CONTENTS FEATURE: If you must say 'no,' do so diplomatically SPOTLIGHT: EditPros clients in the news NET NOTES: Captivating web sites FEATURE: If you must say 'no,' do so with diplomacy and honesty      Many ordinarily articulate people have the greatest difficulty expressing what likely was the first word they learned in childhood—"no." Rejection is painful for recipients and uncomfortable for all but the most callous people to dispense.      Oh, sure, most people can manage to say "no" to insistent telemarketers who call at dinnertime. And the word "no" is a mainstay in the vocabulary of all but the most permissive or inattentive parents. But in the workplace, people often become cautious and guarded when they must convey disapproval or rejection. Their wariness may be partly attributable to fear of litigation; recipients of bad news who are offended or believe they were treated unfairly may seek legal recourse.      Consequently, people faced with dispensing unfavorable information typically resort to camouflage, drafting florid preambles and veiling the reason for their rejection in vague rhetoric, such as this example: Dear Ms. Intaglio, Our recent request for quotations seeking a package designer for our line of biodegradable garden implements was greeted by an overwhelming response. We regard that as testimony to the validity of our product concept, as well as evidence of the depth of the talent pool of product designers capable of creating strongly supportive visual statements. However...."      Or, far worse, people may evade the task of rejection altogether, deliberately failing to notify unsuccessful job or credit applicants by mail or declining to return the phone calls of people who submitted proposals that failed to gain acceptance.      Although dishonesty or avoidance may be expedient for a preoccupied executive, those rude tactics can backfire. The person you ignored today might have been able to do a favor for you tomorrow. Despite the distasteful nature of rejection, people value honesty and abhor deception and discourtesy. Not only that, a research study has shown that people would rather be given bad news clearly and promptly rather than having to extricate it from deep within a thicket of rambling platitudes. Upon opening a letter, a credit applicant, for example, immediately wants to know if the verdict was acceptance or rejection; secondarily, the applicant would like to know the reason for a rejection.      "The real goal is to make customers feel that they would do the same thing if they were in the business' shoes," said Kitty Locker, associate professor of English at Ohio State University in Columbus. "In fact, giving a brief reason for the refusal makes people more likely to think the decision was fair."      Locker conducted experiments evaluating the reactions of hundreds of college students to rejection letters from graduate schools and from the credit department of a retail store. Her study showed that rejection was most distressing when it was unexpected and when recipients were not offered other options.      The research study, which was published in the Journal of Business and Technical Communications, evaluated contrasting styles of rejection letters and tested the effectiveness of three common letter-writing tactics: use of a "buffer," a softening introductory sentence or paragraph that delays unwelcome news; placement of reasons for refusal before announcing the rejection of the individual applicant; and concluding in an upbeat manner to reinforce the business—for example, inviting a rejected credit card applicant to an upcoming sale.      The study refutes the widely held belief that rejection messages should begin with a buffer and should conclude optimistically.      "Buffers and positive endings may actually annoy many readers," Locker said.      Beyond the purpose of advising the recipient of an unfavorable decision, a rejection letter should offer a cogent explanation that upholds the principles of the organization. A rejection of a customer's claim for repair of damaged merchandise, for example, should immediately and clearly indicate the reasons for the denial, as does this letter: Dear Mr. Stubble,      After examining the inoperable electric shaver you sent to us for repair, we have determined that the cost for damages is not covered under the terms of our warranty. The technician who checked your shaver discovered the presence of avocado residue in the motor housing, as well as misalignment of the cutting blades, suggesting that the shaver perhaps was dropped or fell into a bowl of guacamole dip.      Our warranty pays for manufacturing defects, but not for damage caused by accidental misuse. Our 10-year warranty period is the longest in the industry, providing unequaled customer protection from defective parts. But we know our customers understand our inability to pay for damage caused by improper use or accidents.      We've introduced many new models with significant improvements during the nine years since you bought your shaver. Because the cost of repairing your shaver might be almost as much as a new unit, we thought you might want to consider treating yourself to a new model. We've enclosed a catalog showing the latest models, as well as a rebate discount coupon for the one of your choice. Thank you for remaining a loyal and valued customer.      