When you need to send a message via the medium of the written word – email, text or hard copy memo – make sure that it’s the best medium for your particular situation, not the first thing you thought of or the thing you usually think of. To Choose Wisely, review the Workplace Communication Planning Process thoroughly:
Workplace Writing
Do Your Emails Suck?
Your routine workplace emails might suck if you ignore the reality that every note you send a customer, colleague or manager can project your image of professionalism, competency and courtesy – or detract from it.
WordPower – Does Good Writing Really Matter?
This edition of ‘WordPower’ deals with the impact of poor workplace writing skills. Here’s a summary of a conversation I had with a business reporter on this topic.
WordPower – Always Break the Rules!
This month, ‘WordPower’ feature deals with some rules of grammar and which ones you should consider breaking if you want to enhance your routine workplace writing.
WordPower – Choose Your Words Wisely
This edition of ‘WordPower’ deals with the word choices you make every day – more simple best practices to improve your routine workplace writing.
WordPower – KISS Your Verbosity Goodbye
Welcome to another year-long series intended to enhance your communication skills. This time, it’s ‘WordPower’ – simple best practices to improve your routine workplace writing. To start the year off, one of my favorite rants about verbosity.
Harness the Power of Words
Content Always Rules in workplace writing … and the words you use deliver that content. To help you Harness the Power of Words, let’s discuss some of my favorite ‘Worst Practices’ – the poor word choices we often make and why we make them. Typically, my executive coaching clients fall victim to three flaws affecting the words they use … and don’t use.
Resistance is Futile
(For your reading pleasure … my most recent piece from the COSE ‘Mind Your Business’ eLetter.)
In his still frightening classic dystopian novel, ‘1984’, George Orwell invented ‘NewSpeak’, the official language of Oceania, used to control communication and thought.
So, let me pay homage to Orwell by inventing ‘CuSpeak’ in his honor, the official language we should always use when speaking to customers and prospects and not nearly as creepy as ‘NewSpeak’. While it’s much harder to learn than ‘SAE’ (Standard American English), it’s much more effective in influencing how they understand and view us.
Phil’s Faves on Workplace Writing
If I had to condense my workplace writing feature articles down to one page … here’s what that could look like:
Communicating Effectively with Millennials
(This article originally appeared in the popular Small Business Expert Forum published by Nationally known PR expert Carol Roth. I’m was thrilled to have the opportunity to promote these concepts in such a respected vehicle.)
While millennials have some generation-specific communication preferences, they have a lot more in common with other generations than differences, except for their use of technology. If communicating with them in your workplace presents a challenge, here are five ways to resonate with your 30-somethings readers.