone sends you a CV and a covering letter riddled with spelling mistakes, what are you going to think?

Most likely you’ll assume the applicant lacks attention to detail, they didn’t care enough about getting the job to check their application  before submitting it, or that they are poorly educated.

Whether you assume one or all of those things, it’s hardly going to inspire you to invite them for interview is it? And you wouldn’t be alone.

So what happens to their confidence and self-worth as each rejection letter flops through their letter box?

However well intended, I think that leaving bad spelling unchecked is unfair and doesn’t set children up to have the best possible chances in later life.

*source: Business Insider 

I’ve worked with Simon for the last five years, ever since he asked me to write the words for APG’s website.

APG works with senior teams to equip them to achieve excellent performance across their business. And therein lay the challenge.

What I did
Simon is a very genuine, down to earth, straight-taking guy. He wanted to get APG’s message across to its potential clients in a way that reflected his personality. And he most definitely wanted to avoid the impersonal, jargon-laden language often associated, fairly or unfairly, with business consultants.

First person plural was a must, as was the use of contractions. Sadly, I come across too many people who claim not to like contractions in writing, yet without them writing sounds stilted and robotic. Thankfully, Simon doesn’t fall into that bracket!

As well as the website, he wanted to send out a regular e-newsletter to keep APG front of mind, and of course to attract new clients.

Ongoing work
Simon writes an article each month on a something that resonates with him or is maybe a reaction to something topical. It’s called Three Minutes On… the idea being you should be able to read it in – yes you’ve guessed it – three minutes.

He’s also interviewed some pretty inspiring leaders such as Justin King, CEO of Sainsbury’s; Richard Baker, former CEO of Boots; and Welsh Rugby Union legend, Gareth Edwards.

Five years on and the website has evolved into a good resource of articles, interviews, and newsletters with great tips on leadership, authenticity, and building strong teams.

It’s my job to edit the articles and interviews, which is great for me. Not only do I love the work – I’ve also learned a heck of a lot!

What the client said
“I have found Elaine to be a great partner over the past few years. With any relationship it’s about trust and Elaine builds trust quickly through the quality of service that she provides and her all round manner. What stands out with Elaine is what happens after the trust has been built. You feel that she is really on your side as a true partner. Thinking of solutions even when she hasn’t been tasked to do so and being really authentic in terms of caring about your business and the way you come across to clients.

I have found that her style of writing has enhanced my tone of voice and it is often the little things, such as taking out certain words or twisting a phrase, which makes the good words into something much more engaging. And talking of engaging, Elaine is a most engaging person who has the most delightful way of talking to you, even if it’s to tell you about an upcoming deadline that needs hitting!

As a consultant working on other people’s business, it is nice to have someone really working for you on your team. So the value add is not simply the product that gets delivered but also the sense of support and making you feel so much more of a business in your own right.”

Simon Alldridge –  MD Ashtead Consulting 

Find out more: www.ashteadgroup.org

APG website and newsletters designed by Cambridge Web Projects 

Now as any fashion student or aficionado knows, the Victoria and Albert Museum is home to some of the best fashion displays and collections in the world. So where better to hold the launch party than the very stylish V&A Reading Rooms cafe  on Exhibition Road near South Kensington station?

Wine and books -what a great concept!

It was a lovely conclusion to a long and often tiring process. I watched her go from excitement at being asked by to write the book to frustration and exhaustion, then back to excitement as she got the proofs. I guess it’s a pattern familiar to any author.

Although I can’t claim any great input I did some initial proofreading and editing before she submitted chapters to AVA . So, I do feel more than a little affection for ‘Concept to Customer’.

There’s already been some great feedback from a number of universities such as Glamorgan and the University of West London. And from September 2012, it will be a core text for all stage one students on the BA (Hons) Fashion Management course at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.

I’ve known Virginia since we were 11 (so around ten years …) and even back then she knew she wanted to work in fashion. She achieved her ambition and spent 25 years in the industry, first as a designer then in supply chain and product development for Courtaulds Textiles. She’s now course leader on Westminster University’s MA Fashion Business Management course.

Phew. And if I sound like a proud friend, that’s because I am!

So if you know anyone who’s on a fashion management course, or needs to know more about the business of fashion, point them in the direction of ‘Basics: Fashion Management: Concept to Customer’ by Virginia Grose.

It’s available from Waterstone’s (with an apostrophe), AVA’s website, the V&A’s bookshop and Amazon.

