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Welcome to the latest issue of Write for You in
NJ News & Notes, our bimonthly newsletter.
Inside you will find tips on
writing, business, and life. If you have any writing
questions or if you'd like to
share any books or favorite links with our readers,
send me an
e-mail. And be sure to check
our web site for ways that we can help you with your
business.
Nancy Passow
| Feeling Okay About Saying No |
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Tucked away in the very useful little book
Writing Effective, Letters, Memos, & E-mail
by Arthur H. Bell, Ph.D., is this excellent list of
Ten Self-Coaching Reminders When You Must Say "No":
- I am saying "no" to ideas, requests, or
invitations, not to the person.
- My job requires me to say "no" at times. It's
not personal.
- Hearing "no" from me is hardly the end of the
world for the other person.
- I can offer alternatives along with my "no"
answer, but I'm not obligated to do so.
- "No" can be said in a friendly way that shows
respect and liking for the other person.
- My "no" answer can often be understood and
accepted by the other person if I let them see the
issue from my point of view.
- If I need to say "no" but waffle with ambiguous
answers, I am losing my own credibility with the
other person and increasing their eventual
disappointment.
- By choosing the right time and place to say "no"
I can minimize emotional blowups on the part of the
disappointed person.
- Whenever I say "no", I also need to communicate
that my door remains open for other ideas and
requests in the future.
- I should accompany my "no" answer with an
apology only when I have something to apologize for.
An empty apology is insincere. If I need to say
more about my "no" answer, I can choose to explain
rather than to apologize.
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| Spring Has Sprung |
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I love Spring! One day you notice a faint color in
the trees--pale green, a little red, maybe some
yellow. Then the next day there are tiny leaves
and flower buds. And then suddenly everything is
green. That's part of what makes Spring so special.
After the cold and harshness of Winter, everything
comes alive. This even applies to our work--I find
myself "attacking" my jobs with more energy.
Of course the best part
of Spring is that it is kayaking season again. And
I have something special to celebrate this season--a
new kayak!! It's a Wilderness Pongo 120 in Dayglo
green. (That's me in
the photo above, on Lake Welch in Harriman State
Park. ) And
this means I now have a spare kayak--so let me know
when you want to come paddling!
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Book of the Month . . . Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English |
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A new and expanded edition of Patricia T. O'Conner's
Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better
English in Plain English was recently published.
This book is a wonderful, very readable guide to
word usage,
punctuation, and all those rules of grammar we've
forgotten. As Ms. O'Conner puts it, "Most of us
don't know a gerund from a gerbil and don't care,
but we'd like to speak and write as though we
did." With both a glossary and an index, you will
find yourself using this book constantly as a
resource.
(To learn more about Ms. O'Conner
and her books, visit her web site.)
Quote of the Month: "It is better to sleep
on things beforehand than lie awake about them
afterwards." Baltasar Gracian
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