AdrienneMoch.com The Write Stuff


	News You Can Use Speaking Engagement: The Management Initiative I'll be speaking on writing for business as part of an exciting training and networking event in San Diego on February 5: The Management Initiative. Sponsored by The KindExcellence Institute, this one-day seminar focuses on the value of using kindness as a strong strategy that will lead to business success. For more information, visit themanagementinitiative.com. Contact me for details about a "know the speaker" discount. Trim Your Verbiage As we begin 2008, perhaps you're one of the many people thinking "less is more" by focusing on losing a few holiday pounds. In your writing, it's also a good idea to think about trimming. Here are three examples: "We're here all the time" is better than "we're here all of the time." "We're doing this to ensure great results" is better than "we're doing this in order to ensure great results." "What's the situation?" is better than "What's the current situation?" As you edit your work, watch out for extra words that don't add any value, but merely take up space.

The Write Stuff
Winter 2008 Volume 4 Issue 1

The "$15 Word": Keep It To Yourself

The English language is filled with thousands of wonderful words, and most of us probably are familiar with just a fraction of them. Just page through any encyclopedia volume, and you'll realize how much you don't know.

Those who have higher-than-normal vocabularies often feel the need to show off their "word intelligence"...and there's no place for that outside academia. In journalism school, you're taught to write to a 6th grade level; that may seem regrettable, but simpler is always better, even in business. It never pays to write to impress, because the result will likely be turning off readers.

Consider the following sets of words, which basically mean the same thing. You'll get your message across by using the words on the left of the colon, but if you use those to the right, you might miss the mark with many readers.

thought:cogitation
bland:vapid
loving:amative
stubborn: intractable
censor: expurgate
unpleasant: bilious
reasoning: ratiocination
expression: locution

I could go on and on (or drone on, if I chose not to follow my own advice), but I think you get the idea. You don't want your readers to need a dictionary to get through the things you write...you want them to be absorbing your message.

Happy New Year! As always, I'm available to assist you with writing and editing projects. Call me at 619-291-4645 to discuss your needs.

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