By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD As a consumer, I have a love-hate response to surveys. Sometimes I dismiss them and feel guilty. Other times I take them and feel like I’ve wasted my time. I group surveys in four categories: Market Research: The first type of survey is market research. All those who complete the […]
I’ve been a long-time subscriber to Readers Digest. Although I read every joke and anecdote, I only read some of the articles. (You may draw your own conclusion about what that means.) A favorite feature of mine is “Word Power,” a multiple-choice vocab test, which for me sometimes ends up more like a “multiple guess” […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Interactive Voice Response (IVR) seems to be everywhere – and no one likes them! You call a company and get a recording. Who wants that? In response to frustration with infuriating IVR systems that give endless levels of options, many people seek to bypass the machine by pressing zero – […]
At work, I receive a steady stream of article submissions for my magazines and websites. Lately, I’ve noticed something alarming: plagiarism. It’s not that I’m on the lookout for it, but some authors don’t even bother to cover their tracks. They copy content from a website and paste it directly into their article, including the […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Many healthcare call centers are decentralized, linking multiple centers together and embracing home-based agents. While there are many advantages with home-based agents, the risks are great for those who rush into it without careful planning. Here are some considerations: 1) Formulate a Clear Policy: Your call center either has agents […]
It’s hard for most people to proof their own writing. I’m no exception. For my magazines, I hire a proofreader to check my work and the other submissions that will appear in each issue. For my books, I pay a copy editor to catch my errors. For blogs, I rely on my wife and friends […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD When using the Internet, it’s critical to be aware of the risks. You don’t want to take a naive approach toward security on your telephone answering service’s computers. Computer security is a complex issue, deserving serious attention. At the risk of oversimplification, here are some simple guidelines to follow: There […]
I call myself an “iteration writer,” meaning that through a process of repeated passes, or iterations, I fine-tune my writing until I achieve the results I desire. While some writers write quickly and then edit extensively, I’m not one of them. My first draft is generally good—not finished good, but respectable. When writing, each time […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD The majority of calls I receive are from people who want to sell me something I don’t want or need, so I’ve become adept at ending these conversations quickly. If they keep selling after I’ve given my terse “no,” I restate my disinterest, ask them to not call again, and […]
The first writing conference I attended had no authors with published books, which was discouraging. The second conference had several, which was intimidating. Although these published authors were in a minority, they loomed large. We, unpublished attendees comprised a silent majority. At the first conference, our speaker said only three percent of writers make their […]