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Improve Your Writing through Candid Feedback
People take writing criticism personally, but being receptive to criticism is the way you grow as a writer. It keeps you focused on what you need to work on. Because writing is a personal creation, people are sensitive to criticism, so they won't ask others to read...
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Strengthen Your Credibility: Prepare for Meetings
We often are bored and annoyed in meetings because people repeat what others said or ask unnecessary questions. But it can happen to any of us if we don't come prepared. Bringing good ideas, making insightful comments, and offering good suggestions are ways you can...
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Using Correct Punctuation with “because” and “however”
Where to use commas and semicolons can be challenging in many sentences, but how to punctuate around because and however can cause considerable head scratching. A comma before "because" Punctuation marks are not little black marks that we randomly sprinkle here and...
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Be Persuasive: Present Your Request as a Future Commitment
If you want to persuade someone to do you a favor, you're more likely to succeed if you present it as something that is a few weeks or months away. People usually don’t think clearly about future obligations. The issue is psychological distance. People have a...
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Know When to Capitalize
Excessive capitalization is widespread in business, particularly in job titles. Know when it's appropriate to capitalize. People frequently uppercase a word because they saw it capitalized elsewhere, because it "looks right," or because they just asked someone and...
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A Simple Thank You can Motivate Others
A simple "thank-you" can go a long way. It is more than a polite gesture; it makes the other person feel more valued and competent. We tend to think of gratitude as an emotion that affects the receiver: The person's face lights up because you were pleased with what...
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Commas are No Small Matter
Many people think that whether to put a comma before “and” in a series is a trivial issue, but two judges disagreed. For decades, people have bickered about the need for a comma before "and" in a series of three or more things. Some people insist on it, and others...
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Being Persuasive: Asking for Less can Lead to More
Too often, people ask for approval of their entire request, regardless of what it is. Asking for less the first time makes the request easier for someone to approve it, and if she approved it once, she is more likely to approve a subsequent request later.
read moreBy Ken O’Quinn
As a contributing author in this book on leadership, Ken offers insights and tips for managing difficult conversations, providing effective feedback, and being authentic. Order here.
Perfect Phrases for Business Letters (McGraw-Hill)
Provides the right words and phrases for any situation - quickly. The book was reprinted in Japanese because of high-volume sales there.
TD at Work — Business Writing for Managers
The Association for Talent Development invited Ken to write this 22-page booklet for the TD at Work series.
Current Blog Post
Improve Your Writing through Candid Feedback
People take writing criticism personally, but being receptive to criticism is the way you grow as a writer. It keeps …