Home > Articles > Business & Management

FranklinCovey Style Guide: For Business and Technical Communication

This excerpt from FranklinCovey Style Guide: For Business and Technical Communication covers cliches, colons, color, commas, compound words, conjunctions, contractions, dashes, decimals, editing and proofreading, and electronic mail.
This chapter is from the book

Cliches

A bad scene

a can of worms

acid test

active consideration

add insult to injury

agree to disagree

all things considered

all too soon

along these lines

among those present

ample opportunity

an end run

armed to the teeth

as a matter of fact

as the crow flies

at a loss for words

at the end of the day

attached hereto

at this point in time

auspicious moment

avoid it like the plague

awaiting further orders

Back at the ranch

back to the drawing board

bag and baggage

bated breath

beat a hasty retreat

be at loggerheads

beginning of the end

benefit of the doubt

best-laid plans

better late than never

better left unsaid

beyond the shadow of a doubt

bite the bullet

bitter end

blissful ignorance

block out

bloody but unbowed

bolt from the blue

bone of contention

bottom line

brain dump

bright and shining faces

broad daylight

brook no delay

brute force

budding genius

built-in safeguards

burning question

burning the midnight oil

busy as a bee

by leaps and bounds

by the same token

Calm before the storm

capacity crowd

cast a pall

casual encounter

chain reaction

charged with emotion

checkered career/past

cherished belief

chief cook and bottle washer

circumstances beyond my control

city fathers

clean bill of health

clear as crystal/day

colorful display

come full circle

common/garden variety

confirming our conversation

conservative estimate

considered opinion

consigned to oblivion

conspicuous by its absence

contents noted

controlling factor

cool as a cucumber

crying need

curiously enough

cut a long story short

cut down in his prime

Dark horse

date with destiny

days are numbered

dazed condition

dead as a doornail

deadly earnest

deafening crash

deficits mount

deliberate falsehood

depths of despair

diamond in the rough

dig in your heels

discreet silence

do not hesitate to

doom is sealed

doomed to disappointment

dramatic new move

drastic action

drink the Kool-Aid

due consideration

dynamic personality

Each and every

easier said than done

eight-hundred-pound gorilla

eloquent silence

eminently successful

enclosed herewith

engage in conversation

enjoyable occasion

entertaining high hopes of

epic struggle

equal to the occasion

errand of mercy

even tenor

exception that proves the rule

existing conditions

express one’s appreciation

eyeball to eyeball

Failed to dampen spirits

fair sex

fall on bad times

fall on deaf ears

far and wide

far be it from me

far cry

fateful day

fate worse than death

feedback loop

feel free to

feel vulnerable

festive occasion

few and far between

few well-chosen words

fickle finger of fate

final analysis

fine-tune one’s plans

finishing touches

fire on all cylinders

fit as a fiddle

food for thought

fools rush in

foregone conclusion

foul play

from the sublime to the ridiculous

Gala occasion

generation gap

generous to a fault

gild the lily

give the green light to

glowing cheeks

go down the drain

goes without saying

goodly number

good team player

grateful acknowledgement

grave concern

green with envy

grim reaper

grind to a halt

Hale and hearty

hands across the sea

happy pair

hastily summoned

have the privilege

heartfelt thanks/appreciation

heart of the matter

heart’s desire

heated argument

heave a sigh of relief

height of absurdity

herculean efforts

hook, line, and sinker

hook or crook

hope springs eternal

hot pursuit

house divided

how does that grab you?

hunker down

hurriedly retraced his steps

Ignominious retreat

ignorance is bliss

ill-fated

immaculately attired

immeasurably superior

impenetrable mystery

in close proximity

inextricably linked

infinite capacity

inflationary spiral

innocent bystander

in no uncertain terms

in reference/regard to

in short supply

internecine strife

in the limelight

in the nick of time

in the same boat with

in the twinkling of an eye

in this day and age

into full swing

iron out the difficulty

irony of fate

irreducible minimum

irreparable/irreplaceable loss

it dawned on me

Just desserts

just for openers

Keep options open

knock your socks off

Labor of love

lashed out at

last analysis

last but not least

last-ditch effort

leaps and bounds

leave no stone unturned

leaves much to be desired

leave up in the air

lend a helping hand

let well enough alone

like a bolt from the blue

limped into port

line of least resistance

little woman

lit up like a Christmas tree

lock, stock, and barrel

logic of events

long arm of the law

low-hanging fruit

Make good one’s escape

man the barricades

marked contrast

masterpiece of understatement

matter of life and death

mecca for travelers

method to/in his madness

milk of human kindness

miraculous escape

moment of truth

momentous decision/occasion

monumental traffic jam

moot point

more in sorrow than in anger

more sinned against than sinning

more than meets the eye

more the merrier

motley crew

Narrow escape

nearest and dearest

needs no introduction

never a dull moment

never before in the history of

nipped in the bud

none the worse for wear

no sooner said than done

not wisely but too well

One and the same

ongoing dialogue

on more than one occasion

on unimpeachable authority

open kimono

order out of chaos

other things being equal

outer directed

overwhelming odds

own worst enemy

Pales into insignificance

paralyzed with fright

paramount importance

part and parcel

patience of Job

pay the piper

peer group

pet peeve

pick and choose

pie in the sky

pinpoint the cause

pipe dream

place in the sun

play hardball

play it by ear

point with pride

poor but honest

powder keg

powers that be

pretty kettle of fish

pros and cons

proud heritage

pull one’s weight

push the envelope

Rack and ruin

ravishing beauty

red-letter day

regrettable incident

reigns supreme

reliable source

remedy the situation

right on

riot-torn area

ripe old age

round of applause

rude habitation

Sadder but wiser

saw the light of day

scathing sarcasm

sea of faces

seat of learning

second to none

seething mass of humanity

select few

selling like hotcakes

shattering effect

shift into high gear

shot in the arm

sigh of relief

silence broken only by

silhouetted against the sky

simple life

skeleton in the closet

snug as a bug in a rug

social amenities

something hitting the fan

spectacular event

spirited debate

steaming jungle

stick out like a sore thumb

stick to one’s guns

straight and narrow path

structure one’s day

such is life

sum and substance

superhuman effort

supreme sacrifice

sweat of his brow

sweeping changes

swim with the sharks

Take the bull by the horns

teaching moment

telling effect

tender mercies

terror stricken

thanking you in advance

there’s the rub

think outside the box

this day and age

those present

throw a monkey wrench

throw a party

throw caution to the winds

thrust of your report

thunderous applause

tie that binds

time immemorial

time of one’s life

tongue in cheek

too funny for words

too numerous to mention

tough it out/through

tower of strength

trials and tribulations

trust implicitly

tumultuous applause

Uncharted seas

unprecedented situation

untimely end

untiring efforts

up tight

Vale of tears

vanish into thin air

viable alternative

Watery grave

wax eloquent/poetic

weaker sex

wear and tear

wend one’s way

whirlwind tour

wide open spaces

words fail to express

word to the wise

work one’s wiles

worse for wear

wrought havoc

X-ray vision/view

Yea verily yea

yeasty blend/mix

yellow journalism

yen for . . .

Young Turk

Zero hour

zest for life

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020