One of the most misused sets of homophones — words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have vastly different meanings — is the principal/principle pair. I recently read a notice about a new project that included a “principle” address as its location. I’ve seen organizations boast about their “guiding principals.” And I’ve seen … Read more
One of the subjects I discuss most often is the tendency to use bigger words when smaller ones are actually more communicative. I blame it on a desire to sound more educated and impressive (and I think it goes back to those papers we wrote in college, when we tried to mask our ignorance by … Read more
Are there certain things that people don’t know but should, and that drives you to distraction? For me, one of the biggest is the difference between features and benefits. While that distinction has been talked about for years, and successful communications and sales professionals invariably advocate for emphasizing benefits over features, there continues to be a … Read more
Far too many people spatter what they write with words that don’t really need to be there. One of the best examples is the word “appropriate.” People have a tendency to work it into sentences to make them sound more important, even though that extra word really doesn’t add any value. A typical example? “Once … Read more
Imagine if each of us were to be doled out a set of exclamation points at birth, and once we used up our allotment, that was it. No more. That was an idea a writer friend once advanced, and I think it makes more sense than 99 percent of what comes out of Congress. The … Read more
Writing something that will be presented, recorded, or spoken aloud? Here’s a remarkably simple way to make it even more compelling and effective. Even if your message will be heard by thousands, write it to just one of them. Pick out one person from that audience and write the message as if you were talking … Read more
It happens so often that I have trouble believing it. People inadvertently reveal a little more than they want us to know about them. They post a confession and an apology: “Sorry for the incontinence.” Sure, we know (or at least we hope) that they’re really not apologizing for bladder problems. We’re hoping they really … Read more
Have a job where you find yourself saying the same things 150 times a day? Don’t lose sight of the fact that each time you do, it may be the first time your audience is hearing it. I think about that every time a cashier or an employee on a store’s PA mumbles “thank you … Read more
If you’re looking for a way to catch the attention of your audience and focus their full attention on your message, ask them a question that matters to them. Some people think that asking questions in headlines and opening statements is a bad idea. I once had a boss who became furious anytime anyone presented … Read more
Although the ampersand (that little “&” mark) can be handy now and then, it’s one of the most-misused tools in the punctuation toolbox. The ampersand serves as a graphic replacement for the word “and.” When used in graphic design, it can even be a thing of beauty — much prettier than those three letters it … Read more