Recently a four-color, glossy handtag advertisement was delivered in our neighborhood. The business owner clearly wanted to make an impression on people to entice them as potential customers for his business. He had one major problem: incorrect grammar and spelling throughout the ad! Whether the mistake was made by the owner or the printer, the result was the same. It showed a lack of professionalism and attention.
Perhaps no one else cared about the misspelled words and lack of punctuation or incorrect grammar. But it certainly drew my critical attention. I wanted to call the owner and ask why I should trust my car to him when he couldn't pay close enough attention to his advertising to make sure it was correct. Did he repair cars with the same carelessness? Who knows? Would you trust your car to someone who produces sloppy work?
When you communicate with people, it is important to make sure your work is good. Excellent is even better, but for some folks good is good enough. At least that shows you care enough about yourself, your business and the other person to do the right thing. Poor communication skills send the wrong message to people. You can come across as uncaring, unprofessional, lazy, or unable to perform the work. The message tells people something about you and your abilities. Make sure your message is really reflecting what you want it to say.
The way to avoid poor communications is to make sure you take the time to think things through, write carefully, have someone read and edit your work, and review the final draft several times before placing something in the public view. If you don't have time to do it right the first time, you don't have time to redo it, either!
If you cannot write or don't want to write, hire someone who will do the work for you. Your business or personal success can turn on your ability to communicate clearly.
Good luck and have a terrific day!
Patricia
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