{"id":16317,"date":"2018-12-10T04:57:21","date_gmt":"2018-12-10T09:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lisatener.local\/?p=16317"},"modified":"2024-09-30T08:56:41","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T12:56:41","slug":"employ-these-powerful-verbs-in-your-leadership-or-author-bio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2018\/12\/employ-these-powerful-verbs-in-your-leadership-or-author-bio\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Nail Your Leadership or Author Bio"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want to know one of my favorite editing tips<\/a> when creating or revising an author bio, a book or a blog post?<\/p>\n

\"Deborah
Deborah Saltman and Lisa Tener at the 2018 healthcare leadership course<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I originally wrote this post in 2018 after presenting Rewrite Your Leadership Bio at Harvard Medical School’s\u00a0Career Advancement and Leadership Skills for Women in Healthcare<\/a>. The course will be offered virtually in 2020 from Nov 5-7. And I’ll be offering this leadership bio writing workshop once again.<\/p>\n

A Favorite Writing Tip<\/h2>\n

Here’s one of my favorite tips from the upcoming leadership bio workshop and one of my best writing tips, too (via the late, great Frank Conroy when he taught a writing seminar at\u00a0 MIT during his tenure as the Director of the National Endowment for the Arts in Literature):<\/p>\n

“Employ powerful verbs.”<\/p>\n

Search for verbs like: was, is, had, has, could, can, are and am in your document. When you find these not-so-powerful verbs, see if there’s a way to replace the meh<\/em> verb with a verb that paints more of a picture. Verbs can convey movement (external and internal), emotion, change or transformation and impact.<\/p>\n

Naturally, when I presented Rewrite Your Leadership Bio at Harvard Medical School’s Career Advancement and Leadership Skills for Women in Healthcare<\/a>, at some point, my advice turned to verbs.<\/p>\n

As an author\u2014or author in the making\u2014you need a compelling bio for your website, book proposal, book jacket, media appearances, speaking engagements, training programs and possibly more. Consider the verbs that can set the tone and showcase your skill set.<\/p>\n

Some of the best words to use in a leadership or author bio are powerful verbs, because they convey action, accomplishment, leadership style, influence, impact and skills.<\/p>\n

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Getting to the heart<\/em> of your bio!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Compelling verbs to Use in Your Leadership or Author Bio:<\/h2>\n