You’ve spent weeks preparing for your presentation, and the day’s finally here.

You’re running on two hours of sleep and three cups of coffee. As you look out into the audience, you notice all eyes are on you. Suddenly, your hands start shaking, your mouth goes dry, and you forget everything you’ve prepared.

Have you experienced a situation like this? Maybe you didn’t forget everything, but the stress leading up to the big presentation took a toll on your confidence and your mental health. Sometimes, the preparation can be even more daunting than the presentation itself.

Whether you’re a current student, recent post-grad on the job hunt, or someone who has been in the business world for a number of years, you should take a business writing course. Why?

YES! There are a million reasons why you should always practice good etiquette over email. You’re representing yourself, and your employer, every time you send an email. You want to be someone who has a record of always being professional, not someone who gets caught gossiping about a coworker.

Nonprofit organizations now have countless options for communicating digitally with stakeholders. Emails, text messages, and a wide array of social media platforms provide opportunities for marketing, sharing information, fundraising, and attracting new clients or volunteers.

Negotiations occur in many different settings. We negotiate with family members, friends, and business associates. Negotiations happen so frequently that we often don't even realize when they occur.  Negotiations occur because people value things differently. 

People are not born with negotiation skills. They must be learned. We engage in many informal negotiations every day; however, in a business setting, more formal negotiations occur. In fact, negotiation is the norm for high value transactions.

When speaking in front of an audience, you want to feel prepared, relaxed, and confident. But in the days and moments before delivering a speech, even the most prepared individuals can struggle with stage fright and nerves. How can you manage those anxious feelings? Research shows that speech anxiety can be greatly reduced through the practice of simple relaxation techniques,such as deep breathing and visualization. Check out our latest infographic for tips on delivering a great speech.

For many people, grammar is something we absorb over time through reading and listening. We reflect our grammar knowledge in our writing without necessarily knowing why we're correct (or incorrect)—and oftentimes, that's enough to get by.

However, communication is key in the business world. Miscommunications slow down timelines, waste resources, and strain relationships. On the flip side, well-crafted emails, clear presentation slides, and effective business reports help you and your company succeed.

You don't have to be a grammarian to improve your business writing. Here are three strategies to better communicate in the workplace:

People disagree; it's simply human nature. But learning how to settle disagreements does not come naturally to everyone. 

There are multiple avenues available to people who are seeking to settle a dispute or conflict. According to the American Bar Association, there are 22 different methods of dispute resolution commonly in use. The ABA's number may seem higher than what many other authorities cite because it includes several legal methods and strategies that would typically be grouped together under the single heading of "Sue the Bastards!"

Laura Althoff is a long-time subject matter expert for Skye Learning, appearing primarily in project management courses such as Principles of Scrum and Project Management Team Leadership. Skye is also excited share Althoff’s experiences as a woman leader in the workplace through its forthcoming Certificate in Leadership for Women in Business.

Althoff is a change management and agile coaching consultant with over 20 years of experience leveraging capacity, supporting transformation, and enhancing organizational performance. She is the founder of Althoff Consulting and a Project Management Council Member for MindEdge Learning. She was formerly the Executive Director for Scrum, Inc., and the Director of Account Services at the Wellness Corporation. Throughout her career, Althoff has used creativity, technology, and problem-solving to build and strengthen relationships with various business partners in diverse settings.

At the core of strong leadership is the ability to communicate effectively. And while much focus is placed on verbal communication skills, it is often the nonverbal messages - sent through facial expressions, body movements, and gestures - that have a greater impact.

Understanding how to read and use body language to communicate can help women business leaders, in particular, establish their positions of authority and prevent feeling constrained by gender stereotypes. Certain nonverbal cues can come more naturally than others, but like verbal communication, nonverbal messages can be controlled by the individual.