The importance of reading and writing in the workplace for employees and for trainers AND
Children's literacy as an economic issue.
All of the references listed are in this blog are national except for the local resources listed as "local" (those relate specifically to our communities in Madison County, AL).
As you read this blog, feel free to make comments on the presentation (if you attended), add tidbits you've learned that make your business writing and reading successful and, in general, join the conversation! Also, if you find these resources valuable, please feel free to share
Secrets for Readers and Writers in the Workplace
Typos or grammatical mistakes, even in informal communication such as emails, reflects negatively on you as a person and on your company. One of the most common mistakes made in correspondence is the confusion between "their", "there" and "they're". Here's a quick tip to help you remember the proper use:
If you are referring to a place or symbolic location, use this test: when you cover the "t", is the remaining word still a place/does it still make sense? ("there" becomes "here").An example: There are two important points to remember. You can take away the "T" in "There" and the sentence still makes sense.
If you use a contraction (a shortened version of a word) as the subject and verb, choose the word with the apostrophe (i.e. They're going to meet us for lunch tomorrow to discuss the proposal.)
If you are using the possessive (their idea, ask whose idea?, showing that the idea belongs to someone) select the remaining choice or the word with an "i" just like "mine" (another possessive term).
2. Those who read get ahead - ideas from Lifehacker on ways to find time for reading.
3. Two easy to use resources for writing: The Purdue Writing Lab - Simple, no nonsense, but make sense information about writing for both students and business people and Lynn Gaertner's Business Writing Blog.
Additional Resources relating to
reading,
writing,
listening,
communicating and
literacy:
2009 Trends in Review (from the National ASTD website: scroll down to latest news)
Resources for improving your own presentation skills
Recent article on Adult Illiteracy
Leading organization supporting Adult Literacy in U.S.: ProLiteracy
TLA's Website - family and children's literacy
The website for The Nation's Report Card/National Assessment of Educational Progress (Grades 4, 8)
Article on importance of positive environment for young children as it relates to reading from WAAY-TV website
Powerpoint from Alabama School Readiness Alliance Presentation in Huntsville, AL (Chamber of Commerce)
Bottom line impact of preschool over past 15 years in Michigan in taxpayer savings and increased revenue
Local Adult Literacy Programs for Madison County AL
Calhoun Community College: GED Program and Remedial instruction in reading or writing: Call 306-2830
Drake Technical has both GED, basic ed and workforce improvement classes
