From WhiteSomke, Original Link

Who doesn’t use e-mail these days?
Electronic mail is an integral part of the 21st century communication.
Believe it or not, the average office worker receives 60-200 e-mail messages per day, and it is estimated that over 7 trillion e-mails were sent last year!
Between this high volume of e-mail communication and the faster pace we work at these days, it’s worthwhile to learn how to have effective e-mail communication.
For successful e-mail writing, consider following the guidelines in the list below.
These tips are suitable for all types of effective e-mail writing, including effective e-mail marketing:
1. Send brief, clear messages. No one has the time or energy to scroll through and read a dozen pages.
The shorter the e-mail you write, the higher the chance it will be read, so your message will get across.
Using bulleted points is an efficient way of presenting information.
2. Send multiple messages for more than a few topics. If you have many topics to address through e-mail communication, send each one in a separate message.
This will ensure that the recipients will read your messages.
Also, you’ll get faster responses that you can more easily keep track of; instead of searching through massive e-mails for buried information, find the details quickly in the shorter, more organized messages you’ll have.
3. Include relevant information from past e-mails. Because we read so many e-mails each day, it’s hard to remember all of the details.
When you are responding to communication, an effective e-mail will contain relevant details from previous messages so the reader can quickly recall what’s important.
4. Write specific subject line descriptions. Let your readers know exactly what they’re about to see by including accurate, concise information in the subject line. Receiving and reading e-mails shouldn’t be a guessing game!
5. Don’t use abbr. in ur biz msgs (=Don’t use abbreviations in your business messages).
Sometimes it takes longer to decode abbreviations in your business messages than it does to read the whole words. Save your readers time by writing out what you need to say.
6. Proofread your e-mail messages before you send them. Don’t risk your readers misunderstanding your important messages.
Hope you find these tips useful when writing e-mails.

By Lifehack , Original Link

Some people like to cooperate with others to achieve their goals, while others prefer to chase their dreams on their own.  I find that involving mutually committed partners in my pursuits is intensely rewarding – especially mastermind groups.  I’ve strengthened my friendships, made measurable progress towards my goals, and continue to grow thanks to the support I’ve received in my mastermind groups over the years.

In this article I’ll lay out what a mastermind group is, the benefits of having a mastermind group, and concrete strategies and actions you can take to start your own mastermind group today.

What Is A Mastermind Group?

The first place I came across the concept of a mastermind was in Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.  In it, Hill describes a mastermind group as:

The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.

In my experience, my mastermind groups have formed around multiple people striving for a common purpose – from goals as small as college admissions and improving fitness, to as large as your entire life.

What Are The Benefits of a Mastermind Group?

• Mutual support. I like to form groups around a specific activity, but even with differing goals you’ll be able to lean on each other for support.  Many times when my progress has slowed on a specific goal, the members of my mastermind are the only people who really understand what has been going on behind the scenes, and give me support in spite of my failed efforts.
• Differing perspectives.  Hearing the different views my fellow mastermind participants have allows me to see issues I wouldn’t otherwise become aware of – in my life, and in my approach to my goals.  Whether I agree with their assessment or not, it always gives me a better understanding of how I can better improve my approach.
• Resources.  Everyone in your group will have access to a different skillset and network of people. I’ve often found that when I ask for help in my mastermind groups, these resources help me make progress in ways I never could by myself.
• Accountability.  My fellow group members hold me accountable to goals I set.  In addition, just knowing that I have a regularly scheduled meeting internally drives me to make progress – because I don’t want to be the only person reporting back that I haven’t made an effort to move my projects forward.

How Do I Start a Mastermind Group?

