It may seem obvious that writing in all caps is a mistake, but the following story really happened to me. I recently taught an email effectiveness course for an accounting firm in Los Angeles. It was mandatory, so everyone in the office was there. During the program, I told the participants “Don’t write your subject […]
Writing in ALL CAPS: What are the costs? Read More »
Have you ever written an email to someone who misinterpreted your tone? They thought you were angry; you thought you were just getting to the point. Or they thought you were being sarcastic, when you thought you were being witty. When email communications go awry, tone is often the issue. In the Worktalk email trainings,
Warming Up the Tone of Your Emails: Smile as you Write Read More »
Editing for Others: Don’t Change Just for Change’s Sake “The strongest compulsion in the world is not love, and it is not hate; it is one person’s desire to edit another person’s copy.” — H.G. Wells “Infuriating” “Frustrating” “Upsetting” These are some of the words that people use in my trainings to describe their experience
Editing for Others: Don’t Change for the Sake of Change Read More »
To, CC, BCC, and the Dreaded Reply All Every email needs an addressee, and every time you address an email, you make significant choices. First, are you going to be careful as you hover your mouse over the To line and make sure that you are sending the email to your intended recipient, and not
Addressing Emails: To, CC, BCC, and the Dreaded Reply All Read More »
I’m sorry.It’s okay. We need the paperwork by Friday. The holding tank might explode. I think that restructuring is a good idea. What do these statements have in common? They are weather reports, informing the reader of feelings, needs, situations, and thoughts. Whether stated explicitly or not, their purpose is to inform. If all you
Using Performatives in Business Writing: Words that Act Read More »
