Let’s eat grandpa! Let’s eat, grandpa! These two sentences communicate two different messages. The first places good old grandpa in imminent danger and he should fear for his life. The second sentence conveys something that grandpa might be more apt to participate in simply because of a properly placed comma. This is the example that Tuesday’s featured speaker at Indianola Rotary Club’s weekly meeting provided to demonstrate the importance of good communication. Retired social work professor Margaret Tullos started her presentation by demonstrating the importance of good communication in her field of endeavor. “Writing accurate reports and notes and communicating with clients require adequate grammar and speaking skills,” she explained. “And from my experience teaching at Delta State, it was assumed that college students already had the skills necessary to write and communicate effectively.”
As she neared retirement, Tullos had helped countless students improve their writing and speaking skills by developing handouts that they could have on hand for quick reference. The handouts were so effective that one of her cohorts, Jana Donahoe, encouraged Tullos to broaden the scope of her handouts into a book and communications program. This encouragement plus the passion she had developed for seeing students reach their communication potential led to the founding of Tullos Solutions, a professional grammar company featuring assessments and her book, Professional Grammar Simplified. “The book is designed to help anyone of any educational level whether they have a GED or PhD., “ Tullos explained. “It has a 94-question pretest that is taken at the end. And by the time most people take the course and take the test at the end, there is an average 11-point bump up in their scores. This is significant and good data that shows how people improve when they take the course.”
The book also has 184 irregular verbs and their proper conjugations along with the most commonly used verb tenses. The Professional Grammar Simplified book and program has been implemented in various departments at Delta State University. It is also being used by students in other areas of the country through virtual learning and by various industries. “There is a demand in law enforcement for officers to write better reports,” she said. “The way an officer writes an affidavit could determine if someone pays a fine, goes to jail, does neither or does both.”
Tullos has also been marketing Professional Grammar Simplified to manufacturers, engineering firms and to Mississippi Valley State University’s programs for the incarcerated. “According to the Society of Resource Managers, the most current data suggest that the average employee’s misunderstanding or miscommunication costs a company about $4,500,” Tullos explained. “When you have an employee who does not understand a policy or communication and proceeds as if they do, it’s like death by a thousand paper cuts. Punctuation saves lives. And this makes them better speakers, better writers and it improves their critical thinking skills.”
