Email conventions: Getting the timing right
Email might be indispensable to business, but we don’t have good conventions about its timingEmail writing has become fairly standardised, and most people seem to understand its conventions These include: it’s a good idea to start with some type of salutation; CAPITALS = SHOUTING; it’s easy to give unintended offense; it’s wise to think before hitting send; and it’s best to think carefully before hitting ‘reply all’But timing is more interesting How long should you wait before...
Read moreChoosing between ‘I’ and ‘me’
The choice between 'I' and 'me' causes a lot of grief Of all the issues that I discuss in writing workshops, it's near the top of the list of things that cause confusion It definitely tops the list of issues that people get wrong when they're absolutely convinced they're right!Last week I enjoyed listening to Michael Cathcart (Books and Arts, Radio National) as he checked himself on his use of 'I' and 'me' He said:' that's plenty of time for you and me to read Or is it you and I...
Read moreNote to entrepreneurs: ‘educator’ and ‘community’ are not parallel
Parallelism is one of those delicious concepts that help to mark professional writers from amateurs It’s a writing tool that professional writers notice and hunt for, but which readers rarely see It’s part of the invisibility of good writing An editor can improve parallelism and receive almost instant praise from a client: ‘I don’t know what you did, but it reads so much better now’; ‘That’s exactly what I wanted to say, but you’ve worked your magic on it!’Parallelism is...
Read moreAnticipate audience expectations
The idea that communicators need to anticipate and meet the expectations of their audiences isn’t new Communication has conventional forms and, by following the conventions and meeting audience expectations, communicators can minimise errors and increase accuracy Audiences learn the ‘communication script’ that is relevant for situations, and expect that script to be followed This seems like a simple enough guideline, but it can be difficult to get it right Sometimes...
Read moreSelf-publish to your heart’s content, but please pay a proof-reader
We’re all publishers today Nearly every service provider is in the business of creating content and self-publishing as a way to lift their profileThe rush to publish creates clutter, and for many readers triggers what Wurman aptly names ‘information anxiety’ With so much information available, how do readers choose content with value And how do self-publishers create something that stands above the clutter and really provides useful contentOf course, one strategy to achieve...
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