Everyday or Every Day? Use the Right Word

Everyday is a single word and is an adjective. Use it with a noun to describe something that is normal or commonplace. Example: Your complaints are becoming an everyday occurrence.

Every day is an adjective (every) plus a noun (day), and it means each day. Example: I eat lunch at the cafeteria every day.

Person vs. People--Use the Right Word

Person is singular: There is a strange person loitering in front of my house.
People is plural: There are three strange people loitering in front of my house.

Be Positive

Use positive wording Your writing will be more successful if you focus on positive wording rather than negative since words that affect your reader positively are likely to produce the response you want. A positive emphasis helps persuade the reader and creates goodwill. In contrast, negative words may generate resistance.

Avoid judgmental words such as “you claim,” “failed to, “neglected to,” and “lack of.” Avoid words with negative connotations such as no, do not, refuse, and stop and words that convey unhappy or unpleasant associations such as unfortunately, unable to, cannot, mistake, problem, error, damage, loss, and failure. In a few cases, you may want to use the negative for emphasis. There is a difference in tone between the contracted form and the two-word form--“can’t” and “cannot” or “don't” and “do not.”

Use Good Manners and Courtesy on the Internet

·         Understand the difference between email conversation and email correspondence.

     ·         Avoid text abbreviations in email correspondence.

     ·         Start with a proper greeting.

    o   Formal greeting: Dear Title Last Name

    o   Informal greeting: Dear First Name or Hi, First Name

     ·         Use a subject line that explains the purpose of the email.

     ·         Keep it short—never more than two scrolls down.

     ·         Use BCC for groups or set up a group name that conceals individual email addresses.

     ·         Avoid “Reply All” if possible.

     ·         Do not send chain email.

     ·         Ask permission before forwarding an email to another person.

     ·         Limit personal email usage at work.

     ·         Reply within 24 hours.

Write E-mails from the Top Down

The journalism model comes from newspaper journalism. Editors cut copy from the bottom up so news reporters write in an inverted pyramid style. When you use an inverted pyramid, you start with the most important information and follow with information in descending order of importance.

This is perfect for e-mails. Write them in descending order of importance. Start with the most important piece of information and end with the least important piece of information.

The most important part of an e-mail is the subject line. Create subject lines that say something!

What an Editor Does for You

An editor guarantees that a document is logical. It corrects structural and organizational problems. The length of the document may change. Items corrected in editing are:
-  wordiness and ambiguity
-  unnecessary and/or awkward sentences, paragraphs, or pages
-  inappropriate or poor word choice
-  faulty organization
-  passive voice
-  tone

 

 

Ask Questions that Get the Right Answers

Ask open questions that require more than yes and no answers. Start open questions with how? what? could? would? For example, How could we do this? What do you think? What if we did it this way? Which way would you prefer? How do you feel about this?

Ask probing questions to get more information. For example, what else did you like? What else would work for you?

Ask leading questions to help the person find clarity. Leading questions often end with Don’t you?, Won’t you? Right? For example, Last month I didn’t have to complete the report until the 30^th; that’s true this month, too, isn’t it?

Use closed questions to stop the other person from rambling. Closed questions require yes or no answers.

Avoid questions that put people on the defensive.

Asking Questions, Winning Sales: Superior Interviewing Techniques for Sales Professionals

The Success of Any Communication Is the Result You Get

You must have good communication skills if you want to have rewarding work relationships. No one is a good communicator all the time; skill depends on the situation and personal factors, such as your upbringing, education, and level of self-esteem. The good news is that you can learn skills to become a better communicator.

·         Practice what you will say before you say it.

·         Try different ways of saying things with friends you trust.

·         Ask for feedback from people who have strong communication skills.

·         Take classes, read books and listen to tapes.

·         Study people whose communication style you admire.

Talk Like a Winner: 21 Simple Rules for Achieving Everyday Communication Success

Confusing Words Clarified

Then--shows a sequence: I passed my driver's test and then bought a car.

Than--draws a comparison: I am older than my brother is.

That--refers to something at a distance: My brother lives in that purple house across the street.

That--introduces essential information: The report that John wrote yesterday had three errors.

Which--introduces nonessential information: I graduated from USF, which is in San Francisco.

This--refers to something near at hand, here and now: My brother lives in this neighborhood.

This--refers to something previously referenced: One of my brothers is a lawyer. This brother lives in L.A.

Three Characteristics All Business Documents Need

A document is clear when it flows logically, every paragraph is correctly constructed, transitions move readers through the material, and all questions are answered.

A document is concise when it contains all information necessary for understanding and no extraneous information.

A document is correct when grammar, punctuation, spelling, and all references are accurate.

A professional business writer and editor can look over documents you create to ensure they meet these criteria; a ghostwriter can do it all without your having to write a word. With a modest investment of money, you can rest assured your business documents reflect well on your business, your brand and your expertise.