I discovered Ant Design’s papercuts the other day and I love them. I know Ant Design as a graphic design agency founded and run by the very talented Kashmira Jhaveri. I also knew that, as well designing materials for corporate clients, Ant Design also has a gift range  but I’d no idea these lovely delicate pieces had been added.

“I love doing my corporate projects, such as websites and brochures, but creating the papercuts lets me explore other avenues,” Kashmira told me.

“I really enjoy the medium. I love inspirational quotes, yoga, and meditation, and feed all of these things into the papercuts.

“The thing I enjoy most though, is creating bespoke pieces. People come to me with their favourite quote, or a line from a song that really means something to them, and I incorporate it into a very personal and unique piece of work.”

Kashmira’s papercuts make lovely gifts for special occasions such as a wedding or birth of a baby: she’s created pieces that feature the baby’s name and date of birth.

She also produces cards as well as the larger, framed work. I send loads of cards, and put a lot of thought into choosing each one, so Kashmira’s papercuts really appeal to me – I particularly like the idea of commissioning something meaningful.

So if you’d prefer an affordable, original piece of art to a mass produced department store print, or you want a really special card for someone, why not take a look at her range?

I think it’s a great way to let you know what I do, and at the same time, tell you about some of the lovely, inspiring people I work with. And no prizes for guessing how often I’ll be posting it ..

First up is The Green Cornwall - luxury house and holiday cottages on the edge of Bodmin Moor.

I was jumping for joy for two reasons when Moira, owner of The Green, Cornwall asked me to work on her weddings brochure.

For one I’ve loved Cornwall ever since I was child and we try to get there several times a year. And secondly, Moira contacted me through Twitter proving that it really can lead to business.

About The Green

The Green is a former cheese farm on the edge of Bodmin Moor, not far from the mysterious Cheesewring rock formations at Minions.

Moira and her husband, Mike, have converted the farm to create a luxury hideaway that feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere. The Green comprises a beautiful house that sleeps 12 and five stylishly decorated cottages.

The House (image ©Elaine Swift)

Cheesewring, Bodmin Moor (image ©Elaine Swift)

Background

The Green is perfect for large gatherings such as weddings, and Moira and Mike have converted one of the buildings into a stunning space in which couples can tie the knot. Or for the more romantic, there’s a pretty wooden arbour overlooking a valley surrounded by woodland and views over the moors.

It was the wedding offering that Moira wanted my help with. She’d put together a brochure to promote it but wasn’t happy with the copy. She felt it lacked emotion and commissioned me to rewrite it for her.

What I did

I grilled Moira about The Green: why does it lend itself to weddings? What makes it so special? What kind of people was she trying to reach with the brochure?

I think I may have drained her by the end of the conversation. As for me, I just wanted to be there!

Moira was so enthusiastic that I got a very good idea from our first conversation of what it would be like to hold a wedding there. I discovered that the special ingredient is a combination of breathtakingly beautiful setting, freedom to stage the type of wedding you want, with fabulous service and support to help you achieve it.

As well as getting a good brief, I was lucky enough to have the design to work to so I knew how much space I had for the words. It doesn’t always happen, but when it does it makes life easier for everyone involved.

I thoroughly enjoyed working on the brochure and was thrilled to see the finished item when we stayed in one of the cottages in February. And it is indeed a very special place.

 What the client said

“I was struggling to write the copy for our new wedding brochure. We had some lovely photos and a great design but I just couldn’t get the words right.

“I connected with Elaine (though Twitter) and thought she was definitely someone I could work with.

“Elaine spent a lot of time talking to me about the business and really probed to understand what we are about. She was very professional and thorough in her approach. I got exactly what I was looking for in both tone of voice and content, and working with Elaine was a pleasure.”

Find out more

Visit www.thegreencornwall.co.uk or take a look at my review on the Your Holiday Planner website.

Early morning view from our balcony (image ©Elaine Swift)

Cheesewring rock formation (image ©Elaine Swift)

These limited edition prints are visual depictions of some of the wonderful terms we use to name groups of things. They’re beautiful to look at as well as revealing quite often charming and evocative words such as:
a zeal of zebras
a blessing of unicorns (which I’m convinced are real by the way. I mean, why bother giving them a collective noun if they don’t exist?)
an aurora of polar bears (yes, really!)
a murder of crows
a murmuration of starlings (what a lovely word!). And my favourite if only because I’ve was privileged to see two of these rare Cornish birds in flight: a chattering or clattering of choughs

I could go on, but I won’t. I’ll just direct you to Woop’s website so you can become obsessed too.

Woop Studios was founded by Miraphora Mina, Eduardo Lima, Harriet Logan, and Mark Faulkner. United by a love of graphic design, words and images they set up Woop to showcase the fascinating and quirky world of collective nouns.

