Are your words working for you?
Are your words working?
Would you know if they weren?t?
Words on the screen can help you with your career and your business ? or they can totally backfire on you. As a business person who posts on social media, written words are the way you reach out to potential new clients or a potential new employer. Are you using or abusing those words?
What kind of impression are you trying to give the people who read your posts? I?m guessing you want them to see you as professional and intelligent. Are your words making that happen? Yeah, not so much.
Every single day I read ?professional? posts that have?apparently been written in haste or in a groggy haze. Maybe the writers just don?t know any better. Either way, the words are seriously not working for their intended purpose.
Granted, I may be pickier than most. It?s my suspicion, though, that writing well is just not that big a concern for a lot of business people. We can?t even blame this on the younger, technology-crazed set. Poor writing crosses all generations.
Can you spot the errors here?
- We was going to the meeting.
- Him and me had some things to discuss.
- I think i am good at written communication.
Is it just me wanting to throw my hands up and scream when I see such words? No, I am quite certain your potential clients and employers are doing the same.
In addition to being a business writer and trainer, I also teach college communication courses. Again, the student population includes multiple generations, so we can?t just blame these issues on youth. The errors I see on written assignments are atrocious. Many times my students? writing is not only incorrect but also inappropriately informal.
Is it a sign of the times? Do we blame technology? Have we just become too lazy to focus on our writing and then proofread for accuracy?
How much time is too much to spend on getting your written communication right the first time? How often will you get the second chance to impress those clients and employers? Written words last a surprisingly long time. Bad writing can hurt you now and come back to haunt you months or years from the day you post it.
Are your words working for you? Are you sure?
Let me know.