While skimming some LinkedIn postings recently, I encountered an author who was seriously title happy. After his name was ‘… MBA, BA, BS, NP, MPM.’ Wow – aren’t you impressed with his credentials! With an ‘MBA’, no need to include the BA & BS degrees. And while the ‘MBA, BA & BS’ are recognizable, ‘NP & MPM” aren’t. More confusing that impressive.
Workplace Writing
More Workplace Writing Power Points
Here are three more grammatically-oriented Power Points to add to your Workplace Writing Tool Kits, for those of you who want to be grammatically correct every time.
Give Your Readers a Break
A very effective Reader-Centric strategy for your workplace writing is to make it very easy for your readers to read, understand and act on what you write.
One way to achieve these results is to use more white space to make your emails and documents easier to understand and use. This is especially helpful when they’re reading on their phones … and, soon, on their watches.
I Don’t Get It – Vague References
I don’t get why so many workplace communicators still prefer vague words or phrases. Whether the choice is conscious or not, ‘specific beats vague’ every time.
Lose Lame Lines
An often- overlooked element in any workplace email or memo is the simple little Subject Line. Depending on their content, they can add to the message or detract from the writer’s image of competency. So … here are a few tips to Lose Lame Lines:<!-
- ‘No Subject’ – the absence of a subject line is really lame. That says the writer was too lazy to think of something or too unimaginative. While either could be true, neither reader assumption helps the writer’s credibility. So … anything is better than nothing.
- ‘Meeting’ – at least better than ‘no subject’, but not much. It does tell the reader something about the message. Less helpful if the reader attends lots of meetings, however.
‘Phil’s Faves’ on Workplace Writing
Participants in my ‘Painless Workplace Writing’ workshops or presentations regularly hear me repeat simple phrases as a way to reinforce key learning points. So, here are some of my Faves to help you take a little pain out of writing at work:
I Don’t Get It – Redundancies
Your Redundancies Are Laughable
We’ve gotten into some sloppy habits regarding redundancy. While this tendency may not be a major problem in verbal or written communication, it does waste words and the result is often amusing. Unless you’re a comedian, you probably don’t want people chuckling about what you say or write. So, here are some reminders.
Workplace Writing Power Point – Short Words
Here’s this month’s Power Point – whenever a short, simple, familiar word is just as clear or clearer as a longer word, use the shorter word. The extra syllables don’t add anything to your meaning and may detract from your image as a real, down-to-earth person. But don’t trade clarity for brevity. Think ‘Twitter’ and save some of those characters for another message.
Workplace Writing Power Points – ‘Very’
One of my favorite engaged readers mentioned a one-day ‘English Refresher’ course he took years ago in which the professor stressed never using the word ‘very’. My response was very focused and very brief.
I Don’t Get It – Noun Phrases
Here’s my newest rant in the Workplace Writing Power Points category. I don’t get why people still use lame noun phrases. So, let me challenge some word use habits, like this one carried over from those 500-word essay days in high school.