The Firing Squad: Choose Your Words and Your Medium Carefully

If you have the responsibility of firing someone, you must choose your words carefully and choose the correct medium to deliver them. Seems obvious, doesn’t it? Common courtesy, right? It’s amazing, however, how rarely firing someone is done in an appropriate manner. As a for instance, look at this extract from an email where someone was fired. Or were they?

…I also know there have been a few recent things that could bear fruit, but they might not as well. Here is my offer to you. The paycheck that you received at the end of July is the last paycheck I am planning to send you. If you would like to continue to pursue the things that have come up recently you are welcome to do so on behalf of [the company] and we will support you like an employee. At such point, where some of those things might start to occur and a balance returns to our relationship, then we can reconsider our deal. If this does not sound appropriate to you, then we should talk about transitions.

Especially at a time when one is addressing a subject as delicate as one’s livelihood, you think the employer could have taken the time to think through what he wanted to offer in a coherent fashion so the poor recipient could make sense of it. Instead, the receiver of this email had no idea what – if anything – was being offered. What does it mean to not receive a paycheck but still be ‘supported as an employee’? Work for free? Take my services but don’t pay for them until maybe one day, if my labors bear fruit, there could be some payment of an undetermined amount. Oh, goody! Where do I sign? Regardless of what was intended, the writer did not communicate clearly anything at all.

Furthermore, how cowardly to fire someone by email. Happens frequently but should never be done except in extreme circumstances (like the person can never be reached). Call the person on the phone. Meet with the person face to face. At the very worst, when official documentation is required for proof, write a proper, coherent letter. But, don’t send an email. This is too casual of a vehicle for such a weighty subject matter. Think, instead, how you would care to be treated if the proverbial shoe was on the other foot. Is that how you would like to be fired?

As an employer, you have the ability to fire someone gracefully and to do so will reflect well on you. Don’t loose this opportunity to do the right thing in the right way. Choose your words with care and have the courage to face the person you are letting go.

Is it so hard to say thank you?

William Safire, one of today’s top authorities on the use of the English language, had an article in this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine about his quest for a universal hand signal for ‘thank you.’ Specifically, he wanted something that was one-handed so one could easily deploy the gesture while driving a car. It was a humorous article that got me thinking seriously about thank yous – especially thank you notes, which seem increasingly rare to receive in this day and age. I believe this is to our detriment.

I am certain that I actually learned how to write through learning the art of thank you note writing – and yes, it can truly be an art form in the right hands. As soon as I knew how to write my letters, my mother dutifully sat me down at the kitchen counter where she would recite to me what exactly I should write to whomever had given me a gift or done me a good turn. She did this for years until I got the hang of it and could do it myself. She not only taught me how to write and organize my thoughts but that people needed to be shown appreciation for the things they did, no matter how large or small. It is not only the polite thing to do; it is the right and thoughtful thing to do.

From a business perspective thank yous are critical and, yet, too often forgotten. And if they are sent, they are often done via email. Traditionalists argue that email – in most cases – is too cheap a way to express a thank you, possibly because it requires so little effort. I agree. Someone has gone out of his or her way to do something for you and all you can take the time to do is send an email? Tut tut.

There are few things more appreciated than a posted thank you note, and even better if it is handwritten (as long as you have legible penmanship). Buy yourself some quality thank you notes or have some printed up with your company logo. The next time someone sends you a gift, a new client, buys you lunch or does you a favor, take the time to show your appreciation and express thoughtfully what their action did for you. Make it personal but professional. Your effort will not be forgotten because small considerations mean a lot in such a busy world. The cherry on top is that it will also make you feel good that you have properly thanked another.

Thank you for reading!

Emily Randolph, aka, the Word Nerd, is the Founder and Creative Director of WordsFlowZone.com, a marketing communication and copywriting firm. Randolph has been writing for companies internationally and domestically since 1992. She is also the co-author of Dima’s Dog School: The Foolproof New Way to Train Your Dog. She studiously puts a copy under her dogs’ beds at night hoping they will read it by osmosis.

