Advanced Topics
Punctuation & Grammar
Commas - Proper use with initial conjunctions and with long introductions.
Semicolons - Three reasons for use: unity, juxtaposition, and rest.
Dashes - Preferred use of the hyphen, the en dash, and the em dash.
Spelling - Memory aids to hear correct spelling; drills to help remember.
That/Which - Proper use in writing, in terms of scope and purpose.
They Singular - Strategies: play it safe; make it work; own it.
Rules & Usage
Adjective Order - Use of multiple adjectives and a memory aid: NOD-SAShCOMP.
Latin Rules - An explanation for formal style, but common usage overrules.
Just Qualifiers - Taking care when using vague qualifiers.
As/Like - Which word to use when comparing things or actions.
Different/Into/May - Achieving clarity from the precise use of these words.
While/Whether - Avoiding ambiguity by choosing these words with care.
Clarity & Flow
Good Parallelism - The best technique for sequencing parallel structures.
Stuff-to-Back - Why to control content and cadence at the end of sentences.
Bad Delays - Maintaining flow in long sentences by editing interruptions.
Good Modifiers - Things to do when you have too many modifying phrases.
Familiar-to-New - The sentence pattern that pulls the reader along.
Topic Focus - Minimizing topics to improve paragraph coherence.
Style & Sophistication
Tone for Purpose - Strategies for adjusting your style to achieve proper tone.
Personalize - The difference between a conversational style and a personalized style.
Diction - A detailed technique to help choose the right word.
Balance - Between plain and stylish writing, find balance in structure and rhythm.
Inversion - Reasons for reversing the normal order of sentence components.
Humor - Advice about what not to write; techniques for safely being funny.
Rhetoric & Narrative
Engage - Overview of word patterns that engage the reader.
Emphasize - Word patterns that emphasize something for the reader.
Argue - Overview of thought patterns for presenting effective arguments.
Appeal - The strategy of rhetoric: gain trust, show reasons, stir feelings.
Narrative Style - Three things to add to create engaging narrative.
Power of Story - How to structure and use components of story arc.
Influence & Persuasion
Magic Words - Use words to stimulate imagination, activate senses, and create associations.
Personal Reliance - Choose words that match reliance on self or on others.
Approaches to Work - Choose words that match how people approach their work.
Evidence Preference - Choose words that match how readers consider evidence.
Essential Consistency - Understand reciprocal obligation and commitment to consistency.
Ethics at Work - Use a golden rule and two questions.
Presentations & Graphics
Clutter - Simple strategies for reducing clutter on presentation charts.
Focus - For important presentations, focus on questions and be ready with data.
Content - Condensing presentation charts for clarity.
Change - Simple strategies for showing change in graphics.
Contribution - Simple strategies for showing contribution in graphics.
Data - How to show complex data, support it with words, and keep it simple.
Author
The author of the Workplace Writing 101 series is Joseph W. Judge.
He earned degrees in engineering from Rensselaer and an MBA from Stanford. He worked in a variety of industries (power, petroleum, aerospace, software, government) in a variety of roles (engineer, analyst, manager, entrepreneur, consultant).
In the early 2000s, Mr. Judge taught a seminar, Writing with Clarity and Power in the Workplace, for the Stanford Continuing Studies Program. Since then he developed corporate workshops and now self-study workbooks to help people write better at work.