Author Archives: John
What’s wrong with him and I?
The I/me mix-up. You hear it a lot these days. People are in a hurry. They’re talking fast. So they mix up words like “I” and “me”. It’s easily done. But when it pops up in your writing, you’ve got a problem. Word mix-ups distract your readers. It’s like showing up at the office wearing [...]
Posted in Grammar & Spelling 1 Comment
What to write when you can’t think of the right word.
We’ve all been there – stuck in the middle of a sentence trying to think of the right word when nothing seems to fit. It’s unbelievably frustrating because you’ve got this great phrase or sentence…and it’s almost working…and it would be absolutely perfect if you could just come up with the one missing word. Thesauruses [...]
Posted in Communication Tips, General Writing 1 Comment
Three tips from one of the 20th century’s great communicators.
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of David Ogilvy. Expelled from Oxford as a less-than-average student, he went on to become a sous-chef in Paris, a stove salesman in Scotland, a British Intelligence officer in Washington, and a farmer in Pennsylvania. Then he discovered his true calling, founding what would become one [...]
Quick, which page would you read first?
Take a quick look at the two documents below. Both have exactly the same 150 words. Even without understanding any of the words on the page, you can immediately see that one of these documents would be much easier to read – much more inviting.
Posted in Communication Tips, Design, Emails, General Writing, Presentations 4 Comments
Looking for a new job or business lead? Here’s the first thing you should write.
I recently taught a short seminar to a group of MBA students at Georgia Tech. It was a great group (props to Ms. Becker and her class), and I really enjoyed it. These soon-to-be MBAs wanted to learn how to communicate more effectively with prospective employers through emails and cover letters. One of the things [...]
Posted in Communication Tips, Emails, General Writing 4 Comments
Do you get confused a lot or alot?
It’s a common mistake. And even though MS Word seems to correct it automatically, it still pops up in a lot of places (but not alot of places). Fortunately, there’s a very easy way to remember what to do about it. When you can’t decide whether to use “a lot” or “alot”, use your substitute [...]
Posted in Grammar & Spelling Leave a comment
This 60-second car commercial will make you a better communicator.
This is embarrassing, so I’m going to go ahead and get it out right now: even though I worked in ad agencies for years and even wrote a number of commercials, I rarely watch TV. We rent movies, but that’s about it. We don’t even have cable. When someone wants me to comment on a [...]
Posted in Communication Tips 1 Comment
The funny thing about humor in emails.
The funny thing about using humor in emails and other business writing is that it often doesn’t work. Worse still, a lot of times it backfires on you. That’s because your reader can’t hear the smile in your voice or see the twinkle in your eye. I should know.
Posted in Communication Tips, Emails, General Writing Leave a comment
How Morse Code can make your writing more readable.
I know, I know…hardly anyone uses Morse Code anymore. But I’m planning to resurrect it in honor of all those Boy Scouts and amateur radio operators of days gone by. Besides, if you treat your sentences like Morse Code, your writing will be much more readable. The problem with most business writing is that it’s all dash and no dot. Here’s how to fix it.
Posted in Communication Tips, General Writing 1 Comment
The easiest way to write a great one-pager.