Starting a mastermind group is deceptively simple in its steps:

• Pick a Topic.  This may be as narrow as you like, or as broad as you like (such as your entire life).  If you are new to mastermind groups, I would recommend picking one specific aspect of your life to start out with.  Perhaps fitness, your career, school, or some other broad area that you would like improvement with.
• Pick your Partners.  I’ll discuss this in detail below.  A mastermind group is only as good as the people in it – pick your partners with care.
• Agree On Ground Rules. I’ll provide some guidance below, but keep in mind the purpose of setting rules is not to stifle anyone – the purpose of the rules is to ensure everyone benefits from the mastermind group. I like to keep a loose set of rules and count on mutual respect of the individuals to keep everyone in line, but you may choose to have strict ground rules if you like.
• Meet!

Who Should I Invite Into My Mastermind Group?

Two words:  mutual beneficiaries.  Any member in your mastermind group should not only be able to provide you with sound feedback and advice, but should be able to receive some benefit from your feedback as well. Some qualities I look for in a participant include:

• Similar Drive and Commitment.  You want everyone in the group to be similarly committed. If one person is striving to compete in a bodybuilding competition, while you’re just trying to cut the sugar out of your diet, you may not be compatible for a mastermind group.
• Diverse Skill Sets.  For me personally, I am very analytical and approach things from a scientific, engineering perspective.  I enjoy mastermind groups where some people share this perspective, but also gain valuable feedback from people who are perhaps more abstract and in touch with their emotions (as opposed to a “cold” analytical approach).
• Problem Solvers.  This is my personal preference, I like partners who are active problem solvers.  My purpose in a mastermind group is to get feedback, solutions to my issues and move forward.

I like to limit mastermind groups to between 3 and 5 people.  This keeps meeting short, in depth and on point.  You can experiment with more or less, but I recommend starting with 2 or 3 if this is your first time with a mastermind group.

How Do I Run A Mastermind Group?

1. Meet Regularly And Precisely. I call this the “nuts and bolts.” Keep to a regularly scheduled time, ensure all members are punctual – and end on time. I typically meet for 60 minutes once a week. You may require more or less time, but ensure that you have adequate time because you want to…
2. Give each member equal time. We don’t use a timer, but for larger groups that may be necessary.  I keep most of my groups to only three people, and generally we are all aware that we have approximately 20 minutes per person, and try to keep it in that time frame.
3. Don’t Interrupt. One person at a time, and keep in mind the purpose of the meeting is to give everyone a chance – it’s not always about you. Hold all comments until the person speaking has a chance to speak. We generally do not jump in at all unless someone has a specific question.
4. Decide if you need an agenda. My mastermind groups typically have a conversation topic (often decided at the meeting prior), but no explicit agenda.  I previously have run groups that had more explicit items on the agenda for accountability and progress reports – try it out and decide what works best for you.
5. Decide on whether to have a facilitator. In my groups, I start the calls, and act as a very loose facilitator – I point out who is going to go first. That’s it – everyone polices themselves. Perhaps your group will need a facilitator who is more active – keeping people on target for time, and moving you from one items on the agenda to the next.
6. Capture.  Make sure you capture what happened at each meeting – lessons and triumphs, goals, and items you want to keep each other accountable to.  I like to use Google Documents and Mindmeister.  When I conduct groups online using Skype I use MP3 Skype Recorder (free) to record mp3s of my calls.

Three Question To Kick Start Your Mastermind Group

If you’re ready to start a mastermind group, you may want some very basic structure help you in the beginning.  These three questions never fail to get my mastermind groups off to a great start.  As your group evolves, you’ll come up with your own agenda and questions that you’d like each member to answer – but if you don’t know where to begin, this is a great place to start:

• What Are You Working On? Nice and broad, and each member can answer with whatever they feel comfortable sharing.
• What Did You Learn? Very often my groups are focused on similar goals, and lessons learnt by one member benefit all of us.
• What Do You Need Help With? By having a specific question on the agenda, this helps take pressure of members who want to reach out to the group for help.

Your Thoughts and Strategies?

What do you think?  Have you run a mastermind group before?  Do you have additional tips to share, or perhaps pitfalls to avoid?

