LET'S COMMUNICATE
Agriculture Communication Newsletter
August 2003, No. 92

CONTENTS

WRITE THE RIGHT WORD
E-MAILS -- TO �SUBJECT� OR NOT
PRETTY AS A POSTER
NEW IN THE STAFF RESOURCE LIBRARY

 

WRITE THE RIGHT WORD

Word placement within a sentence is important for meaning.

>From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

"Today, for some reason, it was jinxed,'' said Frankie Valentine Jr., who has lived on Park Point near the where the swimmer was lost for 40 years. `"This is the worst it's ever been as far as this kind of accident. It's a tragedy.''

I think Frankie has lived there 40 years, not that the swimmer was lost for 40 years. Try "who has lived for 40 years on Park Point near where the swimmer was lost."

One letter can make a difference, too.

>From one our our news releases:

Knowing the source of all cattle, buying from only proven sources, restricting exposure of the herd to other cattle and restricting access to the premise may be components each producer needs to start thinking about.

A premise is a proposition or thought. The premises is a location -- the land and buildings upon it.

In a Forum headline:

Court says Somali can be deported: Ruling may effect other refugee cases

"Affect" is the verb that means to have an influence on, bring about a change in, touch the emotions of infect or assign. "Effect" is a noun that means something brought about by a cause, a result, the way in which something acts upon or influences an object, an outcome or a realization.

Tom Jirik and Becky Koch

E-MAILS -- TO �SUBJECT� OR NOT

Computer viruses have grown to be a regular part of life. They have forced us all to change our computing habits, security precautions and the way we view our e-mail messages.

We need to be very cautious when opening e-mail messages, especially taking a close look at the sender�s name. If you do not recognize the name, seriously consider deleting the message.

You also need to closely examine the subject, even if you recognize the sender. Some of the worms and viruses that have been attacking computers within the NDSU system have been attacking an individual�s addressbook, attaching the virus and sending out mail to unsuspecting recipients. These messages have strange subject lines, such as. RE: application and RE: movie.

When you are sending a viable e-mail message that you want the recipient to read, always enter a reasonable, understandable subject. Do not leave the subject blank or with NONE entered. With a good subject, the recipient is more likely to read and reply to your message, rather than deleting it with the thought it could be a virus.

Mike Miller

PRETTY AS A POSTER

Remember that Ag Communication can create and print your posters for professional meetings, educational workshops and other uses. The paper is 36 inches high and costs $2 per running foot on matte and $4 per running foot on glossy. Your posters can also be laminated or drymounted. Labor is free for Agriculture faculty and staff, except for projects that are grant funded.

Check with John Grindahl at 231-7898 or jgrindah@ndsuext.nodak.edu  about your next poster or display.

NEW IN THE STAFF RESOURCE LIBRARY

Rude Awakenings: Overcoming the Civility Crisis in the Workplace Giovinella Gonthier with Kevin Morrissey 2002 222-page Book Incivility impacts morale, retention rates, productivity and profits. Bullying, badgering, sabotage, ostracism and other rude behaviors are taking a toll on the corporate bottom line. Gonthier shared her ideas for returning civility to the workplace at the Ag Communicators in Education meeting in June 2003.

Write for Results American Management Association 1998 Computer Software Program CD-ROM and Companion Book Evaluate your writing skills, then learn what you need to know to write correctly with the writer's toolkit, then practice and apply the skills, and finally refer to and adapt a letter written by an expert or create your own document.

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't Jim Collins 2001 6-hour 4-audiocassette program A five-year study of good-to-great companies found: * Level 5 Leaders --The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness. * The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles) -- To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence. * A Culture of Discipline -- When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. * Technology Accelerators -- Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology. * The Flywheel and the Doom Loop -- Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap.