Writers Resource Group, Inc.
Delivering intelligence: On point. On deadline. On budget.
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"A simple grammar mistake
Is a BRIGHT RED FLAG
That can ruin an otherwise good first impression."
--Sister Mary Patrick | |
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In business today, clarity is the key to credibility
Mary Pat here. Every few weeks or so, I take time out from my duties to share my English grammar notes with WRG's clients, colleagues and friends. After 35 years at St. Dom's Academy, I've earned my English grammar chops, believe me. Chances are, you already know these rules. But when we get busy or in a hurry, we all tend to forget them. That's how errors creep into our writing. Worse yet, a simple grammar mistake can ruin that good first impression and taint your reputation for accuracy and excellence. Now, read on, pay attention and sit up straight in your chair.
All the best wishes,
Sister Mary Pat, Our Lady of Perpetual Correctness
Chief Grammarian, Writers Resource Group, Inc.
Our Lady of Perpetual Correctness volley ball team (Sister Mary Pat, ready to set)
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Email and Texting for Adults
Emails have taken over printed communications. Texting is not far behind for quick, chatty conversations. However, and this is a biggie: We're not children. So why should your emails and text messages look like a child wrote them? They shouldn't. A little attention to e-message etiquette will separate you from the masses and make you look great. Here are the rules I want you to follow:
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Use the proper font: Arial or Times New Roman. Avoid italics. And never, ever change fonts in the middle of a paragraph or sentence. It stops readers dead in their tracks
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Avoid verbosity: Keep emails short--100 words or less. If you need more space, draft the document off line in Word and attach the file.
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Reference the subject: This too warrants some thought. People read the subject line and then decide if they want to open your email. Be polite. Be clear. It's okay to pique their interest. Just don't pull a bait and switch that will later damage your credibility.
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Use a nice salutation: Emails and text messages are less formal than a letter. But they still need to address the reader. Use: Hi Mathew; Hello Mark; What's up, Luke; or simply their name, John,
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Sloppy work: Just because it's an e-communication doesn't excuse sloppy work. Even if you're not a professional writer like us here at WRG, take some pride in your work. Do the best job you can. Then take a second to proof read the message before sending it.
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Trash the emoticons: Emotion icons (emoticons) are those insipid happy faces and other punctuation marks used for other than God's intended purpose. Don't use them. They're forbidden in all professional communications including email and text messages. By the way, the new Blackberry Storm II seems to automatically put those little devils into its outgoing text messages. If anyone knows how to get rid of them, will they please email my boss? They're driving both of us nuts.
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Screaming at your readers. Generally, use of all capital letters means that you're screaming or shouting. I know those of you in the financial industry on the Bloomberg system have no choice--that's the way Bloomberg works. But for the rest of us, just know that caps may carry an unintended meaning. Instead, if you must emphasize a word or entire phrase, use bold or maybe underline it.
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Abbreviations: Contrary to texting, which has a space limitation, email has no such limitation other than your reader's interest. There's enough room to actually write out full words. Give your readers this courtesy if possible (like when on your desk top computer). However, when on your cell or PDA, using abbreviations instead of complete words is a huge temptation. I'm an expert at temptation, believe me. You can do two things to soften the difficulty readers will have: First, turn on the auto fill-in and auto-spell check functions on your PDA. This will often fill in abbreviated words and fix your misspellings. Second, on your signature line, make the note that this message was sent from your PDA so people understand and sympathize with the difficulty you're experiencing.
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More abbreviations: Here are some of the more common abbreviations used in texting. Avoid them unless you know your reader(s) are fluent in the texting lexicon. Alternatively, fire away if you really must show that you're one of the kids:
· BTW: By the way
· FWIW: For what it's worth
· ROTFLOL: Rolling on the floor, laughing out loud
· QT: Cutie
· TTFN: Ta ta for now
· IMHO: In my humble opinion
· TTYL: Talk to you later
· BCNU: Be seeing you
Don't use these abbreviations unless you're under 15 years old and fear that Sister Marguerite Baptiste will confiscate your cell phone (which she just might do if she catches you).
Until next time, I'm Sister Mary Pat for Writers Resource Group.
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| About Writers Resource Group, Inc.
Writers Resource Group provides professional literary services to all types and sizes of companies. Industry specialties include financial services, manufacturing, industrial, health care and professional services.
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