Wednesday, March 21, 2007

"What's in the box?!" (S)

Mitosis came and went. Fantastic! It came so fast and flew by so quick, it's almost like nothing happened. Except something did. I think everyone who participated in Mitosis learned some valuable lessons from John Bevere.
Now we're working on Easter Sunday. Which this year will contain 3 services. 3! 9, 10:30, & 12 on April 8th. Obviously invite your friends to The Rock Church for that day, 'cause they will see some spectacular and moving things.

Part of my blog is also to be about writing. And I haven't posted anything about writing. So now I'll touch that subject.

Writing is key in communicating your message to people. People comprehend writing at various levels. Some like bulleted lists, some like long expository writing. Transferring the information is what needs to be in the forefront of your mind when composing. Especially if the correspondence is task-driven.
This is what I mean:

If you have the time, or can fit it in, please try to complete the tasked mentioned in our meeting last Tuesday. Thank you and look forward to hearing from you sometime next week.

This is a highly ambiguous task. When is what needed by? A better way of phrasing a request is this:

Please complete the following by Friday, March 31st:
1) Paint ceilings with Off-White paint in cupboard
2) Move television from stand to new entertainment center
3) Call plumber to clean guest bathroom

If any of these items cannot be completed by Friday, please submit a realistic deadline to me by Monday, March 26th. When tasks are completed, please let me know.
Thank you.

The second communication spells out exactly what needs to be done and by when. It never hurts to say "please" and "thank you" and while some of it may come across as impersonal, it gives actionable items that need to be done. Firm language gives a sense of purpose and urgency, while using terms like "if you could" or "maybe this week" leaves an impression that the task is not that important.

And my spelling tip for the day:

They're going on a picnic over there with their family. They are. There is a place. Their is owned.

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