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For example, I received a letter over the holidays from a large insurance company that contained three grammatical errors...on the first page!    

Can you spot one of them in the following sentence:  

We have received your request to automatically deduct your monthly plan premium from your bank account, however we are not able to process your request until we have received all of the necessary information required to complete this transaction.

Did you see it? This sentence contains a comma splice. It should be punctuated as follows:

We have received your request to automatically deduct your monthly premium from your bank account. However, we were not able to process your request until we have received all of the necessary information required to complete this transaction.

Further down on the same page I encountered this sentence:   

We know that you have a choice of Medicare Prescription Drug Plans and we appreciate you choosing First Health Part D.

This sentence has two errors. First and foremost, the pronoun that precedes the word "choosing" should be "your," not "you." Here's the corrected version:  

We know that you have a choice of Medicare prescription drug plans and we appreciate your choosing First Health Part D.

This grammatical mistake is so common that it has become my pet peeve! The word "choosing" is a gerund (a past participle of a verb used as a noun), and it should be modified by the possessive case of the pronoun "you." For more on this subject, see the August 2010 issue of The Right Stuff.  

But that's not all! The words "prescription drug plans" should be lowercase. Perhaps the writer capitalized these words for emphasis, but that's grammatically incorrect and accomplishes nothing.   

Finally, most grammarians would insert a comma after the word "plans." Commas shouldn't be overused, however, so I hesitate to call the absence of one here a grammatical error.

These grammatical errors diminish this company's reputation, at least in my eyes. If they are this sloppy about their written communications, how can I trust them to do a good job managing my insurance?    

Perhaps it's unreasonable to expect a middle-level employee in this company to use proper English. But where are this company's managers? Doesn't anyone edit this company's written materials before they go out?  

Inadequate attention to written communication can damage your image.      

• If you delegate important writing assignments to others, be sure to review the finished products before you distribute them.  

• When you write something for broad distribution, have someone else check it.       

Following my own advice, I'm going to have my wife, Sarah, look over this newsletter before I send it. If you notice any mistakes, her email is sarah@sarahbuelldowling.com.       

"A fierce conversation," says Scott, "is one in which we come out from behind ourselves into the conversation and make it real."  

The word "fierce" is not meant to imply angry or combative. The author points out that synonyms of fierce in Roget's Thesaurus are robust, intense, strong, powerful, passionate, eager, unbridled, uncurbed, and untamed. 

Do the above terms describe your conversations? Or do you tend to avoid direct, meaningful, and constructive conversations with colleagues, friends, or even your spouse?    

Communication skills are key to success in all areas of life. In Fierce Conversations, Scott offers practical advice that will help you to achieve the following: 

• Overcome barriers to meaningful communication
• Expand and enrich conversations with colleagues, friends, and family
• Increase clarity and improve understanding
• Handle strong emotions -- on both sides of the table  

I fiercely recommend this book!