By English Town

It’s important to always open your email with a greeting, such as "Dear Lillian,". Depending on the formality of your relationship, you may want to use their family name as opposed to their given name, i.e. "Dear Mrs. Price,". If the relationship is more casual, you can simply say, "Hi Kelly," If you’re contacting a company, not an individual, you may write "To Whom It May Concern:"

If you are replying to a client’s inquiry, you should begin with a line of thanks. For example, if someone has a question about your company, you can say, "Thank you for contacting ABC Company." If someone has replied to one of your emails, be sure to say, "Thank you for your prompt reply." or "Thanks for getting back to me." If you can find any way to thank the reader, then do. It will put him or her at ease, and it will make you appear more courteous.

If, however, you are initiating the email communication, it may be impossible to include a line of thanks. Instead, begin by stating your purpose. For example, "I am writing to enquire about …" or "I am writing in reference to …" It’s important to make your purpose clear early on in the email, and then move into the main text of your email. Remember to pay careful attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation, and to avoid run-on sentences by keeping your sentences short and clear.

Before you end your email, it’s polite to thank your reader one more time as well as add some courteous closing remarks. You might start with "Thank you for your patience and cooperation." or "Thank you for your consideration." and then follow up with, "If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let me know." and "I look forward to hearing from you."

The last step is to include an appropriate closing with your name. "Best regards," "Sincerely," and "Thank you," are all professional. It’s a good idea to avoid closings such as "Best wishes," or "Cheers," as these are best used in casual, personal emails. Finally, before you hit the send button, review and spell check your email one more time to make sure it’s truly perfect!

By Kenneth Beare, Original Link

Writing well constructed paragraphs is the corner-stone of good English written style. Paragraphs should contain sentences that convey ideas concisely and directly. This lesson focuses on helping students develop a strategy for combining various ideas into well formed sentences which then combine to produce effective descriptive paragraphs.

Aim: Developing descriptive paragraph writing skills

Activity: Idea grouping and consolidation at the sentence level leading to descriptive paragraphs

Level: Intermediate to upper-intermediate

Outline:

• Introduce the topic of writing paragraphs by asking students what they consider a well formed paragraph. Introduce the idea of concise sentences as being integral to good English written style.
• Have students take a look at the example sentences and paragraph.
• Ask students to group the sentences in the example based on the ideas that go together as shown in the following paragraph (i.e., person and describing adjectives, etc.)
• Individually or in pairs, ask students to group sentences in the first exercise.
• Based on this grouping, ask students to write descriptive paragraph.
• Ask students to complete creative writing exercise by following similar steps. (i.e., choose subject, create idea sentences, group sentences, write paragraph)
• Choose some of the compositions to be read aloud in class. Ask students to comment on the examples.

Descriptive Paragraphs

Example: New York City

New York City is in the United States.
New York City is located in New York State.
It borders on the Atlantic Ocean.
It was founded in 1625 as "New Amsterdam".
It was first settled by the Dutch.
It is important for commerce.
Wall Street is located in New York City.
It has many national and international banks.
It has many important skyscrapers.
The World Trade Center is located in New York City.
The Empire State Building is in New York City.
New York City is an important city for immigration.
Ellis Island used to be the entry point for many immigrants at the turn of the century.
There is an interesting immigration museum on Ellis Island.

New York, New York is located on the Atlantic Coast of the United States of America. It was first settled as "New Amsterdam" in 1625 by the Dutch. Today, New York City is an important commercial and banking center which includes Wall Street. Among its many important skyscrapers are the World Trade Center and The Empire State Building. One of the most interesting museums is on Ellis Island which served as the entry point for many immigrants who passed through New York City at the turn of the century.

Exercise 1: Elvis Presley

• Arrange the sentences about Elvis Presley into idea groups.
• Write a paragraph about Elvis Presley using the idea groups to create concise sentences.

