The Colon: A Mark of Leadership?

You convey leadership through your writing when you master nuances of punctuation. For example, this sentence features a strong, strategic colon:

Though he is routinely armed with an iPhone and at least one iPad, the man who oversees the entire animated film output for both Pixar and Walt Disney Studios prefers doing things old school: warm-embrace greetings followed by face-to-face meetings.

— Peter Newcomb, “A Day with John Lasseter, King of Pixar,” wsj.com

The journalist’s colon is correct: it introduces an explanation of the preceding idea. John Lasseter has an old-school style. In what way? He greets people warmly and he meets face to face.

Readers follow punctuation marks instinctively even if they themselves don’t know how to use them. It can feel like struggling through a traffic jam to try to follow poorly punctuated sentences and paragraphs.

But when you punctuate your sentences correctly, readers can be grateful for your clear directions through a maze of complex ideas. That’s one way high-quality writing can convey the quality of leadership.

Write It Well’s book Essential Grammar includes two user-friendly chapters on punctuation. It’s a thorough review of the fundamental grammar you need to project credibility, clear thought, and professionalism through all your writing.

Do you have an important document but not enough time to polish it? Just use Write It Well’s editing services. We’ll make sure the prose is correct, clear, concise, and engaging so your readers will follow your ideas and respect your voice.