Is what you have to say important? Thoughts on nonfiction book publishing

I read several manuscripts a year that I am asked to finish or edit or both. While it usually isn’t my job to judge whether or not someone should try to publish a manuscript, I often feel ethically compelled to at least ask the author what his or her intentions are for writing the book.

There is the old adage that we all have a book inside us. But is that book worth publishing on the mass market? Is what you have to say important enough for others to read? Here is a short checklist to consider before you launch into the time-heavy journey of writing a book:

• What is the point of your story? Can you articulate it in one or two sentences? There is nothing worse than a book that wanders all over the place and never gets to the point. Don’t be vague.

• Could your idea be better brought to light via an article instead of an entire book? (We have all read books that we thought said it all in a couple of paragraphs.)

• Are you writing the book simply as a catharsis? You wouldn’t be the first. If you are, are the lessons you have learned important enough to share with others? Or have your ideas already been published ad naseum.

• Does your idea have a market? Look to see if there are any other books on your subject. If not, is your idea unique enough that many will search it out to read?

• Take an honest look at why you want to publish a book. This may be the hardest job of all. Is it ego? Sometimes it’s very hard to get to the root cause of your motivation. But look you should and be honest with yourself.

• If your story is an autobiography, could there be something in it that might damage your reputation? Could you do harm to or badly insult friends and family? Is it worth it? Would it be best as a memoir for just your family’s pleasure?

Considering everyone can now publish a book on any topic and sell it on Amazon, take a long hard look at whether your story is compelling, informative and fills a gap in the market. If you can say unequivocally ‘yes’ to all, then write away!

Emily Randolph, aka, the Word Nerd, is the Founder and Creative Director of WordsFlowZone.com, a marketing communication and copywriting firm. Randolph has been writing for companies internationally and domestically since 1992. She is also the co-author of Dima’s Dog School: The Foolproof New Way to Train Your Dog. She studiously puts a copy under her dogs’ beds at night hoping they will read it by osmosis.

How to Become Friendly with the Cantankerous Comma

Class is back in session, kids. And no, an apple for the teacher will not get you higher marks. But learning the proper usage of that persnickety piece of punctuation, the comma, will help you make a great impression in all your correspondences and marketing initiatives. Everyone needs to know how to write well in order to gain the confidence of customers and colleagues.

If you have ever been in doubt when you need to use a comma, here are the simple rules for the most common applications:

1. To divide what could be two separate sentences
When writing, we often combine sentences, such as:

I went hiking in the hills, and I saw a flock of hummingbirds.

We use a comma, above, because these two sentences can stand on their own: I went hiking in the hills. I saw a flock of hummingbirds.

If the two sentences cannot stand alone, no comma is used:

I went hiking in the hills and twisted my ankle.

No comma is used here because these two pieces of information cannot be sliced into two sentences as they stand now. I went hiking in the hills is a complete sentence; twisted my ankle is not a complete sentence.

However, a clause that is dependent on the main clause does not contain a comma if it is essential to the meaning of the sentence:

I will sign the agreement if you can raise the money you promised.

2. To introduce names or professions

This is my ballet teacher, Mrs. Foot.

James Bond, 007 of the British Secret Service, has just popped ‘round for tea.

My plumber, Pat, laid the pipes in the pond.

3. Items in a series

I went shopping for carrots, bread, flour and eggs.

Note: A comma is not needed before the conjunction ‘and.’

When a sentence contains a series of short independent clauses, use commas between them, as well as before the conjunction (as in ‘and’ or ‘or.’)

I read, my sister knitted, my daughter practiced piano, and my husband made dinner.

Use semicolons instead of commas when your list of items includes longer phrases or internal punctuation:

I like playing softball; going out to soccer games; eating blueberry sorbet; flying kites; reading all day long; napping for hours; and blogging about my dog.

The children received high marks: Eliza, A-; David, A; and Henrietta, B+.