Elvis Presley was an American.
He was a singer and actor
He was famous for rock-and-roll.
He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.
He was born on January 8, 1935
He started singing in church.
He taught himself to play the guitar.
He first became popular on the local touring circuit for country-and-western music.
He sang romantic songs.
He danced erotically.
Teens loved him for his new style.
He had many hits.
He sang "Love Me Tender", "All Shook Up", and "Don’t Be Cruel".
He died on August 16, 1977.
He died in Memphis, Tennessee.
He might have died of drug and alcohol abuse.

Exercise 2: Creative Writing

• Choose a famous place or person.
• Write down a number of important facts about that place or person.
• Arrange the sentences into idea groups.
• Write a paragraph using the idea groups to create concise sentences.

By Kenneth Beare, Original Link

Read the following paragraph. Notice that this paragraph describes the person who is writing the introductory paragraph.

Hello, my name is James. I’m a programmer and I come from Chicago. I live in Seattle with my wife Jennifer. We have two children and a dog. The dog is very funny. I work at a computer company in the city. The company is very famous and successful. Our daughter is named Anna and our Son is named Peter. She is four years old and he is five. We like living and working in Seattle.

Tips for Writing a Personal Description about Yourself

• Use ‘come from’ for the city or country where you were born. Use ‘live’ for the city where you currently live.
• Use the present simple tense to explain what you do every day.
• Use ‘have’ or ‘have got’ to speak about your children, pets, etc.
• Use ‘a’ the first time you mention something. For example, I live in a house. Then use ‘the’ after the first time you write about it. For example, I live in a house. The house is in Seattle.
• Remember to use he, his, him for boys and men and she, her, her for girls and women. Use ‘our’ when speaking about the whole family.
• Use ‘like doing’ when speaking about hobbies.

Read the following paragraph. Notice that this paragraph describes a different person that the person who is writing the introductory paragraph.

Mary is my friend. She is a student at a college in our town. The college is very small. She lives in an apartment in the center of town. She doesn’t have a dog or a cat. She studies every day and sometimes works in the evening at a small shop. The shop sells gift items like postcards, games and other small items. She enjoys playing golf, tennis and walking in the countryside.

Tips for Writing a Personal Description about a Friend

• Remember to add ’s’ to the present simple tense when writing about other people.
• In the present simple tense, ‘doesn’t’ takes the ’s’ in the negative form. Remember to use ‘doesn’t + verb’ in the negative.
• Use sometimes, often, never, etc. before the main verb in a sentence.
• Remember to use he, his, him for boys and men and she, her, her for girls and women.
• Use ‘enjoys doing’ when speaking about hobbies. It’s okay to connect a few verbs using commas, but place ‘and’ before the final verb in the list when speaking about someone’s hobbies. For example, She enjoys playing tennis, swimming and riding horses.

Exercise

1. Write a paragraph about yourself. Try to use a variety of verbs and ‘a’ and ‘the’ correctly.
2. Write a paragraph about someone else. You can write about a friend or a someone from your family.
3. Compare the two paragraphs and note the differences in pronoun and verb use. For example,

   I live in Seattle BUT She lives in Chicago.
   My house is in a suburb. BUT His house is in the city.

By Gina Trapani, Original Link

Like it or not, our work lives involve meetings – status meetings, planning conference calls, brainstorming sessions, meetings for the sake of meetings. But a meeting is only as valuable as the action taken after everyone’s left the conference room.

Whether you’re headed off to a business meeting, a university lecture, or a conference session, taking effective notes is a necessary skill to move your projects, your career and your education forward. Today I’ll go over a couple of my favorite note-taking methods, as well as how to make your own custom notepaper to fit your needs.

The first two methods are especially useful for business meetings and professional conferences, where it’s most important to separate different types of information.

Method 1: Symbolize the next action

Using notepaper or a simple text file on your laptop or tablet, indent the pages of your notes in from the left margin. Then, use a simple system of symbols to mark off 4 different information types in the column space left in the margin.

