Communicate clearly

Writing tips 1: Refresher on some fundamentals

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writing tip, daily writing tip, writing classes, writing jobsWriting well has always been important, and the same is true today. Your image–your brand–is affected by how well you project yourself in writing. This is true whether you’re writing on paper or on a web platform like Facebook. Too many people seem to take a cavalier approach to writing when they’re on social media. Yet social media is increasingly being used to learn about a person. Oftentimes it’s employers doing research on job candidates. That could mean you.

In this new series of blog posts, I will use examples of poor writing that I have seen or received. Most of these were on Facebook, but others came to me in emails. Each offers errors in one or more areas:

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Public speaking tip: Hold microphone close to your mouth

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If you ever have to use a cordless mic, hold it close to your mouth. Too often people hold it down by the chest; the mic won’t pick up well from there. The microphone won’t bite, so hold it high! For more presentation and public speaking tips, see “Presentation skills — 5 tips to help … Read more

Presentation skills – 5 tips to help you survive a disaster

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Have you faced a disaster during a presentation? If not, you will soon. It happens to every public speaker at some point. What I experienced during a recent presentation can help you prepare for the inevitable.

Like most presenters, my presentation was on PowerPoint slides. I set up early, and had the projector running prior to my presentation. Unfortunately, the projector died soon after I began, which caused me to react. There are several lessons to be learned from this incident. Note that the first item is more of a preventive measure. I include it in the list because projector problems are common.

1. Monitor the projector. Unlike most presenters, I don’t typically glance at the projection screen. Preferring to maintain my concentration on the audience, I will just glace at the laptop monitor, and look up at the audience. In this case, the projector was placed next to the laptop. Had I turned my attention slightly to the left, I would’ve seen that there was no light coming from the projector lens.

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Word tip: better/best and more/most

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Here is a brief reminder on how to use better/best and more/most properly. Better and more apply when you’re comparing or referring to only two items: “Product A handled the problem better.” (not ‘handled the problem best’) “Product A offers more power for the dollar.” (not ‘the most power’) If your sample includes three or … Read more

Presentation tip: Improve your presentation with pauses

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Improve your oral presentation skills by incorporating pauses in your speech. Oh, I’m sure you pause on occasion. Everyone does naturally. But for maximum effect after a particularly dramatic or funny comment, pause for 4 to 6 seconds. (You may need to count in your head to make sure you wait long enough.) Doing so will … Read more