Listen to an interview with Natasha Terk

Tools for Success’ podcast interview with Natasha Terk is available now.  Listen to Natasha talk about e-mail and strategies to use it effectively in business communications.  Natasha covers the following topics in the 15-minute interview with Ken Inlow: How to craft clear and concise e-mail messages How to get your message across the clutter  How to get people to open your message How to present a consistent professional image How to avoid e-mail risks

Write It Well on the Columbia Law Reader

E-Mail: A Write It Well Guide just landed on the Columbia Law School reader. The book is a user-friendly handbook to crafting professional, effective e-mail. It covers everything from writing persuasively to inbox housekeeping, plus tips on grammar nitty-grits like misplaced modifiers

Will Your Business Plan Be Read?

A brilliant idea is worthless if you can’t explain it to other people effectively. Richard Bell, who runs a venture capital firm in east Africa, said that 90% of the business plans on his desk were too poorly written for him to bother reading. The problem, of course, is that great ideas don’t speak for themselves

“Why Can’t Us?”: Philly Grammar

A Phillies fan asked, “Why can’t us?” on a radio show last Thursday. The Phillies haven’t been to the World Series since 1993, so the wistful, ungrammatical plea was the perfect rallying catchphrase for the team’s fans. Sometimes, “bad” grammar is more effective than “good” grammar

Tech Terms: From ASCII to Cloud Computing

When I was eight, I asked my brother what ASCII meant. “ASCII is a secret military code. I’ve managed to break it,” he said, “and I read their plans to kidnap you