Page 39 - EDM Today Spring 2025

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DO IT YOURSELF
manufacturing solutions, I was an experienced buyer of
machines for my own shop, so I will need convincing far
beyond their best “brochure salesman’s” ability.
Purposefully seek writing or
speaking opportunities.
With few exception, almost every successful EDM Sales
Seize the initiative. Assert
Manager I’ve known came out of a tool room or was
yourself. Be bold and seek
any opportunities to write or
quite natural to me as a Sales Manager, as I have long
speak about your knowledge
observed that: “It’s easier to teach sales to an EDM’er,
in your craft, whether it be
than it is to teach EDM to a salesman.”
EDM or not. While sharing your once an EDM Applications Engineer. This sounds
knowledge and experience with
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others, you will gain trust and respect
and prominence within your audience, your company
and your network. There is nothing wrong with “self
promotion” and it can be a strong infl uence on one’s
career, even if one is naturally modest in nature.
This is easier than you might think as long as you...

KNOW YOUR STUFF

If any reader is considering writing or speaking about
their particular discipline or strengths, I’d strongly advise
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you to try to do both, but only if you know what you’re
talking about.
But I’m getting ahead of myself as I must fi rst explain
the three rules about writing or speaking I have learned
CREATE AND CULTIVATE YOUR NETWORK
along the way.
Besides the new stack of business cards from your last
1) KNOW YOUR STUFF – Why are you writing or
trade show, you can share your EDM knowledge and
speaking? Are you technically qualifi ed to do either?
experience through online networking vehicles such as
2) BE AUTHENTIC – First of all, simply be yourself
are typically informal exchanges asking for information
(c’mon...you have to be yourself, as everyone else
and solutions and receiving answers and guidance.
is already taken). Humor aside, do not try to assume LinkedIn, and Practical Machinist’s EDM Forum. These
Become part of this network for your own education and
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a persona you are not.
updates. YouTube is more involved in having a presence,
but is also a great source to stay current and view online
3) “WRITE LIKE YOU SPEAK” – Do not “try” to be a
videos on what other EDM’ers are doing.
writer as while you may not fail, you will fi nd it a
much more diffi cult endeavor than writing in
“fi rst-person real,” meaning; authentic, as in, be
yourself. See #2.
YEAH, BUT ENGINEERS AS WRITERS?
I’ll not add a fourth “rule,” but an editing tip instead.
Why not? This is not unlike professional sports players
For a fi nal proofread, read your fi nal paper aloud.
Speak your article aloud like you would like it to be
are a natural evolution. From understanding and playing
read and heard. Walk an imaginary stage. Hear its
the game and doing it for a living, who else could coach,
strengths and weak parts and edit them accordingly. becoming coaches or announcers (or writing books), all
announce, write or teach better? I can’t offer a better
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Then read it aloud again.
example of this than this publication itself.
You may not have any present thoughts about writing or
When this magazine was founded, there were only two
speaking, but if you can write like you speak, you should
technical writers, Jack Sebzda, Sr. and myself. Over the
be able to do both, and if you do, your public presence
years, Don Moulton (Sodick) has contributed, as well as
and exposure will be increased and valued beyond your
Bill Fricke (Spectrum Industries), Christopher Wilkins
imagination or expectations.
(GISCO), along with Randy Bormann (AGIE and Spectrum
Manufacturing) and many other writers, including Roger
Example: Although Marketing and Sales are trained to
Kern (Kern EDM Supplies), who eventually became EDM
promote brands and sales campaigns, I personally would
rather listen to an experienced Applications Engineer
retired, although is still active today at EDM Today
execute a hands-on Q&A, demo or test cut, any day.
and his engineering consultancy at ITP (International
No offense to Sales and Marketing (both of which I was Today’s second Editor/Publisher and has only recently
Technology Professionals).
once part of), but because I was also once a “grunt”
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in a machine shop. Long before I learned to provide
(Continued on next page)
37
EDM Today, Spring 2025 Issue