This column was written on the night of the federal budget, so matters pertaining to the economy were to the fore.

Punctuation has certainly made its mark over the centuries, even before Venetian printer Aldus Manutius formalised all those little marks in the late-15th century.

Writing business communication is not the same as writing a novel.

Mention of “flesh” and “Kincaid” bring to mind young people and the ocean, and the pop hit Dreams Are Ten A Penny.

Merry Christmas. Early I know, but this is my last effort for the year. Yuletide is an appropriate period for a column devoted to business writing.

Tone is everything in communication and in business letters and emails it is important to nail the introduction.

“In the recent evaluation by the Australian Council for Educational Research, school and community members reported that Direct Instruction was having a positive impact on student outcomes, but the researchers were not yet able to say whether or not the initiative has had an impact on student learning.”

The Beatles auditioned for Decca on January 1, 1962 performing 15 songs in just under an hour.

The intention of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s innovation statement last year was to drive an “ideas boom”.