As you can imagine, when I send out my posts, I get a lot of out-of-office replies. More often than not, the messages say the recipient is currently out of the office until a future date, which doesn’t make much sense.
Would you say, “I’m out of the office at the... (Read More)
If I can’t picture it, I can’t understand it.
Albert Einstein, the physicist who developed the theory of relativity, said that. The Nobel prizewinner had a point. It’s easier to grasp something if you can visualize it, which is why it’s important to write in language you can see.... (Read More)
Driving double-digit growth, driving innovation, driving good health outcomes—these are commonplace ways the business community uses the verb drive.
If you look up drive in the dictionary, you’ll find eight definitions with usage examples as diverse as driving cattle across a prairie (to prod), driving a hard bargain (to carry... (Read More)
Did humans evolve from apes?
That’s a legitimate question and a legitimate use of the word evolve, which means to develop gradually.
Too often in business, however, companies use evolve to describe some sort of change, instead of just saying they’ve improved or updated whatever it is they’re changing.
Our stores offer curbside pickup, bringing even more convenience to your visit, read the email from a favorite retailer.
Is convenience something you bring? And how exactly would you bring it to a visit?
I had a similar thought when Facebook said they’re bringing more transparency to their political ads.... (Read More)
Anthony Fauci—God bless him—was talking the other day about the new, stronger variant making its way around the world and how to stem its spread. Get as many people vaccinated as soon as possible was his message.
“The less people that get infected, the less chance you’re going to give... (Read More)
I recently saw an email that talked about the eminent retirement of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The writer should have said imminent instead.
Eminent, used mainly to describe people, means famous and respected, whereas imminent means something is about to happen.
I mused that the writer could have referred to the... (Read More)
A new year—at last!—is just two weeks away and with it lots of opportunities to wish one another well. Putting those wishes to paper, however, can be tricky. Is it Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year or Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year? If you chose the... (Read More)
A well-known healthcare company recently hired a diversity and inclusion officer who announced in a press release that he was going to magnetize and incubate diverse talent to fuel innovation at the company.
Who actually says I’m going to magnetize talent?
Would a grown person really want to be incubated?
... (Read More)A while ago I wrote a post about not starting emails with I hope you are well.
In everyday business writing, I counseled, there’s generally no reason to open with a reference to your reader’s well-being, particularly if you don’t know the person to whom you’re writing.
But coronavirus has... (Read More)