Notice that the letter was personable, yet firm and concise. It offered a reasonable explanation for the denial, without apologizing for it. Nor was the letter arrogant or unnecessarily accusatory. Even though it began with rejection of a claim for warranty coverage, it ended with an alternative suggestion intended to retain the customer.      If you exercise diplomacy and honesty, a customer or client to whom you say "no" today may still say "yes" to you tomorrow. SPOTLIGHT: EditPros clients in the news City of Sacramento's employee training program is an in-house 'university'      Many corporate and government organizations have demonstrated commitment to the concept of continuing education by establishing training programs for employees. They range from scholarship programs that underwrite enrollment in public education programs to courses taught by staff members at in-house classrooms. The city of Sacramento's program is so comprehensive, however, that it justifies its name: City University.      The City University continuing education and employee training program for the employees of the city of Sacramento produces an 88-page catalog containing the listings and enrollment information for more than 90 courses. Subject matter encompasses management and supervisory training, communication skills, career development, bookkeeping and accounting practices, personal development, computer technology, and personal health.      City University, an EditPros client, operates under the direction of Delia Genera, training manager, and Thomas Moore, marketing and projects analyst. In addition to courses, the program maintains a lending library from which employees and departments may borrow books and instructional audio and video tapes.      You can view the catalog by visiting the City University Web site. Net Notes: Captivating Internet resources World Wide Words http://www.worldwidewords.org      You've heard of psychological profiling and racial profiling, two terms that have become emotionally charged. Now they have been joined by linguistic profiling, described as a method of identifying the ethnicity or national origin of a person on the basis of speech patterns. Aside from this new interpretation, the term "linguistic profiling" has a traditional, politically neutral meaning: techniques used by educators, reading and speech therapists to diagnose and treat children with language interpretation and communication problems such as dyslexia. Discrepancies in use of terminology and other topics are explored and discussed on the World Wide Words site, described as a forum for "investigating international English from a British viewpoint." The site, a fascinating destination for linguists and writers, includes sections on weird and topical words, turns of phrase, pronunciation, and an extensive "Finding Things" index that goes into far more detail than most dictionaries about the derivation and meaning of words. If you're curious about the sometimes surprising backgrounds of common as well as arcane words and punctuation symbols, prowl around this site, created by museum curator, exhibition designer and author Michael Quinion. BareBones free text and HTML editor http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit_lite.html      The commercial word processors on the market today are powerful and feature-laden, but their numerous formatting options embed invisible "control characters" throughout electronic files. Whether preparing text for Web pages or for publication using layout software, using a less complex text editor can be beneficial. BareBones Software Inc. not only produces such a text editor for Macintosh computers commercially, but offers a simplified "freeware" edition called BBEdit Lite, which can be downloaded from the BareBones Web site at no charge. One version operates with Mac OS X, and another runs with systems from versions 7.5.5 to 9.2. Both can read DOS, Unix and Macintosh files. Bare Bones Software Inc., founded in May 1993 in Bedford, Mass., also produces e-mail and operational utility software exclusively for the Macintosh OS (operating system). Opera Web browser http://www.opera.com/      If you've been searching for a Web browser that offers an alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer and AOL Time Warner's Netscape Navigator, visit Opera. No, not a musical performance—the Norwegian software developer called Opera. Opera is compact and significantly faster than other browsers when used on computers with slow processing speeds or with modem connections. The Opera browser is purported to be the strictest supporter of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) technical standards. Like the Microsoft and Netscape browsers, it can be downloaded free of charge, but with one catch: the free version subjects you to banner advertisements. However, if you're willing to fork out a few bucks for a CD containing the Opera for Windows, Macintosh, Linux/Solaris, Symbian and BeOS versions, you'll be able to dump the banner display. YOUR TURN: Ask the "grammar coach" or subscribe      We invite you to submit your questions to the "grammar coach," and we welcome you to subscribe to this monthly newsletter—which we'll send to your e-mail address at no charge. We respond to all "grammar coach" questions personally, but delays may occur because we must place top priority on assignments from our clients. We appreciate your patience and your interest.      You also can change your e-mail subscription address. 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