Starting off a letter or an e-mail message with a drab opening (“This is in response to …” or “Enclosed please find”) is a sure-fire way to put your readers to sleep just in time to miss your most important points. Add variety—and persuasiveness—to your messages by starting sentences with words that grab readers. Here’s […]
Even if you’re in a routine staff meeting, it’s essential to speak as confidently as top executives do. Take your cues from some of today’s leaders.
Even professional writers sometimes struggle with organizing their thoughts, and find themselves stuck for an opening line. When you’re in the same boat, use one of the techniques the pros use:
Problem: Lisa DiBuono, a legal administrative assistant in Greenwich, Conn., wants to know whether to capitalize seasons. Lesson: When you’re referring to a season, keep it lower case. If the word is part of a formal title, capitalize. Correct: “We’ll begin office renovations in the spring.” “The office dress code for summer is more relaxed.” […]
Create a positive impression by making each interaction with people memorable. You can do that in 10 seconds or less, with these approaches:
Should it be affect or effect? They’re or their? If you haven’t confused these words when writing, you’ve probably seen others mix them up. Here’s how to make the right choice, when it comes to the following commonly confused words: 1. There/their/they’re. Example: There/Their/They’re meeting always runs long. Answer: Their. How to remember: “Their” contains […]
Avoid repeating yourself by watching out for the following tautologies: phrases that—put simply—say the same thing twice. 1. advanced ahead 2. at this point in time 3. basic fundamentals 4. brief in duration 5. both together 6. cooperate together 7. enclosed herein 8. free gift 9. important essentials 10. just exactly 11. merge together 12. […]
Which is correct: “E-Mail” or “e-mail”? “Red, white and blue” or “red, white, and blue”? “A.M.” or “a.m.”? Would everyone in your office answer the same way? If not, you could probably use an internal style guide.
End with a preposition only when it keeps you from sounding hopelessly stilted.
The reason Taco Bell’s admin team came up with its “Team of Two” training program is clear when you listen to admin Karen Walters describe managers in her building. “There were a few managers in the group who maybe weren’t using admins to their greatest capabilities,” explains Walters. “In their defense, they didn’t have a good model.” So the admin team decided to give them one…
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