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Small Business
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Does Your Business Have the Write Stuff?by Patricia Schaefer Big businesses in our country know that good writing contributes significantly to the success of a business. They spend billions of dollars each year to improve the writing proficiency of their employees, and some even hire professional writers. Job applicants for their professional positions dare not display poor writing skills on employment applications; this alone may be cause for disqualification. And today – with the technological explosion of the internet, web sites, email, ebooks, and ezines – people are writing more than ever on the job. Small business owners are less apt to require proficiency in writing as a prerequisite to employment. Nevertheless, it is critical for any business, big or small, to communicate their written words with vision, clarity and eloquence. The good news is that writing is a skill that can be learned. Take a look at the following two customer notices and decide which company you would rather do business with:
After looking at these two communications, it becomes clear that “if a picture paints a thousand words,” then a thousand words may or may not paint a pretty picture of a particular business. Number 1 customer notice is rife with business writing blunders:
OK, now that’s you’ve seen an example of a very badly written business communication, let’s get to the good stuff – what you can do to improve your writing skills and those of your workers: Be sure to know the basics – Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation There’re so many holes in the system, you might want to call it “Swiss Cheese Checks.” Want proof? Type the following in your word processing program: “He wants to go to the store two. How are yew?” First, it doesn’t catch that “two” should be “too.” Second, the “are yew” is underlined but when you click on it, the suggested alternatives are “is yew” and “are yews.” How is yew? How are yews? Yes. That’s definitely much better. Proficiency in these areas cannot be mastered overnight. Start with purchasing a good dictionary and thesaurus. It’s been said that the difference between a good speller and a bad speller, is that the good speller knows when to look up a word. Dictionaries aren’t just great for spelling; sometimes you need to know the exact meaning of a word. A thesaurus is a great tool for finding synonyms: many people tend to use the same word over and over in a document and don’t realize it. Start finding other interesting words that mean the same thing and use them. You’ll also need a few reference books for grammar and usage. Some popular books are: Essential English Grammar by Philip Gucker (a refresher course in grammar for adults who have limited learning time; and it even has practice exercises, with solutions in the back of the book); and The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. (includes rules of usage, principles of composition, words and expressions commonly misused, and an approach to style). Don’t want to purchase any books? You can always use http://dictionary.reference.com , http://thesaurus.reference.com, or use http://www.ask.com (Ask Jeeves) to ask grammar, punctuation or usage questions. Know your Company message and be Clear, Concise and Human about it Forget about writing pseudo-intellectual gobbledygook (better known as jargon) with words that most people on the planet wouldn’t understand. The name of the game is clarity and well-articulated simplicity with a good dose of humanity. No one – not even the head of a colossal corporation – wants to feel like he or she is reading correspondence from a cold machine. Your writing can be both professional and have a human touch at the same time. And please, remember that when it comes to writing, less is usually more; try not to use too many words or a lot of unnecessary adjectives. Don’t forget that today more than ever most people are bombarded daily with a barrage of written communications via their personal mail, computers or on the job. You realistically only have perhaps a couple of seconds to grab someone’s attention and keep it there. Reel them in with a clear and articulate opening that will keep their attention and their interest. Write in a Way that Values, Respects and Addresses the Needs of your Audience None of this will really matter if the recipients of your correspondence are not made to feel through your writing that:
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The National Commission on Writing, in its September 2004 report, “Writing: A Ticket to Work … Or a Ticket Out, A Survey of Business Leaders,” says that writing is also a “gatekeeper.” In other words, poor business writing may very likely lock you or your business out of getting to the next level of success. So remember, if you want the doors of opportunity and advancement to continue to open for you, consider making “the write stuff” a vital part of your everyday business goals. Copyright 2005 Attard Communications, Inc.
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