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Category Archives: Office Politics
Creating an Executive Memo
This week I had to work on an end-of-the-year summary memo that was going to an executive. The original draft took me three hours while the next draft took an hour–I kid you not. The next draft will probably take … Continue reading
Posted in clients, editing, leadership, management, Office Politics, peers, technical writing, workplace
Tagged correspondence, executives, memo, memorandum
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Writing as an Amateur in the Space Business vs. Writing as a Professional
This week a colleague asked for opinions about a prominent program in my industry. I realized almost immediately that I shouldn’t share my opinions in a public forum, and so responded via a private channel instead. Why? Am I being … Continue reading
Posted in advocacy, careers, clients, Office Politics, peers, personal, philosophy, Technology, workplace
Tagged non-disclosure agreements, opinion writing, professionalism
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Where You Stand Depends on Where You Sit Part 2
This is a follow-up riff to last week’s post about how the tech writer’s perspective on an industry changes depending on which company they work for. Today I’ll bring that down to a more local level. It is also true … Continue reading
Posted in clients, management, Office Politics, technical writing, Technology, workplace
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Soft Skills: Reading Between the Lines
“Reading between the lines” sounds like a straightforward skill, but if you grew up with a very literal brain, as I did, it sometimes takes years before you get this skill working for you. I’ll take a shot at explaining … Continue reading
Posted in audience, management, Office Politics, philosophy, presentations, technical writing, workplace
Tagged parsing, semantics, speechwriting
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7 Things to Work on As an Adult
Occasionally I’ll see a meme posted by one of my 50-something friends about what sorts of skills they wish young people “should be taught in high school” or the equivalent. Today I’ll take a shot at my answer, keeping a … Continue reading
Posted in careers, clients, management, Office Politics, peers, personal, Technology, workplace
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