So U Think U R Such a Professional? Plz!

OMG, Business Communication Should Be Written in Standard English

Posted by Marc Brownstein on 10.30.09 @ 11:22 AM


Marc Brownstein

A memo went out to one of our clients last week that read more like a text message than a professional letter. You know what it looked like: Every third word was abbreviated, as though it was written on the run, from a cellphone. I was appalled, and could only imagine what the client must think: If we are writing to them in such a casual way, what else is being executed casually?

Have we lowered our standards to encourage a less-professional style of writing? Or were we just in a hurry to get a message out? Or worse, is this the way business communication is headed?

The good news is that our thinking and execution have not waivered. But lax behavior in one area could eventually lead to other areas.

Look, I'm all for sending text messages with abbreviated words to my wife, kids and friends. I do it all of the time. (Sometimes from places I shouldn't be writing!) And trust me, my kids write to me in return -- especially my 14-year-old daughter, from whom I learn my new vocabulary (LOL is so 2008, by the way). But I would never consider sending a client a note in the same casual style. To me, it could be interpreted as a sign that other standards in the agency are lower, too. Or that it makes us look like a small agency, when that is not how we perceive ourselves.

I even wondered if I sounded old because I am pushing back on this. I was relieved when my public relations director, who is in her 30s, agreed with me 100%. So it's not an age thing.

The irony is that relaxed communications standards have nothing to do with skill or brains. I have a wonderfully talented team at Brownstein Group that is also highly educated. And I happen to know this trend is not just happening at my agency; it's happening all over the globe. I just think that the business world is lowering its guard, trying to do more, faster; and maybe even getting a little lazy. The result is a worldwide epidemic of encrypted client memos. Makes you wonder if mission-critical campaign instructions have ever been misinterpreted as a result of the unprofessional style of writing. Not implausible.

The good news is that this issue is easily solved:

1) Establish writing protocol in your agency. Important clients' memos shouldn't be written like text messages, instant messages or informal e-mails.

2) Monitor your staff's memos from time to time. It's easy to fall into bad habits.

3) Have an understanding at the outset of your agency-client relationship of how you want to communicate. There may be times when you want to text your client. That editorial environment may be OK for abbreviations.

4) Remind your staff about how standards of communication must never waiver. There are many ways to do it -- signage, staff meetings, etc. You can even have fun with it.

5) Have the young people on your staff lead the charge

I anticipate that some of you reading this will say, "Get with the program, Marc, this is the way of the world. No one has time to write long-hand." And some of you may agree with me. I hope it doesn't have an obvious age divide, where the20-somethings believe it's better to be responsive than formal. And the 30-and-over-somethings cringe at text-style client communication. I truly believe that everyone -- regardless of age -- needs to get back to the basics of professional standards of correspondence. If nothing else, it's good for your career, because few clients want to work with agencies that appear to act before they think.

You've allowed me to vent. For that, I thank u.

12 Comments

By cjrullman | Birmingham, AL October 30, 2009 01:02:45 pm:

Your venting is dead on, though, Marc. I'd like to touch on e-mail. We are so comfortable with e-mail and do it so often we could practically do it with our eyes closed. And from the looks of our sent and received e-mails, you would think our eyes really are closed.

I had a recent goof up a few weeks ago where I hit the reply all button, instead of reply. No harm was done, but I am a rare case. So often we don't read over our copy and check the recipients. I think e-mail, memos, texts, etc. have taken over as our voice. Next thing we know, we are going to wind up talking, out loud, like the girl in that old cell phone commercial who only communicates like a text message.

TTFN. THX. JK!

Nice post, Marc.

www.scoutbrand.com

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By nowayjose | Dubai October 30, 2009 02:42:48 pm:

Marc, you do realize you post this same article once a year, don't you?

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By MarcBrownstein | Philadelphia, PA October 30, 2009 05:51:46 pm:

Actually, not true. Last year, I wrote a piece on how poor spelling has become acceptable in emails. Text language is this year's abuse of professional writing standards.

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By rickphillips09 | Athol, MA November 1, 2009 12:01:03 pm:

Strong point. I admit I have made the 'casual' mistake in some of my emails.

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By DAVID | SAN FRANCISCO, CA November 1, 2009 11:42:24 pm:

Excellent post, Marc. I think we've all been guilty of this more than we'd care to admit.

