Business writing made simple
Strengthen your sentences by using fewer words and getting rid of awkward or passive construction. Practice by rewriting these wordy sample sentences, inspired by the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL):
Category: Communication
Creating harmony among the generations
In some offices, you might kick-start relationships between older and younger workers with these tips: Try reverse-mentoring … Go out of your way to collaborate with different generations … Don’t get hung up on office etiquette you think everyone should be following.
Conversation stoppers
While these phrases aren’t grammatically incorrect, they tend to be used in all the wrong places: “With all due respect, …” “Does that make sense?” … “I hear what you’re saying, but …”
4 steps to conquering public speaking
Practice. That’s the best way to get comfortable with speaking in front of others. Although the idea of public speaking may sound terrifying, your confidence will get a major boost from stepping out of your comfort zone and into the spotlight.
How to assert your credibility
Affirm your credibility in a meeting with these five tactics:
Making the sale
No matter what you do in life, you have to sell something, writes author Michael Ellsberg—selling your boss on why he should promote you, selling your brilliant idea, or selling co-workers on why they should donate to your cause. How to sell, in a nutshell:
A little business advice from grandma
Grandmas are known for their nuggets of advice about bundling up in winter or baking a fruit cobbler. As it turns out, they know a thing or two about navigating the workplace, too. Pearls of wisdom from grandma:
1-Minute Strategies: Jan. ’12
“What do you do?” Be prepared for this question before you head to any networking event because you’ll probably be asked dozens of times … Need someone to make a decision? Approach him in the morning. “Decision fatigue” is a very real phenomenon affecting people who have to grapple with an ever-increasing number of choices.
Resolve conflict in person, not in email
The co-worker in the next cubicle hums all day. Yesterday your boss dressed you down in front of the entire team. Another admin has been griping about the same issue for a week. In every case, it would be all too easy to ignore the problem, or avoid confrontation by sending an email. But in every case, a live conversation is the better solution.
Inter vs. intra
An admin reader recently wrote, “My goodness, will you please do a piece that tells people the difference between ‘intra’ and ‘inter’? While you’re at it, ‘effect’ vs. ‘affect’ wouldn’t hurt, either.”