Know your vocabulary.

You probably thought you'd outgrown vocabulary tests. But do you know the definitions of some of the terms used often in professional communication? Consider these from Corporate Communication from A to Z: An Encyclopedia for Public Relations and Marketing Professionals, by Patricia T. Whalen, Ph.D., APR (available at www.iabc.com/publications).

* Audience impressions: Often used in public relations measurement to identify how many people were reached by a set of stories that ran in various media. Audience impressions do not take duplication into account, but simply add the total circulation of all print publications where stories ran and the audience sizes of any broadcast programs that carried the story.

* Fair use: The ability to use copyrighted materials without permission for criticism, comment or research, but not for profit or for making multiple copies.

* Inverted pyramid: A traditional style of writing a straight news release where all the important facts--who, what, when and where--are listed early in the story, usually in the first paragraph. The "why" and "how" are often discussed further into the story. Subsequent facts are then added to the story in order of importance so that an editor knows that if later paragraphs are cut, the most important facts are retained.

* News peg: The "hook" that a PR professional uses to position a story to make it newsworthy for a reporter.

* Spot release: An unplanned for news release issued when things happen to an organization that are beyond its control. A spot news release provides the media with the facts to avoid inaccuracies.

* Webinar: A "virtual" seminar that uses a combination of a teleconference and a link to a web site with graphics. A webinar can be arranged through a professional service that can promote the seminar, instruct the participants on the technology and act as a moderator.