Apostrophe Catastrophe!

One of the most common errors in writing is using the apostrophe incorrectly in plurals and possessives. I received an email from one consultant whose lines I quote here: In addition, I personally conduct coaching and mentorship programs for senior executives, managers and CEO's.
This gentleman has used an apostrophe for a plural. Could be a careless mistake or he simply got confused!
A couple of things to remember while using the apostrphe:

• Use an apostrophe to indicate possession. Example:

The dog's kennel is in the garden. The apostrophe is before the s when you are writing about one dog. (Singular possessive)

The dogs' kennel is in the garden. The apostrophe is after the s when you are writing about more than one dog. (Plural possessive)

• Nouns in the plural form don't take an apostrophe. So the consultant should have written thus: In addition, I personally conduct coaching and mentorship programs for senior executives, managers and CEOs.

check out this link

When my friend heard that I am putting down some of my learnings in emailing, he mailed me this link. Of course, there are hundreds of websites that speak about the dos and don'ts of emailing. This website is different because of the conciseness of content - as a quick reference material, and I personally liked the author's style of writing. Check out this link and let me know if it has helped.

http://www.businessworld.in/index.php/E-mail-Dynamics.html

email writing workshop

I will be conducting a workshop on writing professional emails for a Elsevier Publications next week. The approach that I follow for this workshop is described very briefly below:

Step One: An analysis of participants' existing emails - going through their writing styles, language and structure.
Step Two: Design and build the entire workshop based on the analysis.
Step Three: Participants read their emails like it was written for them - removing the fluff and making their language, style and tone appropriate to the receiver so that the message is clearly communicated.
Step Four: Participants use the learning management system to practice their new skills while I help them by giving them feedback on their work.

The results of the methodology is amazing as the workshop is very relavent to the participants' job, and has an ideal mix of both instructor led and blended learning.

I also find these workshops personally rewarding as I know that participants realize the value of this workshop, and also build many professional relationships with the participants.

Succinct subject lines

Your subject lines are like the headlines in the newspaper. Just as you read the headlines every morning and then read the news that interests you, your reader decides whether he wants to open the mail after reading the subject line. So, write subject lines that are pithy and are a gist of the content of the mail.

Your subject lines can be the message itself if the message is short. For example: 'Meeting postponed to 4 pm' can be the subject line of a mail that is sent out to members who need just that information.

Would you open a mail that has a subject line that looks like this: URGENT or IMPORTANT? I guess not, so dont write one. Finally, don't write your subject lines in technicolour - black or blue is professional.

why do we need a blog on emails?

I wonder if one already exists, but I guess it doesn't, and that's why I want to create a blog that will have answers to all your questions on emailing,

Which brings me to the question: What are the performance issues in organizations today? Is it sales, supervisory skills or high end skills training like leadership and mentoring? Surprisingly, it's communication, and especially written skills. Well, if your team can't write a decent mail, what can they communicate to their clients, internal and external. I find myself doing more and more written skills training than any other kind of training for professionals. Most of them are technically excellent and do wonderfully well as long as they work individually, but the minute they need to work in a team, they flounder because they can lack English Language Skills.
So, this is my attempt to give those who face this dilemma a kind of quick online reference on all emails questions.