• [ ] A square checkbox denotes a to do item
• ( ) A circle indicates a task to be assigned to someone else
• * An asterisk is an important fact
• ? A question mark goes next to items to research or ask about

After the meeting, a quick vertical scan of the margin area makes it easy to add tasks to your to do list and calendar, send out requests to others, and further research questions. (This method is the brainchild of Michael Hyatt, someone who clearly has mastered the art of attending meetings.)

Method 2: Split your page into quadrants

Another way to visually separate information types is to split your note-taking page into quadrants and record different kinds of information – like questions, reference and todo’s – into the separate areas on the page. Rumor has it this is how Bill Gates – someone known for taking amazingly detailed meeting notes – gets it done.

Method 3: Record and summarize – The Cornell Note-taking Method

A system more targeted towards students digesting large amounts of information on a daily basis, the Cornell note-taking method also separates the page into different areas, as pictured:

• Note taking area: Record lecture as fully and meaningfully as possible.
• Cue column: As you’re taking notes, leave the cue column empty. Soon after the lecture, reduce your notes to concise jottings as clues for Reciting, Reviewing and Reflecting.
• Summaries: Sum up each page of your notes in a sentence or two.

DIY notepaper

There are a few neat little webapps out there that produce custom PDF’s of formatted, lined notepaper with various options for printing out before your meeting and possibly stowing in a binder.

Notepaper Generator [Simson.net]

Create a PDF of a lined page with a small monthly calendar in the header and an optional summary box in the upper right hand corner. Choose your font face and optionally include punch holes as well.

Cornell Method PDF Generator [Study Smarter]

Prints pages split up into the Cornell notepaper style with unlined, ruled or graphed sections. Optionally include your name, the date, and the name of your class, and up to 4 punch holes for use in a binder. Also, choose the line darkness on a scale from gray to black.

Notepad Generator [Michael Botsko]

This PDF notes template includes your name, number, the date, project name and splits the page into two sections: one for notes (with lines) and the other for action items with due dates, with optional punchholes.

What do you use to take notes in meetings? How do you keep your jottings organized and useful after the fact? Let us know in the comments or to tips at lifehacker.com.

Gina Trapani, the editor of Lifehacker, is getting better at taking worthwhile notes. Her semi-weekly feature, Geek to Live, appears every Wednesday and Friday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Geek to Live feed to get new installments in your newsreader.

By Paul Sloane, Original Link

Take a moment for a reality check.  Ask yourself these questions – how many positive answers do you get?

1. Is what I do really worthwhile? In other words: Does my work make a difference to people?  Does it help people?  Am I adding something of value to the world?  Doing something worthwhile makes us feel worthwhile and can compensate for other shortcomings in the position.

2. Do I enjoy my job? Do you you get a buzz from what you do?

3. Am I learning? If you are still developing and learning in the job then it is an investment of your time.  If you have stopped learning and are repeating experiences then it may be time for a change.

4. Does this job lead to somewhere I want to go? Is this experience useful in preparing you for something else you might want to do?

5. Am I well paid? On an objective assessment are you fairly compensated for what you contribute?

6. Do I get on with my boss? A difficult boss can make your time at work miserable.  If you answer this question “no”, then see the article ‘What to do if you do not get on with your boss.’

7. Do I get on with my colleagues? A good social environment and friendly workmates can make up for many other problems at work.

8. Am I empowered to be creative and do things my way? This is more important for some people than others.  Does it matter for you?

9. Is my work/life balance acceptable? Most people would like more time with their families but work is demanding so they accept some kind of balance.  Are you getting at least the minimum free time you need to live your life?

10. Is my job title prestigious? This really matters to some people but is irrelevant to others.  Do you feel proud when you tell people where you work and what you do?

The more yes answers the better. How many did you get? Now rank the questions in importance for you.  For some people doing something really worthwhile is most important while others place greater value on working with friends in a sociable atmosphere.  Compare the yes answers and the no answers. Do the positive answers outweigh the negatives in number and importance?  For example it might be fine to work in a low paid job if it is important to you that you gain the right experience.

