Talk Archives

Humor in Business Writing – Does It Belong?

Today someone sent me an evaluation of an online business writing course he had taken with me. This was his final comment: I liked the online format. It was like being in an actual classroom, but without sitting next to the person who had a garlic… continue reading

Send Sales Flyers to Employees Too!

The other day I got a sales flyer by email from a specialty music company, one I often order from. The flyer featured amplifiers, and I happened to want to buy one for a gift. So I read the flyer and called the company within an… continue reading

When “Rebooting” Means Grabbing the Galoshes

I accompanied my 89-year-old father to the hearing aid center yesterday. He had just gotten hearing aids and needed instruction on how to use them. The doctor, around age 50, told my father that a tiny button on his new hearing aid would "reboot" it.… continue reading

When Sorry Isn’t the Important Word

The other day I wanted to buy salmon at my local market. When I looked at the fish counter covered with ice and various fish, I did not see any salmon, so I asked the person behind the counter if he had any for sale.… continue reading

Is Social Media Overly Social?

Yesterday I reviewed the latest updates of my LinkedIn connections, after a busy period of not checking in. I noticed that many people had written a brief update over the past two weeks. Some had written daily updates. Others had published several updates each day. Whose… continue reading

Talk

Old Style Guides: To Save or Not to Save?

Reading The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) "New Questions and Answers" column today, I got a huge laugh from the final question and answer: Question: My library shelves are full. I need to make some difficult decisions to make space for new arrivals. Is there any… continue reading

Are You Smarter Than the Average SAT Taker?

My daughter will start college in less than two years, so she is preparing to take the SAT® (Scholastic Aptitude Test) as part of her college admissions process. She receives “The Official SAT Question of the Day” by email to help her prepare, and the… continue reading

CPAs, Raise Your Standards!

Carrie wrote to me this week with a complaint about the writing at her accounting firm. She said: "I proofread most of the mailings that the firm sends out. I often point out run-on sentences, only to be told 'It's industry standard language' or 'That's… continue reading

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Talk

When Should You Tell an Email Lie?

I was teaching a business writing course, when an attendee I'll call Lucy showed me an email she had sent to a vendor. In the message, Lucy explained that she had not replied sooner because her company's computer system had been down. Her message was… continue reading

Make Your Writing Dreams Come True

My friend Susan Daffron of Logical Expressions sent me an email telling me that today is “Make Your Dreams Come True” day. It was a marketing email in which Susan wrote about the dream of writing a book and how one might use her services to… continue reading