Plain Language Writing Techniques for Professionals
Plain-language techniques used by editors of memos, proposals, and disclosures. Substitution tables, layering, and a two-minute self-test.
All articles tagged with "Communication-Skills"
Plain-language techniques used by editors of memos, proposals, and disclosures. Substitution tables, layering, and a two-minute self-test.
Separate structural, line, and proof edits the way working journalists do. Checks, timings, and a worked example that trims a memo in half.
Five opening patterns that capture attention in 90 seconds: provocative question, unexpected statistic, concrete story, shared experience, high-stakes claim.
Templates for cold intros, warm reintros, upward asks, and follow-ups. The specific words that cause delete and the patterns that triple reply rates.
Hold firm positions in written negotiation without breaking trust. Templates, language patterns, and repair notes used by experienced counsel.
Meeting briefs, airtime discipline, decision calls, and 24-hour summaries. The facilitation playbook used by leaders whose teams ship fastest.
Techniques for the first 20 seconds, vocabulary that holds up, the strategic pause, reframing hostile questions, and graceful stalls.
Specific scripts for single-incident, pattern, performance, peer, and upward feedback. Timing rules, medium choice, and pushback responses.
Missed deadline conversation scripts with four-part framework, cause identification, written follow-up templates, and language that produces behavior change without shame.
Complete expert guide to emotional intelligence for working professionals. Self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and relationship management with real scenarios.
Complete expert guide to building rapport with colleagues at work. Strategies for new hires, remote teams, cross-functional partners, and introverts with scripts.
Expert guide to running effective one-on-one meetings: agenda templates, cadence, first 1:1s, remote 1:1s, and powerful questions for managers.
Complete expert guide to networking follow-up: timing, tiered contact system, LinkedIn templates, email scripts, and coffee requests that get responses.
Complete guide to handling hostile questions in presentations with five-part response framework, templates for eight question types, and physical composure techniques.
Expert guide to body language for public speakers: posture, gestures, eye contact, movement, and voice with drills for stage, boardroom, and video.
Complete expert guide to speech structure frameworks: problem-solution, chronological, persuasive, informative, and narrative with examples for every context.
Expert guide to peer communication at work: requests, feedback, boundaries, conflict, credit, and trust with scripts for common coworker situations.
Expert guide to clear professional writing: conciseness, word choice, sentence structure, active voice, revision passes, and reading aloud with examples.
Complete guide to clear professional writing with fifteen editor-proven rules, comparison tables, revision checklists, and language patterns that respect the reader.
Give feedback that people can hear and act on. The SBI model, radical candor, timing rules, and scripts for the feedback conversations everyone avoids.
Evidence-based guide to active listening covering Carl Rogers' person-centred approach, the HEAR framework, reflective listening techniques, cognitive barriers, and practice exercises for professionals.
Evidence-based guide to persuasive presentations covering cognitive load theory, argument structure, visual design, and delivery techniques backed by peer-reviewed research.
Overcome public speaking anxiety with methods that work. Cognitive reframing, exposure protocols, breathing techniques, and rehearsal structures backed by research.