I visited your agency for an open house a few years ago and remember being impressed with the look and feel of the office. It's great to see that you're applying the same standard to other ways in which people interact with your agency.

www.DigressionsofanAdMan.com

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By LauraStocker | Cleona, PA November 2, 2009 09:51:03 am:

Excellent point, Marc - back in my "Hershey" days we worked with you and the good folks at Brownstein, and I was always impressed with the consistency of your communication tools with clients.

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By koquinn | Cape Elizabeth, ME November 3, 2009 07:44:04 am:

Marc,
Thanks for a great post, top to bottom. I'm a writing coach who works with corp. comm. departments and global PR firms, so I have seen glaring evidence of the need for improvement for years.

I remind people that American business does not run on text messaging. If you cannot express your thoughts in a clear, direct, well-organized manner, it does not bode well for a career. You cannot explain complex ideas, you cannot write a proposal, you cannot manage projects, and you cannot motivate people.

We have three levels of language, formal, standard, and colloquial. Most educated business professionals use standard English, which invites a friendly, conversational tone but which also is polished enough to look professional. Text-message abbreviations, smily emoticons, and total inattention to grammar and punctuation leave readers wondering if the writer is this sloppy about other tasks.

Your suggestion to get younger people on the team involved is a great idea. In a workshop I do for managers called "Being an Effective Editor: How to Coach Your Writers," I suggest periodic brown-bag lunch meetings where the only issue being discussed is a writing or editing topic. There are some good exercises that generate good discussion while also reinforcing the notion that well-written communication is important.

By the way, I was a hockey writer with the AP for nine years, so here is a nod to your love of the most exciting sport out there.

Ken@WritingWithClarity.com

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By RedShift | Richmond, VA November 4, 2009 09:45:24 am:

I really enjoyed this post. Being a 20-something, I am expected to be hip to the "txt mssg" style, but truthfully, I agree completely with you. It is a sign of respect to take the extra 30 seconds to spell everything out and do a quick once over for spelling and grammar mistakes. While I have sent the occasional missing attachment email and maybe even a 'their' instead of 'there', I find it incredible that someone would really put in any abbreviation other than P.S. or ASAP when communicating with a client.

http://www.redshiftagency.com/

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By RyannJK | Fairfax, VA November 4, 2009 11:19:09 am:

Marc, great point. I do think it's mostly a time thing. Text message "language" started in part because cell phones were not equipped with keyboards and it took some effort to type just a short message. But even the hassle of using one of those ancient phones of 3 years ago is no excuse for business communications to be written like a 15-year-old at the mall. And now that most smartphones have full keyboards, what's the excuse? (Plus, the 5 seconds saved from spelling out words is easily lost with the time it takes to trnsl8 & intrp the shortnd msg.) If I received a business communication written like a text, not only would I think I was being treated casually, but I would also think that the business had no time for me.

For the record, I'm 26.

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By jweinlick | PHILADELPHIA, PA November 4, 2009 01:54:38 pm:

Wow, not a single nay-sayer? There has to be at least someone who doesn't fully agree. Alright, I'll take that task on!

Overall is grammar important? Yes. But, to create a single rule that we always write this way, and should never abbreviate or use slang? What about being human, relating to our clients and audiences as people? If an account person gets to the point where they and the client interact informally, outstanding. That isn't to say that critical communications should be written in the same style, but I don't think a hard and fast rule makes sense either.

I am reminded of the presentation we made to a client in New York - when we all donned suits and even wore ties so we would look professional. Heck, you can't go wrong by being too professional, can you? Apparently you can. Upon returning home, we learned that the client thought we were "stuffy" and they weren't sure they knew us.

From now on I'll take the advice you have often given me: be yourself. Ultimately, that works best to establishing a long-term relationship. IMHO, anyway.

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By KAREN | GREAT FALLS, VA November 4, 2009 05:53:36 pm:

The number of mistakes with such words as it's/its, your/you're, and their/there is scary. I had an Account Supervisor, now a VP of a publicly-traded corporation, who is still positive "its'" that's its with an apostrophe after it) is a word.

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By KIM | WAYNE, PA November 14, 2009 03:52:54 pm:

Courtesy, professionalism, and respect are appropriate at every age. This post is required reading for my students.

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