The little one is the better choice.
Everyone should have a friend with whom they can silently roll their eyes, in unison, while politely listening to a speaker who chooses overstuffed words that, one would suppose, are meant to indicate intelligence, sophistication, or such. My friend-in-eye-rolling is Sharon Green, and I’ve got to tell you, Sharon’s got way more English language creds than I do. (That said, I can roll my eyes with the best of them.)
Read MoreBut don't expect the work to do itself.
I think we all agree on this: It is less costly and more profitable to retain the customers you have than to convert new ones. Everyone says it, and I think we all believe it. But do we pay only lip service to it? With competition for attention, money and loyalty, it behooves every company, association and nonprofit to consciously work to retain their current customers.
Read MoreIt's also mood!
You may be forgiven if you no longer remember what Sister Mary Madonna said about “subjunctive mood.” Why, I haven’t had a conversation about subjunctive mood for at least 15 years; I’m pretty sure you haven’t either. But you might sometimes wonder whether your verb should be “was” or “were.” Your first instinct, probably, is to ask whether it’s singular or plural, and that’s smart. (Joe was a baker. His two brothers were bricklayers.) But there’s more to it than that – and it’s a guideline you can learn without using any arcane verbiage.
Read MorePunctuation inside or outside the closing quotation marks?
Isn’t that a tough one? You see quotations punctuated every which way, mostly wrong. It’s just not easy, but we do have some helpful rules.
Read MoreWe don't recommend it but, if you think you must...
If you are determined to draft and polish your own resume rather than take advantage of our seasoned resume preparation experts, please keep these ten critical points in mind:
Read MoreAnother good word bites the dust...
Or so it seems. Having been virtually dropped now in modern parlance in favor of a closely related word that does not mean exactly the same thing, we are left again with a little less precision and a little more fog.
Read MoreIt's easy if you can count!
When it comes to correct word usage, the beautiful truth is that a few simple rules can go a long way toward developing your confidence in your writing and speaking. Why? Because if you commit to just a few simple rules, you’ll be right more of the time! Here’s one of those rules:
Read MoreMore about creating win-win relationships
Once you have a well crafted message about your organization and the specific marketing opportunity you’re promoting, the real fun begins: As you pitch the opportunity to your prospects, you will have a chance to learn about their business, including their strategic marketing goals.
Read MoreMaybe I should just get a life...
Recently I made a bold assertion to my friend with whom I often commiserate about the ills of the world, Citizens United, Seattle traffic, and the price of tea in China. I said something reckless like this: “You know, almost every commercial I see on TV is for a drug or medication – just one after another. It looks like big pharma owns the airwaves.” The next day I thought, Boy! Was that irresponsible! Do you know it to be true?
Read MoreIt simply can't be all about print collateral
Recently I was walking through a moderately sized expo hall with a wide variety of small exhibit spaces – tables, not booths. At one point my eye caught two tables, side by side (pure coincidence, I’m sure), just covered with stacks of literature. Each stack must have contained several hundred copies, and the piles competed with each other for the meager table space.
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