When it comes to the meaning behind the ...

Language relies on a shared definition of common terms — but what happens when our definitions are out of sync with colleagues, friends and loved ones? Have you ever been troubled by a word? Not a curse word or an offensive term, but an ordinary, everyday word? Maybe it’s a word that an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend used that drove you crazy, or kaybe it’s a word that everyone uses to sound smart. Or, a word that someone once used to deliberately anger you. Whatever the reason—you hear the word and you’re immediately on edge. The word currently preying on my mind...

What are your language pet peeves?

“Mom, Bryan’s using potty words. He said “utilize.” We’ve reached the stage in my house where my kids use bad grammar and language gaffes to annoy me. Whether it’s saying “utilize” over and over at the dinner table or referring to their homework as “deliverables,” they know how to exasperate the word nerd in me. Here are some of their favorites. How many of these make you cringe?  Worthless verbs “Please utilize your hands and pass me the pepper.” “I think we should implement a policy of dessert first.” “If you get me an Oculus, I can...

24 ways to end a seemingly endless onlin...

For more than a year, most of our meetings with co-workers, clients, and executives have been through a screen. Many of us have logged more hours in Zoom than we’ve logged in Microsoft Word or Salesforce or HubSpot. One of the many communication challenges I’ve experienced in all these online meetings is that it can be more difficult to end a Zoom meeting than to end an in-person meeting. People want to chat more and check the time less when meeting online. And that’s how we end up spending even more time in meetings in 2020 and 2021 than we did in 2019. If you find...

9 cognitive biases that can derail your ...

Ever wonder what leads people to make the decisions they make? Not the trivial decisions, such as what toothpaste to buy or what to have for lunch. (Marketers can perseverate over those types of decisions.) But the life-altering, critical decisions, such as whether to get a COVID vaccine or winterize power plants ahead of a winter storm. Because more and more of us now live with the consequences of other people’s catastrophically bad decision making, I’ve been wondering what leads seemingly smart, well-meaning people to make such colossal mistakes in judgement. If...

Words and phrases from 1920s

Never under-estimate the power of words to communicate culture and define the spirit of the age. In 2020, the words “pandemic,” “lockdown,” “COVID,” “remote,” “anti-masker,” “unprecedented” and “unmute” were all chosen as “meaningful terms” or as “word[s] of the year.” To further explore how words can capture and transmit the ideas and beliefs of the time, let’s take a look at the 1920s in words. One-hundred years ago, you might have overheard these expressions in a café or while riding the bus. (Definitions from Merriam-Webster,...

Turning it down: Saying no to a project ...

Even though many of us write for a living, we may find ourselves at a loss for words when it comes to saying no to a project or person. Turning someone down in the complicated and politically fraught world of work is no easy task. Here are five templates you can use to say no to a project or offer politely and firmly.   1. Turning down an offer to advertise/publish content/sponsor an event Good afternoon [name]. Thank you for your patience as we reviewed the materials you sent. Based on our [current advertising strategies/publishing guidelines/company policy/budget],...

What writers really want for the holiday...

This year’s holiday post on “gifts for the writer in your life” doesn’t include any physical items. Though there are plenty of books, games, apps, and coffee mugs out there for writers to covet and for their loved ones to purchase, listing these felt wrong for 2020. After the year we’ve all had, doing something kind for the writer you love seems more meaningful than buying them a t-shirt that says, “I’m silently correcting your grammar.” With this in mind, my 2020 holiday post includes a list of 10 things you can do to soothe the writer in your life. Okay ....

9 non-controversial, apolitical, and sem...

In my family, having a drama-free Thanksgiving has always been a struggle. One side of the family lives to argue and will tear each other to shreds at the slightest provocation. The other side holds onto conflict and keeps it simmering, just below the surface, year after year. And then there’s my aunt Vikki who needs to be kept away from the wine, and my cousin David who needs to be kept away from my mom. But our 2020 Thanksgiving celebration — taking place on Zoom with relatives from both sides of the family — will have its own set of challenges. Below are a few...