Businesswritingblog - businesswritingblog.com
General Information:
Latest News:
Meeting Notes: Tell Who Is Doing What 23 Aug 2013 | 01:44 am
The other day I looked at the meeting minutes from a team meeting I had attended. I was reviewing the notes to confirm the action items that had been assigned to me. I knew I had at least one action.....
How to Structure a Message or Document 16 Aug 2013 | 09:56 pm
Lately when I ask participants in my business writing courses for their reasons for attending, many of them tell me they struggle with structuring their writing. Whether it is an email, a letter, a re...
Networkers, Take Initiative! 14 Aug 2013 | 06:59 am
The other day a friend emailed me to complain about a stranger who had asked her for a networking meeting. He wanted her advice on his job search. The reason she complained is that she had suggested t...
"Got Questions?": How to Invite Inquiries Concisely 2 Aug 2013 | 10:31 pm
I have been fighting the conciseness battle alongside people in my business writing courses. They want to know how to make their writing clear, concise, and friendly--all at the same time. Sample situ...
Proofreading by Listening: Text-to-Speech 25 Jul 2013 | 03:17 am
When it comes to proofreading, many people recommend reading aloud what you have written. That technique often works well. But to be successful using it, you must read what is on the page or screen--n...
Do Your Subjects and Verbs Agree? 15 Jul 2013 | 11:34 pm
Lately the most common error I see in the writing samples of smart, successful people is a lack of subject-verb agreement. People are using singular verbs with plural subjects, and plural verbs with s...
Think Before You Reply: Email Best Practices 2 Jul 2013 | 03:12 am
You have probably seen a slogan beneath email signatures that says something like this: "Please consider the environment before printing this message." Many people are tired of that suggestion, and a ...
Complimentary Closes That Aren't 18 Jun 2013 | 11:47 pm
These complimentary closes often appear at the end of professional emails: Best regards, Regards, With thanks, Best wishes, Sincerely, In the past week I have received messages with variations on two ...
In Praise of Precise, Simple Words 11 Jun 2013 | 08:04 pm
Lately I have been noticing a lot of unnecessarily complex words in the samples I read for business writing classes. Here is a sampling of 10 words I have seen, along with simpler words that match eac...
Thank You for Your Understanding 1 Jun 2013 | 03:13 am
Last week I was working in Luxemburg and vacationing in London. A cross-cultural translation that made me smile appeared on a sign outside my Luxemburg hotel. The sign had to do with visitors needing ...
