Anyone who ever lived in an apartment or a college dorm knows that toothpaste offers a fast way to hide nail holes and other small injuries to the walls. And anyone who has ever tried to sell a house has probably heard that slapping a quick coat of paint on the walls can make the … Read more
If you’ve ever attended a spouse’s office party, you’ve probably found yourself staring at your drink after one employee says something like, “Yeah, but don’t ever give Bob a glass of 7-Up!,” and everyone else in the room collapses into convulsions of hysterical laughter. When the laughter dies down, your blank expression is answered with … Read more
One of my favorite stories about word choices is the one about the hospital that decided to open a walk-in clinic to compete with local freestanding clinics. The medical staffers who served on the hospital’s board chose to call it an “ambulatory” clinic, because to medical folks, “ambulatory” means that an individual is capable of … Read more
Remember when Cheap Trick serenaded Budokan with “I endeavor you to endeavor me/I desire you to desire me”? No, you don’t quite remember the lyrics sounding like that? Why did Robin Zander and company sing “I want you to want me/I need you to need me” instead of the substitutions in the last paragraph? … Read more
Are you unique? That’s good. Are you very unique? That’s not so good. No, I’m not suggesting that individuality is a bad thing. In fact, it’s a very good thing. A very powerful thing. And the word “unique” should be a very powerful word. Unfortunately, it’s misused so often that it is losing its … Read more
Most business owners and managers are eager to find good advice – and that makes sense. If someone else has expertise, why not borrow it (or at least consider it) when you’re making an important decision? But when you ask for that advice (or when it’s handed to you without a request), stop to ask … Read more
Most people whose jobs require that they sit through many presentations are well-acquainted with the concept (if not the term) of “death by PowerPoint.” It’s a reference to any number of excruciating presentation types. Perhaps the worst offender is the presenter who subjects you to copy-heavy slide after copy-heavy slide, and makes it worse by … Read more
One of the most commonly expressed frustrations about writing is the inability to get started. Whether someone has to write something for work, for school, or for any other purpose, nine times out of ten, their struggle begins with the first words they need to put on the page. Some people call it writer’s block, … Read more
Are typos a big deal? True typographical errors, misspellings, incorrect homonyms and the like all get lumped together under the rubric of “typos” these days. Many people seem to accept them the way we’ve come to accept a certain percentage of rodent parts in the processed food we buy. (You do realize that the government … Read more
I once received an assignment to rescue a doomed newsletter for companies providing towing services to a motor club’s members. The motor club didn’t understand why it was failing. So we conducted a random survey of towing operators. What we heard was enlightening. “I don’t read that rag. It’s nothing but PR for your company … Read more