By Amber Alarid, JVA Consulting
With social media and texting becoming the most common forms of communication, it’s very easy to fall into bad habits in your professional communication. While it is important to be relatable and clear in your written and verbal communication, it’s also important to remain work-appropriate while representing your organization.
Don’t use text-speak
Whether you are emailing a client or sponsor, or texting your boss (if that is considered appropriate within your organization and for the occasion), it is important to never use phrases like “C u there.” Spell out words completely and refrain from using incorrect and sloppy grammar. This not only seems childish, it negates another opportunity for you to prove that you are articulate and can be trusted to speak on behalf of the organization.
Avoid acronyms and abbreviations
Abbreviations to avoid can span from the all-too-common “OMG” (oh my gosh) and “cuz” (because) to lengthy acronyms for obscure organizations and programs your coworkers or clients may not be familiar with. While these may be quite familiar to your “BFF” (best friend forever), they can make others uncomfortable if your over-abbreviating makes them feel out of the loop. Worst-case scenario: you could isolate a client, funder or coworker who cannot keep up with your endless jargon, making it hard for him/her to relate to you or your organization.
Be aware of punctuation—or lack thereof
As I was taught in school, punctuation saves lives: There is a big difference between “Let’s eat, grandma” and “Let’s eat grandma.” Failing to include punctuation can change the meaning of sentences, make it hard for others to understand your writing and calls into question your ability to coherently represent your organization. If you are unsure about which punctuation mark to use in which case (including on resumes, in proposals or in ANY other written form of communication), ask someone else to look over the document. Reference a book like Writers INC or an online guide if you are short on time or unable to find a trusted editor.
How have you overcome the habit of using slang at work? What other grammatical blunders should young professionals be on the lookout for? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
While interpreting slang may be annoying, I’d gladly wade through it if I could just get people to answer their telephone and return phone calls. As a newly-minted 50 year old, that is my biggest gripe about the 20- and 30-something year olds. It doesn’t matter if they work for non-profits or the private sector (or are family members), it often seems that getting people in that age bracket to have a telephone convsersation is almost impossible. And forget texting about anything more complicated than social plans. It is frustrating beyond belief for people in my age cohort to have to spend 15 minutes texting back and forth about topics that could be discussed and decided upon in usually less than five minutes of a telephone conversation. I’m really serious about this. It’s a real turn-off when “younger” people are reluctant to have voice-to-voice conversations. I actually avoided attending and volunteering at a certain non-profit’s state-wide conference this year because I was so turned off by my experience last year trying to solidify arrangements with the 20- and 30-year-old staff members who didn’t return phone calls and hardly even returned my emails. This type of inconsiderate behavior was not what I expected from the front-line staff of a well-known organization.
For guidance on the subject of this blog, I refer readers to “Business Writing in the Digital Age” by Natalie Canavor.