Everything you say or write sends more than one message. It’s important to choose your words carefully, especially when using a communications medium that allows for perceptual ambiguity such as email or instant messaging. We’ve already talked about the possible pitfalls of that here.
It’s also important to do your best to communicate clearly and professionally if you are looking to be taken seriously by others. I’m not talking of the occasional misspelling, misplaced comma or dangling participle. Those mistakes are eminently forgivable, especially if the content is valuable and they occur in an otherwise lucid stream of consciousness; however, the millions of lines of garbled text, sometimes appearing to be written in pidgin l33t, that clutter up blogs and web pages are atrocious. No matter how insightful the content, its impact is generally proportionate to the clarity of the delivery.
Choosing your words carefully is also critical in face to face encounters. For example, I cringe every time I hear a waiter or sales clerk use the expression, “Not a problem!” Of course it’s not a problem; I’m the customer. And even if it is a problem, it’s your job to solve it.
What do you think? Am I being to critical?
#1 by Lance Naismith - April 15th, 2009 at 09:05
Couldn’t be more true, especially on blogs. We say the words but there is no body language to help in the understanding. Some issues are so much easier to explain in person.
I liked your blog on time zones..I always check now and don’t assume… the communication link can sometimes be too fragile and you can lose it over small things….
#2 by Michael - April 15th, 2009 at 16:25
I agree wholeheartedly. Many blogs and emails are such a mess, I have to discount the writer’s commitment to the subject, that is when I can decipher what the subject is.
Can I add tweets that are so obscure that the only message they convey is this: “I am so profound that you don’t even know what I’m talking about.”
#3 by Dave Baldwin - April 15th, 2009 at 17:45
Hey Roger,
I agree 100%. I had to send an email today announcing the addition of someone to our staff. I made sure I chose words that matched the intent of the importance of the hire and my excitement about the position.
By-the-way, was your typo by accident or on purpose, “to critical”? Instead of too critical? Or were you making a point? You are such a GREAT writer!
Blessings,
Dave
#4 by Roger Farnsworth - April 15th, 2009 at 20:12
Thanks for the comments!
Lance, at least with blogs we have the luxury of context. You can use as many words as you require to paint the picture. In IM and Twitter the tone is too terse to really flesh out the exchange.
Michael, thanks! Nice to see you. I’ll get your secret Twitter decoder ring in the mail this week.
And Dave, you got me. I envy your eye for detail. Congratulations on the expansion of the team!