subject: Watch your Words [print this page] Watch your Words Watch your Words
Want to improve your job prospects? Advance in your career? Start by assessing your communication skills. Communication is the thread that holds any organization together and, undeniably, spoken and written communication are of essential importance in your business dealings. If you want to improve your career prospects and move up the ladder, then you must be effective at getting your messages across to others. The first step to improving your communication skills is to make sure that you communicate accurately. This means getting your grammar and pronunciation right, both of which are crucial to presenting a professional image. If you do not get the basics right, people may wonder how accurate or trustworthy the rest of the information coming from you is ! Through your communication you want to give the right impression. A simple error in sentence structure, vocabulary use or pronunciation can make the writer/speaker appear unprofessional or flippant and quite often leads to confusion. The following examples illustrate the potential for miscommunication. Quite often, I am asked: Do you cook yourself? And I always wonder what the appropriate answer should be! And at other times, I've heard someone say: " I have my car today so you can follow me." So does this mean i have to run behind you? Or, "You need to use 'fla' in this recipe ." For year, I thought 'fla' was an exotic Asian ingredient until one day the penny dropped-not literally of course- and i realised that it was "flour." The English language is a minefield of rules and exceptions to those rules. Being more aware and conscious of the implications of grammatical inaccuracy is a starting point for improvement. Start by checking the basics in your written work:
( a ) Singular/plural nouns,
( b ) Subject/verb agreements,
( c ) Correct tenses ( especially when dealing with reports ),
( d ) Correct prepositions, and punctuation.
To improve clarity when speaking.
( a ) Speak slightly slower to be more articulate,
( b ) Get your vowel sounds right -full or fool,
( c ) Pronounce word endings, and
( d ) Use your voice to stress key information and add variety and interest to what you are saying.
Once you are confident about communicating accurately, you need to think about communicating effectively. Every time you communicate, be it in spoken or written form, it is a representation of your personality, attitude and your company brand/image. Writing is not the easiest channel through which to communicate. However, it is unavoidable in the workplace. Poorly written email messages, letters or reports may not project the desired image and will not help you to gain or retain customers. So drop the jargon and cliches and write what you mean simply and clearly. Many people make the mistake of using ready-made templates, believing that it is the easy way out! However, using templates can lead to very impersonal and formal documents that are full of old-fashioned phrases and business jargon such as : "Pertaining to the above-mentioned subject...." , "As a gesture of goodwill....." , " Your patience is much appreciated.....".
These phrases are wordy, clumsy and, above all, insincere. In most cases, templates do not address the real purpose of the letter. They are used repeatedly without consideration as to whether they are clear or appropriate. By using simple English in your letters and email messages, you can get your message across quickly and clearly. So do not rely too much on those templates.
To improve your writing, think in term of :
Content.
( a ) Consider the message you want to convey before you start and clear about your purpose of writing.
Structure.
( a ) Organize your thoughts in a logical sequence.
( b ) Use paragraphs to organize the key points.
( c ) Use short sentences and do not forget punctuation.
Style and tone.
( a ) Write as though you are talking to the person.
( b ) Decide what you mean and say it- cut out the clutter.
( c ) Use sentences in the active rather than passive form.
( d ) Use familiar words and phrases-avoid the jargon.
