If something consumed most of your day, you’d want to be good at it. If something was one of the top-three barriers to productivity, you’d do something about it. Yet few people have gotten any coaching or training on their business writing since they left school.
Seventy percent of business communication today takes place in writing. Email, texts, chat, or memos and reports consume huge chunks of our day. Eighty-one percent of businesspeople say poorly written communication is a leading cause of rework, delays and costly errors. But when was the last time you took a course or even received feedback on your business writing?
Some of the Most Common Complaints
- Poor grammar and spelling reflect poorly on the sender. If people doubt your credibility, they are less likely to prioritize your request or take the action you require. The worst part is there’s no excuse. Tools like spell-check just need to be turned on. Additional assistance from tools like Grammarly, Pro Writing Aid, and even the latest versions of Microsoft 365 will improve your communication.
- Vague writing leaves too much room for misinterpretation. Sometimes we’re trying too hard to be polite – we “suggest” things, or say “maybe it’s…” Other times, we just aren’t specific about what we need. As leaders, we know the secret to successful performance is clear expectations. The same is true in writing.
- Burying your request or key information. Did you know most emails don’t get opened? People look at them in the preview pane of their application. If your key request is at the bottom of a lengthy email, it’s unlikely to be read properly.
- Too much text makes it difficult for readers to quickly extract critical information. Using bullets, bold fonts, and white space help the receiver process the information clearly.
- The tone of the email is a problem. Have you ever read something and thought, “That person sounds angry?” We know they don’t make any sound, what we’re doing is interpreting the person’s tone. Most people “subvocalize” when they read. That means they process the text in their head as though it was being said aloud. If you know someone, or have history with them, you actually read the email in their voice. Word choice, remembering basic manners, and taking your audience into account make tone an asset, not a barrier to understanding. Try reading your email out loud to see how it sounds.
Don’t Let Fear Rule Your Writing
The reason so few people get feedback on their writing is fear. Managers and peers don’t think they’re qualified to comment on writing. They often assume responsibility for misunderstanding rather than request clarity. Mostly, we don’t take the time.
There is so much help available to improve your business writing. There’s Artificial intelligence and on-demand asynchronous training. There are also human beings who can cast an eye over our work before we send it into the world.
We spend most of our business day reading or writing. Surely taking a few moments to do it better (and help others) is a good investment of time.
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