4. Introductory phrases or words
Often we start sentences with phrases or words preceded by phrases that could stand on their own. A comma in these circumstances indicates a pause. When trying to figure out whether or not you need a comma, just the simple test of reading the sentence aloud can help you determine the answer. If you naturally pause, you likely need a comma.

Oh, I love that!

Yes, please order me a glass of wine.

After having shopped for 2 hours for a briefcase, I stopped for a coffee.

I stopped for coffee is a sentence all by itself, while After having shopped for 2 hours for a briefcase is not.

Exceptions: introductory phrases that come directly in front of a verb do not need a comma. For example:

Shopping for a briefcase was all I did today.

5. Parenthetical elements
Use commas to set off phrases or words that are intentional pauses within a sentence, such as: however, indeed, therefore, and to say the least:

I like the color blue, however, the red sweater looks better on you.

You are running out of money, therefore, you should cut back and not go out to dinner.

6. Commas between adjectives

When a noun is preceded by two or more adjectives, commas normally separate the adjectives – unless the adjectives are normally paired together or considered a unit. For example:

Brad is a young, handsome guy.
I have a very long, difficult day tomorrow.
The daisy is a delicate, white, pretty smelling flower.

But:

I have a very nice friend.
There is a very high glass ceiling at this company.

7. Commas with repeated adjectives

I’m having a very, very bad hair day
Many, many people are upset with you.

Now that you know how to use commas, your communications will look cleaner and more professional – and that means more business for you and your company.

Emily Randolph, aka, the Word Nerd, is the Founder and Creative Director of WordsFlowZone.com, a marketing communication and copywriting firm. Randolph has been writing for companies internationally and domestically since 1992. She is also the co-author of Dima’s Dog School: The Foolproof New Way to Train Your Dog. She studiously puts a copy under her dogs’ beds at night hoping they will read it by osmosis.

The Thorny Apostrophe, and the Simple Rules to Get You Unstuck

Yes, it’s back to English class, folks! You, hiding in the back beneath a baseball cap, come find a seat in the front row.

One of the worst offenses in the English language is the botching of the thorny apostrophe. In fact apostrophe abuse is enough to make this writer absolutely apoplectic (sorry, I couldn’t resist the double alliteration.) Nevertheless, I am here to make it simple for you.

Apostrophes for Possessives: Apostrophes are often used to show possession, as in: Buffet’s music (the music belonging to Buffet); Zeus’ thunderbolt (the thunderbolt belonging to Zeus); the children’s games (the games of the children); and the Obamas’ new dog, Bo (the dog, Bo, belonging to the Obamas). Simple enough, except for maybe Zeus and the Obamas.

Zeus ends in an ’s’ so does not need another ’s.’

As for the Obamas, the rule on plural possessives (something belonging to more than one person or thing) is this: add an apostrophe after the ‘s,’ but it is not necessary (but not wrong) to add additional ‘s’ as in: Obamas’s. Modern usage now allows for leaving off the additional ‘s.’

Apostrophes for Combining Words: Consider these examples:
A. It’s delicious.
B. What’s next?
C. Shouldn’t you be learning how to use apostrophes?

In each case you can take out the apostrophe and write out what they stand for:
A. It is delicious
B. What is next?
C. Should you not be learning how to use apostrophes?

Easy enough, right?

Apostrophes can also be used when leaving out a letter, as in: isn’t. Here, the apostrophe stands for an ‘o,’ as in ‘is not.’

Be very careful that you are writing what you mean. See the differences in meaning in these sentences, all the same except for the placement of their apostrophes:

My friend’s dog’s coats (the coats belonging to the dog of my friend.)
My friend’s dogs’ coats (the coats belonging to the dogs of my friend.)
My friends’ dog’s coats (the coats belonging to the dog of my friends.)
My friends’ dogs’ coats (the coats belonging to the dogs of my friends.)

Pop Quiz: So do you think you have it? Test your knowledge. Are the following sentences right or wrong?

