Business Writing

Was She Too Concise? Or Am I Oversensitive?

I had an experience recently where an individual sent me an email reply with no message--just an attachment. I felt let down, disappointed that my gracious communication had prompted what appeared to be a hasty, minimal reply. I wonder: Am I overreacting? Please share your opinion in the comments. Here's... Read more →

Apostrophes: Ignorance & Laziness Have Not Won!

Over the past 24 hours, news outlets have featured a story about the closing of the Apostrophe Protection Society, whose founder, John Richards, wrote, "We, and our many supporters worldwide, have done our best but the ignorance and laziness present in modern times have won!" I say they have not.... Read more →

Take Time to Save Time

Sometimes we bang out a message to get it done quickly. But if we take just another minute or two to make the message clearer before clicking Enter or Send, we save time for readers. That time savings often leads to getting a faster, better response. Here is an example.... Read more →

Think You Know All the Right Words? Test Yourself

It's easy to go through life blithely thinking your words are spot-on, especially as a writer. Then one day an error you’ve been making grabs your attention: Surprise! You’ve been using the wrong word! Maybe today will be that day. See if this test has a word surprise for you.... Read more →

True Story: How to Help Employees Write Better

Read the brief, true story below about Eric and his supervisor, Linda. Then decide: If you were in Linda's role, would you handle the situation the same way? ***** Eric has just written his first newsletter article about an innovative approach the team has developed and used to get great... Read more →

FAQ About Complimentary Closes

With business communication evolving into shorter, quicker messages, people wonder about long-standing formalities like complimentary closes (for example, Sincerely and Best wishes). Do we still use them? If so, which ones belong where? Here are answers to frequently asked questions about complimentary closes for letters, notes, emails, and texts. Question:... Read more →

Google, You've Gone Too Far

Certainly we can admire Google for its growth, global reach, inventiveness, and the brilliance of its teams. But they've gone too far. Cleverness has its limits. Analyze, yes. Optimize, yes. Publicize, yes--those are all things online content providers want to do. But troubleshootize? No, Google, you've gone too far. The... Read more →

One Quick Way to Frustrate Customers and Friends

My husband is on a mailing list for information about upcoming stamp shows. This week he got an email announcement and saw his email address in a clump of at least a hundred others. All were there in a long list, a gold mine for people wanting to sell stamps.... Read more →

How to Connect With Clients & Others at Thanksgiving

Time to act! Your Canadian clients and customers will celebrate Thanksgiving Day (Jour de l'Action de grâce) on Monday, October 14. Your U.S. contacts will do the same on Thursday, November 28. Be wise and thoughtful, and take this opportunity to remember them before the holiday (c)rush. Consider how below.... Read more →

Test Yourself: Changing Passives to Active Verbs

I'm copyediting a book this week, so I have immersed myself in rules and rule-breaking for nonfiction writing. The project is a church history. To work quickly, I have been using my grammar and spelling checker to make obvious errors and inconsistencies pop. One that keeps popping is passive verbs.... Read more →