Archive: effective writing
Giving Thanks May Be Persuasive
Thanksgiving is just the start of the season of giving. Although it is traditional to give thanks as we gather at the dinner table this year, we also need to remember to give thanks where we work and in our corporate writing. As a leader, corporate communicator, or...
Persuasive Writing Tip: Express Displeasure Politely
Learning to express displeasure politely invites a civilized discussion and increases the likelihood that the other person will accept your point of view. This was a lesson that a Harvard Business School professor apparently did not consider before sending a series of...
PR Writing Tip: Your Sentences May Be TOO Long
A person usually has good intentions when he or she suggests the right way or wrong way to do something in writing, but if you ask the person why that is the accepted way, you often hear, it just sounds better or that’s the way I was taught, or the more candid I...
Business Writing Tip: Focus on Paragraph Unity and Length
If you want to hold an audience’s attention, paragraph unity and length are important to readability. Many writers write until the text appears to be getting long, then put in a period and hit enter. But a paragraph is not a randomly created chunk of black...By Ken O’Quinn
Focus on Them
Perfect Phrases for Business Letters (McGraw-Hill)
TD at Work — Business Writing for Managers
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
Add Punch to Your Writing with Sentence Variety, Rhythm, and Emphasis
Jobs become boring when the daily routine is repetitive, and so does writing when you read short, choppy sentences with …