A. It’s lid is greasy.
B. The book’s cover is missing.
C. Douglas’s glasses are broken.

A. Wrong. Why? ‘It’s’ does not stand for ‘it is’ here, nor is it possessive. You could easily write, instead: ‘The lid is greasy.’ An apostrophe is not needed.

B. Right. The cover is a possession of the book so requires a possessive to denote this.

C. Neither Right or wrong, but modern usage allows for the elimination of the additional ‘s.’

Class is dismissed. Next lesson: commas!

Emily Randolph, aka, the Word Nerd, is the Founder and Creative Director of WordsFlowZone.com, a marketing communication and copywriting firm. Randolph has been writing for companies internationally and domestically since 1992. She is also the co-author of Dima’s Dog School: The Foolproof New Way to Train Your Dog. She studiously puts a copy under her dogs’ beds at night hoping they will read it by osmosis.

Get to the point!

No matter for what medium you write and for what purpose, you need to get to the point.

Like I just did.

It’s rather tempting to stop right here but how you get to the point is nearly as important as the point itself.

Define and refine your message. Know what you want to communicate and refine it until it contains only the necessary words to deliver the right message. This sounds obvious but in reality, unfortunately, it is infrequently achieved.

Mean what you say. Make sure the point you are making is the one you intend. Do your words actually say what you want them to say – or will someone confuse your message? The only way to know is to have at least one other set of eyes review your material. Remember, even Nobel Prize winning writers have editors. None of us are immune from mistakes.

It’s better to be clear than too clever. Think of the TV ads you’ve seen and have had no idea what they were selling. The creators tried to be too clever (because they were trying to find a new way to grab people’s attention) and missed connecting with their audience.

Make your point sooner rather than later. How often have you put aside a book or article because it wasn’t coming to the point? In this age of high-speed Internet, we cannot expect to hold anyone’s attention for very long. Once you grab it, tell your story and share your message quickly.

Use English properly. So many of us are so used to texting and emailing in shorthand, we have forgotten or become too lazy to use English properly. But in business, when you are selling a product or service, you must make the best possible impression at all times. Sloppy doesn’t sell. You will loose business if you are inaccurate with language use.

So, wait a minute, what was I saying? Oh yes, get to the point!

Emily Randolph, aka, Word Nerd, is the Founder and Creative Director of WordsFlowZone.com, a marketing communication and copywriting firm. Randolph has been writing for companies internationally and domestically since 1992. She is also the co-author of Dima’s Dog School: The Foolproof New Way to Train Your Dog. She studiously puts a copy under her dogs’ beds at night hoping they will read it by osmosis.

Don’t forget – words matter!

Being a copywriter and published author, I might just be a wee bit biased, but still I think I can safely say… words matter!

Words are a critical element of your marketing and communication. Your words are who you are, what  your company is and its vision. Clearly focus on this, and the rest of your marketing material can be developed smoothly and coherently.

Get your message right the first time and save time and money. I can’t tell you how often I am brought in on a project that is a final element of several already exiting marketing materials only to discover I have to help the client ‘discover’ what they want to communicate about their company – and then they have to redo the rest of their collateral. Spend the time to get your message right the first time around.

The right words delivered the right way produces clients. Websites are a prime example of business owners forgetting the importance of words. Too often, they are too focused on what their site should look like. Sure, a cool site draws the eye in but unless you are a graphic designer or a photographer, how your site looks actually plays a back seat to what you need to communicate. Your audience will give you only a short time to convince them to buy your product or service. In the right style and voice you have to concisely and clearly tell them how you will solve their problems… and you need to do this better than your competition.

Yes, indeed, words matter. Focus on what you want the world to know and hone the words until they sparkle.

Emily Randolph, aka, Word Nerd, is the Founder and Creative Director of WordsFlowZone.com, a marketing communication and copywriting firm. Randolph has been writing for companies internationally and domestically since 1992. She is the co-author of Dima’s Dog School: The Foolproof New Way to Train Your Dog. She studiously puts it under her dogs’ beds at night hoping they will read it by osmosis.