The Case for Contractions

From memos and emails to reports, websites and blogs, you should use contractions in all your business communications. If you're not doing so already, you should start changing that today.

Why? 

Modern life and work environments are far more casual than they were just a decade ago. Speech is more casual, attire is more casual, and working relationships are less formal. Online and digital communications are also significantly more casual and interactive than the paper-based communications of the past.

Ditch the Dots

Thanks to the internet, we can easily share information, highlight new products, explain processes, and engage customers and prospects on a global scale. For better or worse, we can also see what others are doing and quickly integrate new trends into our own communications.

The rampant use of ellipses (...) is an unfortunate trend that's spreading like wildfire. These dot-dot-dots are popping up everywhere from letters and emails to blogs, websites and product descriptions.

A recent example was brought to my attention because it was from someone seeking employment in the communications field. Presumably, this person had a background related to the position they were seeking, but there it was in black and white: The applicant had visited the company website ... and was looking for work.

When the business owner saw the ellipsis, a red flag shot up and rightfully so. The rules governing ellipses are specific and quite limited. It's appropriate to use an ellipsis if you want to indicate:

1. Uncertainty
2. An abrupt change of thought
3. A pause
4. Words missing from a quotation

That's it, four simple applications.

So, back to the job applicant. Were they expressing uncertainty? A thought change? A pause? (They weren't quoting anyone, so that option isn't relevant.)

In the end, it doesn't matter what they hoped to convey. The inadequate cover letter and unread resume moved directly to the rejection pile. Why? To the business owner, those three tiny dots were a huge signal the applicant was unprepared for a professional position. 

It's your decision. You can be on trend and use ellipses with abandon, but be prepared for the fallout. 

If you're smart, you'll ditch the dots unless you're eliminating words from a quote. Otherwise, you risk being viewed as uncertain, indecisive, distracted, inconsistent or incapable of clear thought, qualities few if any employers, clients or customers find desirable.


TIP: In lieu of an ellipsis, substitute a dash (-) to indicate a thought change or pause.


For more writing tips, see:
The Great Comma Controversy
The Humble Hyphen
Pesky Periods & Parentheses
Respect the Semicolon

For more related to employment, see:
Do Writing Skills Still Matter?
What Employers Really Want

Control the Use of Capitals

Capital letters play an important role in communication. They add emphasis to key words and help readers recognize concepts you find important.

Like many useful things, however, a little capitalization goes a very long way.

I was reminded of this during a recent research foray. A pivotal resource site had high quality content. Unfortunately, the over-zealous use of caps made it very difficult to read, let alone deduce what was important and what wasn't.

Lean Writer | How Many Words are Too Many?

A study conducted by the American Press Institute confirmed something most of us already knew: The longer a sentence is, the less readers understand.

The study analyzed comprehension rates associated with sentence length. It found readers understood:

• About 10% of the content in sentences with 43 words
• More than 90% of the content in sentences with 14 words
• Close to 100% of the content in sentences with fewer than 8 words

Writing | The Data Wars

The word data is derived from the Latin word, datum.

In Latin, datum is singular and data is plural. Technically, this is also true in English, and scientists, mathematicians, English teachers and grammar aficionados rigidly follow this distinction.

In their world, data are plural.

Writing | One Small Letter, Big Difference

And there it was.

A nationally recognized journalist was using an eggcorn, on live TV:  “Let’s flush out the picture.”

What they meant was: “Let’s flesh out the picture.”

The difference between “flush” and “flesh” is a classic eggcorn.

Writing | Eggcorns Gone Wild

Eggcorn © 2012 Crossbridge

What is an eggcorn?

It’s a relatively new term that describes the substitution of one word or phrase for another one that sounds the same or similar.

Eggcorns occur most commonly in spoken language, but they also appear in writing. Here’s an example:

For all intensive purposes, this project is nearly complete.

Of course, the correct phrase is “for all intents and purposes.”

Writing | Respect the Semicolon

Abraham Lincoln was a skilled and powerful communicator.

He was also a man with great wit and insight.

His observation below is so subtle and clever, it always makes me smile:

With educated people, I suppose, punctuation is a matter of rule; with me it is a matter of feeling. But I must say I have a great respect for the semicolon; it’s a useful little chap.

Good advice. Respect the semicolon; it's a useful chap.

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Related
Writing | The Great Comma Controversy
Writing | The Humble Hyphen
Writing | Pesky Periods & Parentheses
Writing | Eggcorns Gone Wild
It's Official, Email has No Hyphen

Writing | The Great Comma Controversy

The internet is aflame with controversies. The economy, unemployment numbers and the upcoming election come readily to mind.

