• Speaking with Power, Assertiveness, Managing Conflict & Confrontation, Listening for Results
• Develop Your Inner Leader, Influencing and Negotiating, Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving, Cross-Cultural Communication
• Collaboration, Making Feedback Work, Keeping Your Edge in the Virtual Workplace,  Handling Sticky Situations
• Better Business Writing, Grammar Gremlins

Visit our website to learn more about how our courses and services could improve your operations — www.languageatwork.com. If it’s easier, call me directly at 202-298-7700.

Thanks!
Judy

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But, for the sticklers, here are some generally accepted rules:

Further is a lot busier than farther; it can serve several functions:

As a verb:

Lilac wants to further her career by taking a course in sword-swallowing.

As a synonym for moreover or additionally:

She loves the circus, and, further, she intends to join.

As a synonym for more:

After further consideration, she enrolls in the fire-eating course instead.

Note:  Further is also used in this phrase: ‘without further ado’.  Please do not ever say this again.  It is trite.  You do not want to be trite  Think of something original.

To describe distance of ideas:

Job satisfaction seems to be the furthest thing on her mind.

And, less accepted, to describe measurable distance:

She is surprised that circus school is further away than she thought.

Farther is easier to manage as it has only one job: to describe distance, whether measurable:

She has farther to travel than the other circus students.

Or of ideas:

Her dreams have taken her farther from more traditional career choices.

For further information on language usage, check with us.  Help is no farther away than a phone call – 202-298-7700.

The post Fun With Further and Farther appeared first on Language at Work.

Few and fewer refer to items we can count.

“I have a few more rubies in my crown than you have in yours.”

(We can count those rubies.)

“If you want fewer complaints, get yourself some more rubies.”

(We can count those complaints, too.)

Less refers to a mass of something that isn’t countable.

“I’d like a little less fairy dust.”

A quick way to remember:

• One or two? Use “few”
• A big mess? Use “less”

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And how about number and amount?

Number is for the things we can count:

“A large number of elves came to the castle.”

Amount is for an uncountable mass:

“There is always an amount of trouble when the elves come.”

Some examples might seem tricky:

“He gave the witches a large amount of money.”

“He ended up giving away a number of dollar bills.”

Some of you may now be thinking about the express lane at the grocery store where the signs incorrectly say,

“Ten items or less.”

Now you can feel smug.  And correct!

The post Some Things Bear Repeating appeared first on Language at Work.

Is this confusing?

I ate the apple. or Me ate the apple.  Of course not.  We all know that ‘I’ is the one who does the eating of the apple.

How about this:

The mail came to I.  or The mail came to me.  Again- easy peasy.

The trouble happens when others are included.  What if Susie is involved in eating the apple:

Susie and me ate the apple.  Or Susie and I ate the apple.  ???  The answer is take Susie out of the sentence and see what you would say.  You’d say ‘I’ ate the apple.  So just stick Susie in there with you.

The same goes for ‘me’.  What if Susie is getting some mail, too.

The mail came to Susie and I.  or The mail came to Susie and me.

Again, remove Susie for a minute and see what you would do.  Then stick Susie in the sentence.

(Oh, and we always mention the other person first.  Never “I and Susie ate the apple”.)

Using ‘myself’ can be tricky.  It is easier to remember when NOT to use it.  Never this:

He sent the reports to Boopy and myself.  ( He sent them to ME!)

And never this:

“Boopy and myself were waiting for the reports.  (I was waiting for them.)

The use of myself is either reflexive or intensive.

Reflexive means what it suggests:  If you look in a mirror, you see a reflection of yourself.  Similarly, in this sentence

“I see myself having a big salad for lunch.”  You are reflecting yourself as the subject – AND as the object- of the sentence.

Intensive means what it says, also.  For example:

I made that pie myself.   We could just say I made that pie. But adding ‘myself’ intensifies the meaning.  Similarly:

If I want it done right I will do it myself.  More intense than just “If I want it done right I will do it.”

If you find ‘myself’ too confusing, just don’t use it.  No harm done. But do NOT stick it in someplace where I and Me belong.

Some of this confusion may come from old school teaching that made us afraid to use the word me, for some reason.  So many of us go to great lengths to avoid saying ‘me’, and we end up sound weird.  Or wrong.

For more information about our courses, please see: ..//courses/ and/or call us at 202-298-7700.

The post Me, Myself, and I:  What’s the rule? appeared first on Language at Work.

If you’re like most people, you plan a communication event by thinking about what you want to say.  You think of clever, succinct turns of phrase; you collect supporting anecdotes; you review past commentary on the subject at hand; and you envision yourself sounding brilliant.

This isn’t a bad strategy, but it leaves out the most important consideration: your audience.

Think about it – if you have no audience, if no-one is listening to you, your brilliant presentation is worthless.  And further, if you do have an audience, but they aren’t buying what you’re selling, or if they don’t care about it, or they’re annoyed by it – again:  worthless.

So, rather than starting with what you have to offer, start with the recipient of your offering.  More specifically, start with what you want from your recipient.  Usually when we speak to someone we want something from them.  It may be as simple as wanting them to agree with us, or wanting them to like us, or wanting them to know that we bring good will.  At the other end of the spectrum of wanting are messages that are meant to get the audience to do something, maybe even something that they don’t want to do.  Maybe we want them to accept bad news, to change behavior, to acknowledge fault, to write a check, to give permission, to forgive, to consider a different concept, or to hear a criticism.  Whatever it is, we usually expect something from that audience, and the ways we speak will determine whether or not we get it.

So instead of starting with clever phrasing and stories, start with a statement of what you want your audience to do, and begin figuring out how best to get there.

