Written language is visual. So the history of writing, like the Sumerian cuneiform shown here, is part of the history of visual communication. To follow that history, check out The History of Visual Communication website created by Elif Ayiter, a professor at Sabanci University in Turkey. The “tension” between words and pictures is mostly a consequence of how…
To influence people at work, you’ll need to earn their trust (ethos) and make good arguments (logos). See yesterday’s post for more on these rhetorical terms. Evidence is the cornerstone of effective arguments. Not all evidence is equal, of course. The video tutorial I’m posting today focuses on the use of evidence, as well as several…
Most amateurs and at least some pros are willing to ascribe the unethical intentions of individuals to linguistic forms. (See my post on passive voice.) No where is this more obvious than in the case of “persuasive” language. Yes. Workplace writers can use language to market unhealthy food to the children of their customers convince government regulators…
Yesterday I made the point that workplace readers don’t read minds. It’s the writer’s job to give them the information they need to get the writer’s message. So what do pros do when they aren’t sure what their readers need to know? The smartest way to proceed is to interact with the readers BEFORE sending…
I can think of few reasons why anyone would read a document in the workplace if they already knew what was in it. Sadly, workplace rookies have little experience writing for an audience who knows less than they do. (Remember they’ve created documents exclusively for teachers since they learned to write.) That means their documents…