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?