If you have few positive answers and they are not in your top priorities then you should do some soul-searching about what you really want out of life and whether it is time to look for a better job.

By David, From Language Learning Tips

There was man in Japan of about 60 years of age, who for many years had not engaged in much physical activity. Not only couldn’t he bend over and touch his toes, he could just barely reach down to his knees. He decided that he was going to gain the flexibility that had been lost since his youth, without putting undue stress on his body. He put together a stack of paper, thousands of sheets, that reached up to his knees. Then, he bent over and touched the top of the stack with his fingertips, holding the position for a little while, which wasn’t at all hard to do. The next day, he removed two sheets from the stack, and did the same thing.

    May I assume you have learned your words for the day, and have duly taken note of this first step? Fine! So now we can move on to our next, oh-so-crucial subject…

By Englishtown

Always avoid the imperative when making requests. Saying, "Give me some time off" will never please your boss. Instead, start your request politely, for example, "I’d like to request some annual leave" or "I’d appreciate it if you could give me your feedback."

Always talking about what you"need" can make you sound bossy and offensive, so try asking instead. Phrases like "Could you please…?" and "Would you be able to…?" are perfectly polite ways to make your request known.

If your boss is cool, you might be tempted to let something like, "I’m going to leave a bit early today," slip out. It’s best not to take control, though, and assume the top dog doesn’t have a problem with it. "Would it be OK if I slipped out a bit early today?" or "Would you be opposed to my taking off around 4:30?" are great ways to ask permission.

If your manager seems to have forgotten about your request, don’t accuse him or her of not doing the work by saying, "Where are those figures I asked for?" For a simple yet effective reminder, just say, for example, "I was wondering if you’ve had the chance to calculate those figures." It’s a non-threatening way to remind your boss of something he or she promised to do.

If your manager has denied a request, it can be easy to just give up. Instead, if you really feel your request is valid, clearly organize your argument and say, "Please reconsider my request."

By EnglishTown

English has a very difficult spelling system, and it can take a long time to spell out one word. So, many people now shorten words to speed up the process. This saves time and money, but it can also confuse people if they are not familiar with the current trends. Also, mastering the language of text messages first requires mastering English.
SMS slang can be broken up into two basic categories: acronyms and contractions.

Acronyms are words formed from the first letter of several words (such as UN for United Nations). In text messaging, acronyms are used for common phrases. Additionally, single letters may replace words that they sound like. Check out these examples:
OIC – Oh I see.
BRB – Be right back…
BFN – Bye for now
LOL – Laughing out loud
ASAP – As soon as possible
BTW – By the way…
FYI – For your information…
JK – Just kidding
TTYL – Talk to you later

SMS contractions aren’t the same as regular ones like "don’t" or "they’re", but the purpose is the same: to remove unnecessary parts of words while keeping the meaning clear. Vowels are often eliminated, but you can still make out the general sound of the word. The number 8 sometimes represents the sound of eight, so later becomes l8r. The number 4 is also common as a replacement for the for sound as is 2 for to. Take a look at these SMS contractions:
Plz – Please
Thx – Thanks
Cya – See you
L8r – Later
K – OK
U – You
R – Are
B4 – Before
2morro – Tomorrow
As you can see, writing this way can be complicated, and you should have a good grasp of English before trying to shorten your messages. Using too many abbreviations will make your SMS confusing to the reader or look unprofessional with your business contacts.

SMS is definitely convenient, but it should be used for casual conversations while keeping your audience in mind. You shouldn’t be sending text messages to your boss! Additionally, remember that messages sent can easily be saved and retrieved, or even sent to the wrong person – so you may find yourself in an embarrassing situation if you are not cautious! The next time you want to send a very personal message think carefully before you press the "Send" button or you might end up sending your boss a message meant for your sweetheart!