Writing Employee Policies and Procedures

Writing employee policies and procedures

Employee policy and procedures manuals are used for many purposes. They come in many shapes and sizes.

Employee policy manuals go by a variety of names. Here are a few:

  • Organizational Policy Manual.
  • Departmental Policy and Procedures Manual.
  • Operating Policy and Procedures Manual.
  • Employee Manual (Handbook).
  • Employment Manual.
  • Human Resources Policy Manual.

Their primary function is employee education and good governance. Unfortunately, they often miss the mark because they’re poorly written, disorganized, or not well maintained. Sometimes they don’t even distinguish between “policy” and “procedure.” Continue reading Writing Employee Policies and Procedures

Writing Business Emails

Writing Business Emails

When writing business emails, most of us don’t take them that seriously. We fire them off in a casual hurry, with little attention or careful consideration. That’s because we don’t appreciate the power of emails enough to write them well.

The truth is, business emails are not casual, and they’re not stiff either. Instead, they should be highly purposeful, targeted, well-structured and attention-getting intrusions, presented in a friendly yet authoritative tone as concisely as possible. Continue reading Writing Business Emails

Using Contractions in Business Writing

using contractions in business writing

Using Contractions in Business Writing is OK

Many business people believe using contractions in business writing is a big “no-no.” They think of contractions as a breach of formality, or as unprofessional, or sloppy. It’s commonly assumed that using contractions in business documents creates risks like:

  • No one will respect you.
  • Your message (or credibility) is somehow diminished as too informal, breezy and unprofessional.

Hooey. Well, mostly hooey. Continue reading Using Contractions in Business Writing

Reference List of Phrasal Adjectives

Reference List of Phrasal Adjectives

Reference List of Phrasal Adjectives — aka Compound Adjectives or Compound Modifiers

We offer the list of phrasal adjectives below to readers as a helpful reference tool. The first list contains reliable examples of correctly hyphenated phrasal adjectives. The second list illustrates some key exceptions to the rule, showing when hyphens should not be used. Continue reading Reference List of Phrasal Adjectives

What is a Sales Manual? How to Write a Sales Manual

sales-manual-king_of_the_salesmenYour company depends on its sales team’s performance and capabilities—in fact, sales personnel who reliably get the job done year-in and year-out are indispensable. That’s why smart companies keep sales teams highly informed about all things essential, relevant and helpful to being “smart” and effective. They supply every resource the sales team needs to do the job exceptionally well, and keep them well trained. And they do this with intentionality and deliberateness. Continue reading What is a Sales Manual? How to Write a Sales Manual

For Serious Business Bloggers Here’s How It’s Done [Infographic]

The good folks at Copyblogger and Orbit Media have come up with a great infographic depicting 2015 blogging research highlights and showing how serious business bloggers do what they do. It’s illuminating and a good guide for any business striving to sustain an effective blog presence. For business content marketers blogging remains the cornerstone.

Take a look … and see how you compare to your blogging brethren. Continue reading For Serious Business Bloggers Here’s How It’s Done [Infographic]

The Secret of Business Blogs

Havlittle-rascals-callout-business-blogse you ever wondered who has time for a business blog, or who has so much to say? I used to. In fact, I came to the business-blogging party late. For years I didn’t grasp what all the hype was about—I often thought, “who cares?” The secret of business blogs eluded me. Not one of my better moments. Lately, though, the secret has become very clear. Continue reading The Secret of Business Blogs

Developing Your Crowd Funding Proposal

Telling Your Crowd Funding Story

When writing your crowd funding proposal or applicaCrowdfundingtion copy, and creating the crowdfunding pitch essentials needed to raise money from far-flung like-minded supporters, the key is organizing and writing a great narrative, with a compelling presentation.

Today over 1,000 online platforms like “gofundme,” “Kickstarter,” “Indiegogo,” “RocketHub” deliver $10 billion in critical funding to over 22,000 projects and causes each year—and the numbers are increasing. After you’ve picked the right crowd funding site for your project and done your homework on rewards, promotions, and incentives that work for your audience of contributors, you can write the pitch.

Key Elements of a Crowd Funding Proposal Continue reading Developing Your Crowd Funding Proposal

Business Buzzwords Need Attention

Business Buzzwords are Overused

business buzzwords
Business Buzzwords are a double-edged sword. They cut both ways, can be good, bad, or ugly. Buzzwords and buzzphrases are everywhere—so much so that we don’t even notice them. Unfortunately, buzzwords are rarely used to great effect.

Here are some great pointers to help you avoid the buzzword trap and its ill effects on you and your business. Continue reading Business Buzzwords Need Attention