While these battles rage, let’s turn our attention to another online brouhaha: the Oxford comma controversy.

What is an Oxford comma, you ask, and why is it so controversial? Here’s the situation in a nutshell.

Pesky Periods & Parentheses

People seem puzzled by pesky periods and parentheses and how to use them with skill and confidence.

Recently, I've seen both pros and amateurs make similar mistakes in articles, reports, memos, brochures, websites and blogs.

Let's take a quick look at two examples and see if we can spot and fix the problems.

B2B Blogs | 5 Fast Ways to Cite Sources

If you've posted original B2B content online, it's likely portions have been taken and used without proper credit, whether you know it or not. Poaching is so common, it's also easy to assume the worst.

There are many ways in print and online to provide citations for practical B2B content. I use a variety of methods on this site and in work produced for clients.

Here are five fast ways to cite your sources:

There's a Word for That

PLAGIARIZE (verb): To take ideas, writings, etc., from another and pass them off as your own

Bob Chapman and I have published a variety of articles here and in the MFRtech eJournal.

Recently, through pure accident, we discovered another B2B blog had poached large chunks of content from our article, Is Price Pressure Affecting Your Bottom Line? They did this without permission and without citing the source.

English, remarkable language that it is, has a word for this practice. It's called plagiarism.

Do Writing Skills Still Matter?

A new crop of business school graduates will enter the marketplace this summer, and many have valuable skills.

Data analysis. Deep theoretical grounding. Experience with case study models. A fresh, textbook understanding of marketing, advertising, finance and operations.

If you own a business or work in the business world, you won’t be surprised to learn your peers routinely complain to colleges about the caliber of graduates’ writing skills. This is true at every level, from associate and bachelor to master degree levels.

The complaints are many and varied.

Before & After | Keep it Simple

We've all done it. We've written something technical, detailed or complex, and instead of providing clarity, we create confusion.

We've all seen someone else do it. We've read, or tried to read, something important to our work or business, and instead of useful information, we've discovered gobbledygook.

Who has the time and patience to wade through unnecessary arglebargle? Anyone? Anyone?

The Humble Hyphen

Long before the digital age, our brilliant ancestors devised a simple code to expedite communications.

That code is called punctuation, and one important symbol is the humble hyphen.

Hyphens may be small, but they're mighty. Their absence or presence and use convey a surprising amount of information.

It's Official, Email has No Hyphen

E-mail in 2002 AP Stylebook
(Photo: 8Crossbridge Communications 2011)

Did you catch the breaking news? The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook has dropped the hyphen from email.

It’s about time. Crossbridge has spelled email without a hyphen since the mid-1990s.

For almost two decades, the Stylebook editors have insisted email is spelled “e-mail,” since it’s a short form of the term “electronic mail.” The hyphen kept the term consistent with other “electronic” short forms, such as e-book, e-business and e-commerce.

No Time for Translation

by Mike Gugger, Guest Contributor

Every culture in the world has its own language. It is through this language the shared experience is communicated.

The shared experience is what develops into the stories that are told in the language and reinforce the culture.

This is a good thing, until the same concept is applied to industry, occupations and departments. Then it becomes a divider.

Tax Code Contains 8 Million Words

The US federal tax code and associated regulations contain 8 million words, according to Rich Karlgaard at Forbes.com.

If you own a small business and you've been paying attention lately, it won't surprise you to learn this mind-boggling figure continues to grow each year.

While I try to wrap my mind around the concept of 8 million words devoted to taxes, take time to read Karlgaard's article, America's 12-Step Program. Unlike the tax code, it's short, succinct and right on target.

Meanwhile, if you're seeking practical strategies for using fewer words and greater clarity to write about taxes, finance and business, check out the before-and-after articles, The Role of Finance and The Language of Business.

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Related
Taxes: What's Luck Got to Do With It?
Economy | Making Words Count

4 Ways to Write Better, Right Now

Say it straight, clear and overtly and you dramatically enhance your probability of success. DOUG HALL, Jump Start Your Business Brain

Most of us know someone like David. He’s quiet, capable and unassuming. He’s a skilled carpenter.

He's also one of the most effective factual writers I've known.

Why? David's writing is compact and precise. He uses a minimum number of words to convey a maximum amount of information.

Cost of Communications

by Charlie Puissegur, Guest Contributor

We’ve all heard a client or colleague say, "We have entirely too many meetings around here!"

Invariably, the same person will at another time declare, "Nobody ever tells us anything. There’s no communication around here!"

(On more than one occasion I’ve pointed this out to the parties involved, with some pleasure I might add. In almost every case, it has helped begin a useful dialogue.)