Leads I couldn’t finish reading

Lead grafs from articles that caused the organizational publication I was reading to slip from my fingers into my wastebasket

Here’s a sample of lead paragraphs from organizational stories I stopped reading after the first five words. Unfortunately, leads like these deface 19 out of 20 stories in corporate, association and government publications:

“Ever wonder how SHINES (see sidebar) and Personalized Care and Service fit into your particular job?”

“Long ago, my mother told me the older we get, the faster time seems to go. She was right!”

“It’s spring—a time of renewal—when the snow melts and flowers bloom.”

“We have all heard the saying, ‘You get what you pay for.'”

“As the world embarks on a new year, Congress is embarking on a new agenda. With this comes a broad range of activities …”

“A handful of member cooperatives are conducting public hearings that comply with provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.”

“One of the benefits XYZ Corp. offers its employees is a variety of in-house professional training opportunities … We have training!”