Being with your purpose statement, ‘At the end of this talk, I want my audience to……..”  and consider these things that might make your audience want to do whatever it is.

1. What’s in it for her?  How will she benefit from doing this, what will she get out of it, what will appeal to her?

2. How can you make the situation easy for her to accept?

3. What does she already know or think about this situation?  Do you need to do any explaining or instructing?

4. Is there any resentment or other emotional factor that affects this situation?  What can you do to relieve that?

As you begin to answer these questions, other considerations may come up, and eventually you’ll see the path to your purpose. You may notice that it isn’t persuasive to talk about yourself and what you hope to gain, that your position and your ideas don’t answer any of the above questions.

If you begin your planning with the end goal firmly in mind, you’ll select only those phrases, stories, or arguments that help you get there, and planning your talk will be much easier.

And if you’ve done your job well, regardless of the outcome, your audience will feel honored.

 Contact us today to schedule a  communication skills class at your organization.

The post The Audience: The Honored Guest at your Communication appeared first on Language at Work.

Those who watch training trends have offered predictions about what will be most helpful in the workplace in 2017.

As we move into the uncertainty and adjustment that accompany any administration transition, but particularly this one, as it signals significant changes, we can incorporate the predictions of  the trend watchers as we plan training programs for the new year.

Training that includes guidance for engaging employees in their work will be important, as will be tools to support them in their efforts, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-management.

Team work will deserve new attention, particularly as it focuses on the contributions made by those of different generations and cultures.  Work strategies for inclusion and cooperation will be welcome.

And, of course, communication skills will be critical. Collegial, productive interactions and clear writing are foundations for all successful training.

As you plan your 2017 training program, let us help you select the topics and areas of focus that will best suit your organization.  We can build a program of courses around those topics, and we can tailor course content to exactly fit your needs.

The post Training Trends for 2017 appeared first on Language at Work.

Resolve to do something transforming for your workplace this year: give everyone the gift of actually communicating with each other.

Here’s why:

1. Banish Confusion! A new administration year is confusing enough without fuzzy, incomplete, or vague communication.  Help folks learn to express themselves clearly and gracefully.

2. Promote Cohesion!  When people are able to speak and listen to each other they’re able to work together, to support one another, and to seek assistance.

3. Empower employees!  Workers who are encouraged to offer ideas, to question, and to share experiences are more likely to be productive, happy, and energetic.

4. Solve problems!  Many workplace mishaps are direct results of poor communication.  Let your employees learn to listen and clarify rather than make assumptions and hope for the best.

5.  Be productive!  When communication is clear, specific, and focused, everyone will be less stressed and frustrated, and they can direct energy to their jobs.

“The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place”.  G B Shaw

Even though a lot of talking goes on in every workplace, much of it is incomplete, vague, inconsistent, fraught with a second agenda, layered with emotion, or incomprehensible.  Listening is often selective, or nonexistent.  Many workplace problems are the result of poor communication, but this isn’t always recognized or addressed, so problems continue.

The good news is that communication improvement can happen quickly.  Often an adjustment in attention or focus can help change habits.

Let us be your guides to fulfilling your New Year’s Resolution.

• Schedule a course
• Schedule a series of related communication skills courses
• Talk with us to create a course for your specific needs.

The post 5 Reasons to Make Communication Improvement Your New Year’s Resolution appeared first on Language at Work.

Whatever holiday we celebrate, we like everything to be just right.

We also like a little light-hearted relief.

Take our holiday quiz and see how Just Right you are, and don’t worry if it doesn’t make you feel light-hearted.

Getting Correct is easy to do.

1. There are (a. fewer, b. less) holiday cookies in the break room this year.
2. Between you and ( a. I, b. me) I think that’s a shame.
3. Rudolph and (a. I, b. me) are planning a cookie exchange.
4. Dasher, as well as Dancer and Blitzen, (a. is, b. are) going to ask everyone to bring a favorite holiday treat.
5. Last year the favorite was (a. yours, b. your’s), I think.
6. A party, (a. which, b. that) everyone will want to attend, can be held on Friday.
7. So (a. its, b. it’s) important to keep everyone away from the break room until then.
8. Last year there were (a. fewer, b. less) people in the office.
9. But (a. its,b. it’s) clear that someone ate all the treats before the party, unless some random elf ate more than (a. its, b. it’s) share.
10. (a. Let’s, b. Lets) be sure no-one (a. let’s, b .lets) that happen this year!

Answers: 1 a; 2 b; 3 a; 4 a; 5 a; 6 a; 7 b; 8 a; 9 b; a; 10 a; b

If you aren’t feeling cheerful about your score, take heart; communication skills training can help.  These are some of the most common grammar problems, and they show up all too frequently in serious writing.  Many otherwise strong writers make errors such as these from time to time.

The pesky apostrophe frequently causes trouble because people confuse the possessive function and the contraction function.  Or they want to use it to form plurals.

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp.

Fewer and less are easier to master.  Fewer is used with items that can be counted:  She has fewer presents to buy this year.  Less is used with a mass, such as snow or rain.  Or money:  And that’s good because she has less money this year.

These and other grammar gremlins can be found and conquered in our grammar course.  When people take this course, they’ll have lots of quizzes to help them identify their own persistent gremlin, and they’ll learn strategies for keeping them under control.

Check our Good Stuff page to see more on the fascinating topic of GRAMMAR, and for training that works; contact Language at Work!

What do you think?      I would love to hear how you or your organization approaches communication skills training. Is it overlooked as an area of professional development, or is there a focus on it? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below.

Judith Pollock, President
Language at Work
4931 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
Phone 202-298-7700
www.languageatwork.com

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