"The minutes of a meeting, or simply “minutes,” is an instant written record of a meeting or hearing.

View the sample reports at examples.

"What are the first words of a speech?

"In her winning speech, [Ramona] Smith used a body-language technique she learned from a previous speaking champion: keeping her palms facing out toward the audience.

The U.

From an introduction to job-search strategies to details on résumé writing, you’ll find advice from career counseling professionals.

These online tools (many are free) offer a variety of ways to create infographics.

The 1000-plus pages of advice in the Chicago Manual of Style for citations and other writing and formatting questions can be overwhelming, but the editors are here to help.

The FTC’s Business Center has helpful guidance on applying federal marketing regulations in a wide variety of specific situations.

"When the pressure is on, why do we sometimes fail to live up to our potential?

"No matter how much we try to work with others and get along, the time comes when we can’t agree.

"Many of us have had to battle the specter of arrogance at one time or another.

"Here are the top 9 visual communication mistakes that make you look stupid in your presentation .

"Research needs and requirements vary with each assignment, project or paper.

A handy reference tool web landing page from North Carolina State University.

From refining your goals to measuring your success, here’s how to get started.

"Author Vanessa Edwards and her team watched thousands of hours of TED Talks and noticed something surprising: The least popular TED Talkers used an average of 272 hand gestures during their 18-minute presentations, while the most popular used an average of 465 hand gestures in the same amount of time.

"Speak from the heart (and not a script) in order to engage your audience.

Whether you’re starting your first document or using Word’s advanced capabilities, this site can help.

"If you're planning to wrap up your presentation with a half-hearted call for "any questions?

"No matter how topical, relevant or pressing your content is, you're often fighting an uphill battle for the audience's attention.

Dave Mac gives his advice at PresentationBlogger.

"If you're looking to improve your small-talk skills, here's an expert take on the best tips for making conversation.

"Many people think persuasion is essentially “debating lite.

"In this clip Mark Powell provides best practice tips for opening and closing presentations.