Your effective workplace writing should pass the ‘7-C Test’ – is is Clear, Conversational, Concise, Consistent, Credible, Compelling & Correct? To help you all get an ‘A’ on this test with everything you write, this new series will regularly share simple pointers and tips and also respond to readers’ questions or comments that they generate.
So, let’s start with a few ‘Power Pointers’ to help you be more ‘Correct’:
I Don’t Get It why people use quotes so poorly! Clients tell me that my use of quotes is effective in my training and speaking engagements and in the articles I write, probably because I don’t overuse them and they relate to and support my content.
Looks like this new rant category is catching on with readers. Thanks for your feedback and suggestions. I’ll post a new one each month in various content categories.
Time to deal with an often unpleasant reality. As business leaders, we spend a lot of each day writing – emails, reports, proposals, marketing materials, evaluations, even texts … well, you get the picture. We should all add the title ‘Workplace Writer’ to our business cards.
If you’ve been reading my periodic articles on workplace writing and communication techniques and strategies in ‘Communicate Confidently!’, you’ve encountered one of my favorite rants – ‘Specific beats Vague’. So, whenever you have a choice between a vague word, like ‘several’ and a specific word like ‘four’, opt for the specific word.
How often do you forward an email or reply to one? If your business is anything like mine – lots of times every day. So, it’s probably time for you to consider cleaning up your act. Your email act, that is.
Effective workplace communicators and presenters have learned to harness the power of their words. Whether delivering a message over the phone, in writing or in a presentation, effective word choices do make a big difference in how the message is understood, appreciated and turned into action.
Let’s continue challenging your word use habits in workplace writing and communication. Effective word use is the same, whether the medium of communicating those words is spoken or written. And remember, the responses ‘That’s the first word I thought of’ or ‘That’s the word I usually use’ don’t work very well with reader-centric messages.
Many small business owners and entrepreneurs are frustrated and bewildered by the ‘Marketing Paradox’. We all recognize the critical need to do more and better marketing of our products or services to survive and thrive. But, few of us have the knowledge and skills to do it ourselves. Yet, we hesitate to – or can’t – invest the money to have other people do it for us. The result is that we often do nothing. Bad idea.
Regular readers know how much I love to rant about ineffective word choices, so please humor me about ‘very unique’. ‘Unique’ can’t be modified. Ever. Period. Therefore ‘very unique’ is wrong, so is ‘somewhat unique’ and ‘really unique’.