Good Business Writing: Does It Matter?

This has always frustrated me.  In big and small companies I see competent professionals who are serious about their business.  They focus on their responsibilities and want to succeed.  They’re well educated.  But they care nothing about writing well at work.  Apparently they see no value in it.

Some examples:

• Email that looks like texting from a busy 9 year-old
• Over-use of jargon and buzzwords
• Letters that are signed but not proofread
• Confusing memos
• Unintelligible website content
• That letter from your insurance company

Why is bad writing bad for business?

• Brochures, website content, and correspondence (including email) with bad spelling, grammar, and punctuation create a poor impression.  How can that be good for business?
• Obscure writing can cause confusion and misunderstanding.  Who needs the aggravation, and even litigation, that could result?

What to do, short of putting English majors in charge?

Some of these remedies may help:

• Set standards of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and clarity.  Squelch the “who cares?” attitude.
• Try writing workshops.
• Appoint and train certain staff members to be proofreaders, as an additional duty.
• Retain a proofreading service for designated writing such as customer correspondence.
• Randomly monitor email.
• Get HR behind the “good writing” policy.

Any improvement in a company’s writing will help to enhance its image and get the right message out.

1 Comment