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Does grammar matter? Ask Lynne Truss, author of “Eats, Shoots and Leaves” and she will not just answer in the affirmative, but at length and with some passion. Grammar is important because it is the very structure of language, the framework, the syntax that holds all those thousands upon thousands of words and ideas together. [...]

  What makes verbal or written communication memorable and effective? There are three impressive ways to transform your communication skills, focusing on the dynamics of business writing, preparation and intent in verbal situations and harnessing the power of NLP. Written skills are a real measure of precise thinking and mental dexterity, because in one way [...]

Business cannot function without language. Spoken and written, language is intrinsic to the success of a business; we use language to communicate, store and retrieve information, thoughts and ideas. Obvious perhaps, but it goes further than that; the way we use language says something about us as individuals and about the organisations we work in. [...]

It is no coincidence that students just beginning to learn to read are offered short, simple sentences of only two or three words each. This practice reflects the general understanding that the level of complexity inherent in a piece of writing will affect the reader’s ability to understand it.

The ability to write in an informative and authoritative manner is vital for businesses. The advent of such sites as Twitter with its 140-character limit, promotes writing that is immediate, brief, and somewhat informal. In this ‘Twitter Age’, much business writing has been influenced by this brevity, which can sometimes lead to cut corners and [...]

…but little use if you can’t get them across How many managers and leaders with brilliant ideas fail to impress and inspire the people they are trying to reach? It’s a big problem — and not just for those who have to make stand-up presentations. It’s also a challenge for those who are trying hard [...]

How much writing do you do in your job? Probably more than you think. But the problem is that hardly any of it gets read. Here Clive Lewis, MD of Illumine Training, outlines why we need to cut the bull and write far more persuasively. Forget phone calls. Put aside face-to-face interactions. The truth is [...]

Each year, the Plain English Campaign present awards for the best and worst examples of English. Their infamous ‘Golden Bull’ award injects some mischief, but has given us some great examples for you: The following pieces of writing have all been awarded the Golden Bull by The Campaign for Plain English over the past few years:     Trilogy [...]

“Don’t read this article! You are too busy. You have a pile of other written documents to get through and what I’m about to say is probably as dull as ditchwater anyway.” Clive Lewis, MD Illumine Training. If writing is eating up your time, or if your emails, proposals and reports are not being read, [...]

Are poor writing standards damaging business? In this article we look at the problems caused by inaccurate grammar and highlights a fast training solution. If you want to know just how embarrassing and damaging it can be to make high profile gaffes with English then look no further than George Bush. As most of us [...]

Don’t struggle with business communication when English is not your first language So, you are global. Communication is high on the list of your priorities. Geography, culture and language can cause differences. It’s time to consider that even when team members speak the same language, differences in semantics, accents, tone, pitch and dialects can be obstacles to successful communication. [...]

3 Steps For Making Writing Easier Planning – professional writers often spend twice the amount of time planning comparted to non-professional writers. It is key – it helps the writer gather all their ideas and information and it helps stimulate creative thinking. Mind Map your ideas – allows you to put all your various associated [...]

Too much focus in accelerated learning (AL) has been on how it enhances the training experience. Here Clive Lewis argues that the pressing need is for business users to start applying AL techniques to the everyday challenges they face. So you are familiar with accelerated learning (AL), or at least some key elements of it.  [...]