Business writing: 7 phrases to ban
Fancy-schmancy business-speak does not make for strong business writing. With that rule in mind, an editor for HarvardBusiness.org suggests banning these words and phrases from your writing:
Category: Communication
Gaining face time with a busy boss
How can you be assured of enough face time with your boss to ask questions, convey critical information and dazzle her with your smarts—without coming across as a time drain? The key, advises author and workplace columnist Anita Bruzzese, is to be aware of what your boss wants and when and how she wants it.
How to run more effective meetings
The time-waster meeting is a common fixture in offices across America. The reason, says Reid Hastie, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, is that we’re not thinking about and valuing our time the right way.
Grammar Repair Shop: 4 common confusions
Do you know when to use the term “complement” vs. “compliment,” “bad” vs. “badly,” “less” vs. “fewer” or “between” vs. “among”? Here’s how to use these terms properly:
Turbocharge your partnership with the boss
Admin Brooke Wiseman knew that administrative professionals in her company weren’t being used in the most productive ways. For example, some shared the same title but had wide variations in duties. Her goal was to bring more value to the company by turbocharging the partnerships between executives and their assistants. Here’s how she did it.
‘Greenhouse’ ideas
One of the best ways to come up with creative ideas is to hold a “greenhousing” session where ideas are nurtured before they’re judged, says Dave Lewis, who runs ?What if! The Innovation Company.
Resolving a conflict with the boss
Your boss asked you to prepare a spreadsheet for a meeting the next day. It took a couple of hours and some shuffling of priorities, but you did it. When you arrive at the meeting, though, your boss handed you a spreadsheet that someone else created. Should you tell your boss how frustrated you are?
Intimidated? Fight the feeling
Sara feels like retreating into her shell whenever a certain VP, with his bellowing baritone of a voice, talks to her. Sam shuts down in meetings when an opinionated co-worker dominates the conversation. Feeling intimidated is like having a heavy chain around your ankle. Here are some tips for combating the feeling.
To get a good answer, ask a good question
If people asked good, direct questions instead of a vague “What do you think?” we’d never feel overwhelmed by all the queries sitting in our inboxes. Get the fast response you’re looking for by learning to ask a good question, advises Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist.
1-Minute Strategies: March ’09
Pump up your managers with useful research they don’t have time to do themselves … Sharpen your workplace instincts by playing The Office-Politics Game … Soothe stress by first dividing triggers into two categories …