Sep 27, 2019 | Communication, Editing, Effective Writing
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...
Sep 5, 2019 | Communication, Managing, Persuasion
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...
Sep 4, 2019 | Communication, Editing, Effective Writing, Punctuation and Grammar
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...
Aug 22, 2019 | Communication, Effective Writing, Persuasion
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...
Aug 20, 2019 | Communication, Managing, Persuasion
People eager to have their request approved often make the mistake of asking for too much at the start. Asking for less initially often leads to a better result. Let’s say you want management to approve a costly new training program. Rather than ask for the full...
Aug 12, 2019 | Communication, Persuasion
People often begin reading a message and suddenly pause, uncertain who is speaking. Is this written from the writer’s perspective, or someone else’s, perhaps the company’s? The issue is point of view, a literary term that applies to any type of...