Meet Cindy Nixon

We recently connected with Cindy Nixon and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy, thanks for sitting with us today to chat about topics that are relevant to so many. One of those topics is communication skills, because we live in an age where our ability to communicate effectively can be like a superpower. Can you share how you developed your ability to communicate well?

My communication skills—which are necessary for my occupation as a copywriter and copy editor—have been a *long* time in the making … and will always be a work in progress. But I’d say they’re the offspring of the marriage between finding my own voice over years and years of practice as I matured both personally and professionally and paying close attention to how your “audience” responds to what you say and write. So it’s an interplay of listening and offering, of reaction to action, of hitting the Ping-Pong ball back where the recipient is, so you can meet their current need. And empathy plays a huge role in effective communication: when people feel like you understand where they’re coming from and what they’re looking for from the conversation, discussion becomes dialogue and comprehension becomes connection.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m the owner and operator of Bookmarker Editorial Services, a small business that provides the full gamut of editorial support services to companies and individuals: copywriting, copyediting, line editing, ghostwriting, proofreading, desktop design, document optimization, presentation preparation, fact-checking—you name it. If it’s written or composed in the English language, I can help you perfect it. I think of my brand as offering “old-school” language expertise to an utterly newfangled marketplace in which language standards are evolving, yes, but also degrading. Right now, as AI looms so large, so much more quickly than many people anticipated, there’s a sense that my industry will no longer require human involvement in the very near future. But what I think is special about my industry is exactly that: the human touch. In my opinion, words are the most valuable currency humankind exchanges, and writing is a very personal, subjective experience for both author and audience. As long as there’s a readership that cares about the difference between original content and generative text, I’ll keep doing what I do.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I’ve been running my editorial services company for close to 30 years now, and I’ve woken up to paying work on my desk every single morning of those 30 years. I’d attribute that to: (1) staying current, staying educated in your areas of specialization; (2) being resolutely disciplined in your work ethic; and (3) maintaining the highest quality of service you’re capable of delivering, even under times of great stress and pressing deadlines. For others starting out in their careers, I’d say it’s essential to pick an occupation that lights your fire, that really revs your internal engine, and then go after all the rewards that occupation can bestow with your eyes open and your nose to the grindstone. There will never be a replacement for good old-fashioned hard work and honest dedication.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

This one’s easy! First, I’d trade in my condo for a modest little house somewhere that’s hilly, forested, and overlooking a body of water—any type of water view will do at this point! Then I’d travel from that home as often as possible—specifically to as many cobblestone-street towns in Europe as my legs will carry me. There’s nothing I’d love more than having the right companion by my side both at home and abroad; and there’s nothing more important to me than spending time along the way with the cherished family and friends who have enhanced my life beyond measure.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bookmarker-es.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-nixon-3053a735/