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Tip 887: Use correct grammar; The meaning often depends on it. |
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At the Dallas-Fort Worth airport a sign at one of the restaurants reads NO SMOKING AREAS AVAILABLE. Does this mean they have no areas where patrons can smoke? Or, does this mean they have areas designated for nonsmokers? To solve this case of the missing hyphen, insert one appropriately: "No-smoking areas available." |
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"Turn the lever and depress the cylinder which opens the air chamber." Is this one action or two? Do you turn the lever and depress the cylinder simultaneously or take one action after the other? Or, is depression of the cylinder the result of turning the lever? Grammar is of paramount importance in instructions on technical procedures. |
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Tip 888: Avoid hostile repetition of the same words. |
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If someone does not understand your instructions, don't assume a patronizing or irritated tone and repeat the same words: "As I told you earlier, the equipment needs to be cleaned thoroughly." If you "told them earlier," don't tell them again in the same words. Assume the question is a good indication that the follower doesn't understand what "cleaned thoroughly" means. Use different words to express what you mean by ''cleaned thoroughly": wiped with a damp cloth, sprayed with a water hose, or scrubbed with a disinfectant? |
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Tip 889: Curb a superior tone. |
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The person giving the instructions in any situation sits in the superior, smarter position. Often a subservient attitude (or, worse, a rebellious one) overcomes the learnera holdover from classroom days: "Now, listen carefully as I call out the correct answers to this quiz." "Now, line up against the wall, and wait until I tell you to go." "Wait until I give you permission to leave." Keep that feeling in mind as you word your instructions to colleagues. |
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Tip 890: Be approachable for reruns. |
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Let others know it's okay to ask you additional questions as they move through the taskor even before they begin. Comments like "As you get into this, be sure to let me know if you discover I've left out something" or "If something I said was unclear, be sure to ask again rather than waste your |
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