Communication - It's Time to Stop Sounding Stupid!

by Skip Cohen

​One of the changes in our lives due to the pandemic has become the limitations of how we communicate. Limited face to face contact, physical distancing, and face masks have put everyone's written skills in the spotlight. And communicating via the printed word is one of the toughest ways to "talk" to somebody.

Sadly, too many of you cut English class on the days grammar was the topic. Today, as business owners who might have been able to wear their heart on their sleeve, you're often stuck trying to express yourself in what you write. Whether it's a short personal email to a client, a brochure, post, or a section on your website here are some things to consider:

• Use Spellcheck: But, remember, it won't catch everything, especially if you're using the wrong word.
• Use Grammarly.com: Grammarly often makes us look smarter than we deserve. It corrects punctuation, repeats of the same word, spelling, and suggestions for replacement words. However, just like Spellcheck, it doesn't catch everything. For example, it keeps asking me if I want to change the word "great" to "high." The word "high" in the context I'm typically using the word "great" doesn't apply. So, read each suggested change out loud to see if it makes sense.
• Read everything out loud at least twice. 
• Share with a friend: Depending on what you're publishing and how often you're writing, have a friend, family member, or associate read what you're about to share.
• But I hate writing! If you hate to write, find a writer. Relax, I'm not talking about a Hollywood screenwriter! Call the high school in your area and speak with an English teacher. You're looking for an "A" student to bring on part-time or pay them per published piece. You might even find the English teacher willing to do a little moonlighting. This can be especially effective if you're trying to keep your blog filled consistently.
• Hire a freelance professional writer: If you're publishing a lot, but hate writing and don't have the time, consider hiring a professional writer. Here's a link to an article worth checking out that focuses on hiring pro writers.
• Get the names right: If you're writing about somebody, make sure you've spelled their name right. One of my own embarrassments is messing up the name of a photographer in a post. It's always the result of moving too fast and not catching the mistake. Plus, once I have it in a document, it populates the wrong spelling throughout. 
• Auto-correct - NOT: We're all used to auto-correct challenges when texting, and that's always forgivable. I'm talking about mistakes in things you're publishing on your website, blog, social media posts, brochures, etc. We're often responding to something in social media while multi-tasking, and in a rush, our brains write things phonetically, and it can be embarrassing. 
• Remember KISS? "Keep it simple stupid" Try and be as direct and to the point as possible. It's not easy to do and takes time. Years ago, Senator Baker told me a story about a letter he had to send to another congressman. He wrote, "Sorry, this letter isn't shorter. I didn't have the time."
• Stay away from colloquialisms! We live in a global world, and your reach on the Internet is everywhere. Don't use expressions that people outside your circle won't understand. For example, years ago, I was speaking to a group of European managers from Polaroid and used the expression, "I just let the cat out of the bag!" Half the room started looking around on the floor!
• Don't write explosive opinions in battles with trolls on Facebook. It's hard not to make mistakes when there's smoke coming out of your ears, and you're angry. So, if you insist on letting out the anger, wait 24 hours before publishing. That gives you time to read what you're about to send, and things always look different when you've cooled down.

And remember - there are no erasers on the Internet! Never publish anything you don't want the whole world to read!