Human Skills and Better Communication
The KISS treatment. You might not need to give it to every piece of text but it’s always important that your writing is concise.
KISS = Keep It Short and Simple
Why? Three reasons:
‘Imply’ or ‘infer’? Many people confuse these words. They are both verbs that deal with the communication of a message but they have different meanings.
Whether you use ‘imply’ or ‘infer’ also depends on whether you are the sender or the receiver of the message.
Continue reading “Imply Or Infer?”
Your body language can betray your apprehensions and fears – and you might not even realise it.
We’ve all been there….
It might be a meeting, a presentation, a job interview or a sales pitch. It doesn’t matter; these situations have one thing in common. You – at least for some of the time – will be the centre of attention.
Continue reading “Every Body Speaks The Language”
‘Home in’ or ‘hone in’? Is there a difference?
Yes, there is. One doesn’t make sense.
I read this sentence in a recent article:
(The newspaper’s) reporting honed in on a set of emails ….
It should be ‘homed in’, of course, but not everyone would have you think so.
Continue reading “‘Home In’ Or ‘Hone’”
Public speaking is a massive challenge. For many people, it’s the single most difficult and most terrifying thing they are ever asked to do.
You might be preparing for a business presentation or a tough job interview. Even worse, perhaps, you have to make a speech. You have to speak to a group and it’s something you just can’t get out of. So how will you deal with it?
Continue reading “Public Speaking … Who, Me?”
These exchanges probably sound very familiar :
Sam: Are you sure you want to go?
Jo: Yep. Totally… 110%
Mal: Is this a really committed relationship?
Toni: Absolutely… 1,000%
A mathematical impossibility – in both cases.
It’s also a valid language concern.
Have you ever fallen into the pit of poor pronunciation?
We’ll start with what is possibly the worst word to mispronounce; it’s a horrible irony.
(True story) I once overheard a language teacher say to her students:
‘It’s absolutely essential you get your pronounciation right’.
The intended advice was excellent but… ‘pronounciation’? No. No.
Continue reading “Pronunciation Pitfalls”
You’ve decided you want to work as a freelancer. You ditched the day job to go out on your own, and now you’re a contractor-sole trader-free agent. Your dream of freedom and flexibility has come true. It’s ideal… isn’t it?
Continue reading “You Want To Work As a Freelancer?”
Perhaps the concept of ‘work-life balance’ just isn’t working for you. There could be good reasons for that. You might be buying into the work-life balance myth.
Like any myth, it’s tied up with belief. We all like to believe there’s a way to have it all.
But in the real world, that’s not going to happen
Continue reading “The Work-Life Balance Myth”
‘Like’, ‘such as’ or ‘as though‘? These are three options that seem interchangeable but aren’t. ‘Like’ is close to being the most overused word in the language and apart from the irritation value, it’s often used wrongly.
Continue reading “‘Like’, ‘Such As’ Or ‘As Though’?”