A receptionist may be the first person whom customers and clients see. But co-workers and managers can easily forget the pivotal and skilled role receptionists play. As a receptionist, you know about more than making a good impression. Make sure you’re leveraging these two highly valued skills, which a good receptionist should have in spades:
Four sentences that need repair, along with fixes: 1. Subject/verb agreement. 2. Actionless, dull sentences. 3. Negative structure. 4. Comma splice.
Some of the most successful businesspeople, such as Bill Gates, are known for taking detailed, effective meeting notes. Gina Trapani, a technology writer and software developer, recently shared three different note-taking systems in Fast Company:
Ernest Hemingway once bragged that he could write a compelling story in only six words. It would have a beginning, a middle and an ending. And it would sing. His friends scoffed. They each bet $10 he couldn’t do it. Here’s what Hemingway wrote:
Write more clearly and persuasively with this strategy, advises Lynn Gaertner-Johnston: Remember the “power of one idea.” That is, one idea for each message, one idea for each paragraph, and one idea for each sentence. Here’s how to remake sentences using the “one idea” strategy.
Some people would never “friend” a co-worker on Facebook; they try hard to keep work and personal lives separate. Others blend the two—letting professional and personal contacts co-exist on social media sites. If you’re attempting to let your friends and co-workers mingle on your Facebook page, keep this tip in mind:
Could co-workers benefit from a little more interaction? At public relations firm Conover Tuttle Pace, employees swap desks for a few weeks to spark cross-company chats and fresh ideas. Here’s how they do it:
In our tech-crazed times, now may be a good time to go back to basics. Use these quaint practices to reach out to people.
Question: “I have been having problems with a female co-worker. ‘Kelly’ and I have always had a friendly relationship, but now she’s avoiding me … I’d like to talk privately and get everything out in the open, but I don’t think Kelly will allow it. What should I do?”— Just a Friend
One of the most common reader questions we receive is about the serial comma—that is, the comma that comes before the “and” when you’re listing a series of things. The question is, “Should I use it or not use it?” The answer is, it’s up to you. The serial comma is used by some publications and dismissed by others, which makes it a matter of style.
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