Business Communication Instruction shares the latest news, tips, techniques, and methods being used by instructors today to make their classes more rewarding and enjoyable.

A Behavioral Economist Tries to Fix Email

When Dan Ariely, a behavorial economist, realized that reading and sending emails was consuming an ever-expanding portion of his time—Ariely regularly receives hundreds of emails a day, excluding spam—he wondered if there were something he and others could be doing differently in managing their online correspondence. What small behavioral tricks could he deploy to make the whole ordeal less stressful?

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Don’t Reply to Your Emails

"The case for inbox infinity."

Read the full article by Taylor Lorenz (photo, left) at TheAtl...

Write for David Allen’s 2-Minute Rule

"Allen's books are bestsellers. People pay attention to him, and we writers should too. If your reader cannot handle your message or document easily within two minutes, it is going to be put somewhere "as an option for work to do later." Or ignored. Or deleted."

Read the full article by Lynn Gaertner Johnston . . .

An Unimpressive Message From My Dentist

I want the best in dentistry–not business writing–from my dentist. But I’m still disappointed when I receive a pointless, error-filled email like the one below. In it, I have changed the name of the dental practice to “Your Favorite Dentist.”…

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How Do You Feel About Sloppy Supplier Messages?

A reader named Deborah shared a short email she recently received: Dear Sirs, pls let me have by return the supp docs about yr a.m. invoice because we cannot find our shpm. Thks and rgds How would you feel if…

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How Do You Feel About Sloppy Supplier Messages?

A reader named Deborah shared a short email she recently received: Dear Sirs, pls let me have by return the supp docs about yr a.m. invoice because we cannot find our shpm. Thks and rgds How would you feel if…

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Proofreading Checklist to Avoid “Oops!” Messages

I just received an “Oops!” email from our beloved, prestigious public television station. When I read the subject line, “Oops! Correction for Rick Steves Preview Screening and Q+A!” I instantly knew what the oops must be: a date error. Indeed,…

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Proofreading Checklist to Avoid “Oops!” Messages

I just received an “Oops!” email from our beloved, prestigious public television station. When I read the subject line, “Oops! Correction for Rick Steves Preview Screening and Q+A!” I instantly knew what the oops must be: a date error. Indeed,…

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I Should Have Known Better

As a business writing expert, I should have known that I’d get the wrong response. I had written the email in a way that was easy for me but misleading for my reader, a woman named Lea. Requesting a tour…

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I Should Have Known Better

As a business writing expert, I should have known that I’d get the wrong response. I had written the email in a way that was easy for me but misleading for my reader, a woman named Lea. Requesting a tour…

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