Bad Business Writing Habits
09.24.2009
As a business owner that primarily does business over the Internet, I’ve learned that getting my point across in the written word is not always as easy as it seems. I’ve found that writing in a conversational tone, rather than in a stiff, business-like format, can help my clients feel more at ease. Writing this way also allows me to get my thoughts down on virtual paper without having to put too much thought into its “correctness.” I don’t claim to have perfect grammar and/or typing skills, nor do I claim to be the best business writer. I’m just saying, this is what works for my client base. This doesn’t mean I send out trashy emails with no capitalization and bad grammar. It simply means that my thoughts come out the way I originally thought them. (That’s confusing, isn’t it?) I use contractions, happy phrases (like “Yay!” and “Woohoo!”), and avoid the use of common business phrases and clichés to get my point across.
I’ve read several articles that list phrases to avoid in business writing. I’m not trying to be a snob here, but with so many people spouting so many “catch phrases” on the Web, they’re starting to just blend into the sea of words. Here are a few phrases that drive me nuts. What are some that make you want to scream at your screen?
“Bang for my (or your) buck.” – This says “cheap” to me. Or in a designer’s world, it says I want you to work hard and I want to pay peanuts. It sounds like a used car salesman.
“I’m an (insert product here) evangelist.” – Again, it’s not unique anymore because everyone says it. Drop it and give yourself a meaningful title.
“Going forward…” – Of course we’re going forward, and of course I will implement your changes in the future. It’s understood. It doesn’t need to be said.
“It is what it is.” – No, it is not. If I’m not happy, it’s not. Make it right.
“Flesh this out.” – It sounds gross and means “Explain something more completely.” It’s more of a literary term and doesn’t have a place in the design world, in my book. I prefer, “Add detail to this,” or “Polish this with…”
“Twit (something).” – Makes us all sound like a bunch of twits. I hate that word and refuse to use it. “Tweet” sounds better.
And some common mistakes that just make you look igorant:
Typing in all caps. – This is rough on the eyes and it should be well known by now that it is the equivalent of shouting on the Internet. Please use caps sparingly. Caps for design purposes are generally ok. I use them in my titles because of the look. But Whole sentences and paragraphs in caps? No way.
Capitalizing the first letter of every word in a sentence. – Didn’t They Teach You That Only Proper Nouns Need To Be Capitalized In a Sentence?
“Should of, could of, would of” – Should be, “Should have, could have, would have.” Grammar, peeps.
Using excessive abbreviations, even on Twitter – “U R 2 cool!” You are an idiot. Spell things out. It’s just unprofessional. If you have to abbreviate things like that for Twitter, then you shouldn’t be Tweeting about it. If it’s longer than 140 characters, its not a micro-blog. It’s a blog. Blog about it.
The mistake I’m probably making on a daily basis is that I very rarely use proper capitalization during instant messaging chats. I don’t abbreviate, but I do type things like this: “i just wanted to ask a questions about project one. more information is needed.” I do use LOL as well. But that’s about as unprofessional as I get. And I only do those two things with clients that know me well enough to understand my writing style.
Do you have any phrases or habits that make you cringe? Any tips for writing conversational emails that still communicate clearly?