They aim to be the definitive website for anyone who shares their fascination, and who enjoy words, images and learning.

I hope you enjoy them too.

I was given the calendar for Christmas, and I’m looking forward to unveiling a long forgotten word each day throughout 2012.

I’ve already discovered such gems as ‘toad-under-a-harrow’. Apparently it means a man whose wife not only henpecks, but makes sure the entire world witnesses the indignities he suffers at her hands. And I’ve leapt ahead to the weekend where I found ‘gubbertushed’ – used to describe someone with projecting teeth.

It’s funny how words from long ago seem so much more expressive somehow!

Jeffrey Kacirk was brought up in San Diego. He became fascinated by the dialog and ‘general antiquity’ of Shakespeare’s plays, which he saw performed at the nearby Old Globe Theater. In college he became, “intrigued with European and American social history, especially the languages, activities, and customs.”

He’s included these longtime interests in several books and calendars which you can find on his website, Forgotten English.

His book of the same name contains recipe terms such as dilligrout, and uzzle-pye. Mmm, they both sound frighteningly like descriptions of something I might serve up…

‘Clarke mocks May as catfight over human rights dogs the Tories,’ taunts today’s Guardian on page eight. While the headline on page 10 of the Independent states, ‘Fur flies between Clarke and May as cat tale starts immigration row’. And last night’s BBC news programmes purr-sued the story with similar glee (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Can’t you just imagine the Cheshire Cat sized grins on journalists’ faces as they opened their laptops after May’s speech?

She couldn’t have given them a better pet to play with. There are lots of purrfect cat-related terms to use in ameowsing headlines for this sorry tale. And so many of our words are prefixed with cat. I must confess I’ve sometimes played a little game to find how many words I can come up with that start with cat - sad but true. Here are some of the more obvious ones:

Catacombs
Catastrophe
Cataclysmic
Catatonic
Catapult
Caterpillar
Caterwaul
Category
Catalyst
Catalogue
Catabolic

And that’s just a few of the ones in which the prefix is pronounced ‘cat’ (well, ‘cata’ actually). But where does the prefix come from?

According to The Oxford Dictionaries website, its origin is Greek and it can mean:

• down ; downwards: catadromous
• wrongly; badly: catachresis
• completely: cataclysm
• against; alongside: catapult

In case you’re interested, or need some tips for your next game of Scrabble, here’s an extensive list from Scrabble Finder

I suppose I should thank the Home Secretary for inspiring this post. If only she  hadn’t looked like the cat who’d got the cream when she delivered that now infamous line, ‘and I’m not making this up’ …

I most certainly wouldn’t want to be in her speech writer’s shoes today!

Old Scotney Castle

There I was tootling along the M25 yesterday, on my way to Scotney Castle in Kent to meet a friend. It was a beautiful day and given the wet summer we’ve had, the glorious sunshine came as a welcome surprise. “Perhaps we’ll have an Indian Summer,” I said to myself. Then I started to wonder where the term comes from.

I’ve always associated it with unseasonably warm weather in autumn, but I didn’t realise that an Indian Summer is usually followed by period of colder weather.

According to The Phrase Finder and Wikipedia the term originated in America in the late 18^th century and reached the UK in the 1920s.

Previously in Europe the phenomenon was known as St Lukes Summer, All-Hallown Summer or Saint Martin’s Summer. The latter referred to St Martin’s Day on 11 November – the date it was supposed to end. It originated in France where it’s still used.

But why Indian? Well, apparently no-one knows but lots of people have speculated. Here are three of the theories listed by both * The Phrase Finder and Wikipedia – there are more extensive lists and more information on both sites if you’re interested:

• When European settlers first came across the phenomenon in America it became known as the Indian’s Summer.
• The haziness of the Indian Summer weather was caused by prairie fires deliberately set by Native American tribes.
• It was the period when First Nations/Native American peoples harvested their crops.

Whatever its meaning, it’s certainly nice to see blue skies and sunshine at the end of September!

And Scotney Castle is well worth a visit. The grounds looked stunning in the late summer sun yesterday – particularly the old medieval castle at the bottom of the valley which was left as a romantic ruin when the ‘new’ castle at the top of the hill will built in 1837. The National Trust, who owns Scotney, is renovating the old castle and it should be available for weddings next year. Aaah – how romantic!

Romantic medieval Scotney Castle

Photos copyright Elaine Swift

*As well as visiting the website, you can follow The Phrase Finder on Twitter @aphraseaweek