What AI is teaching us about human communication, by Ruth Oji
A colleague recently asked me to review an email she had drafted using an AI writing assistant. The email was impeccable; every sentence was grammatically correct. The structure was logical, and the tone was professional. Yet something felt off. She was writing to a long-time client about a project delay, and the email, while perfectly […]
Stop Over introducing Yourself, by Ruth Oji
You know that moment when someone asks what you do, and suddenly you’re reciting your entire professional biography like you’re accepting a lifetime achievement award? The credentials tumble out—your degrees, your certifications, your impressive job title, maybe even that award you won three years ago. By the time you finish, the other person’s eyes have glazed […]
When Your Boss Says “We need to talk”: Responding to feedback without losing your cool, by Ruth Oji
I’ll never forget the Monday morning my supervisor called me into his office. “I’ve reviewed your proposal,” he said, sliding the document across his desk. It was covered in red ink. My heart sank. My face grew hot. Before he could say another word, I heard myself launching into explanations: “I didn’t have enough time,” “The […]
How to write a summary: A complete guide, by Ruth Oji
Writing a good summary is harder than it looks. You need to capture the essence of something longer; this could be an article, a book chapter, a report. You then distil it into something brief and clear. This skill matters in school, at work, and whenever you need to communicate complex information quickly. A summary condenses […]
Revising and editing your write-up, by Ruth Oji
Do the terms ‘revise’ and ‘edit’ mean the same? What do you think? Well, they are sometimes used interchangeably even though they are really two distinct activities writers engage in to improve their writing. What do the terms mean? On one hand, revising is rewriting, that is, changing words, phrases, sentences, even whole paragraphs in a […]
The Language of Gratitude: How to Speak to Donors with Meaning, by Ruth Oji
There is a kind of language that carries more weight than grammar or eloquence. It is the language of gratitude. It is the language that transforms a donor from a name on a list into a partner in progress. This week, I have been reflecting deeply on how we speak and write to the people who […]
