Communication and Business Relationships?
Communication and Business Relationships?
Communicating, any form, short or long, has the capacity to specify your brand and reinforce your brand image. Communication makes it possible to seal sales prices, build up your standing, break down misconceptions and make powerful relationships with your clients.
Communication Interface?
Many times, emails are the primary interface with a possible client or a likely small business prospect.
So why have we begun cutting detestable corners while conveying — both verbally and via the written word? In trying to save time we wind up dispensing more in damage management.
Blooper Mistakes?
1. Skirting around
Rather than addressing the issue at hand or bringing a close to the discussion, why do we like to engage in preambles, introductions and corollaries explanations?
A lot of communication compatriots (like yours truly) can be readily tried for the offense of being over-the-top in our industry writing.
Case Explanation? – Communication and Business Relationships
Research shows us that to-the-point text carries more weight and delivers over the usual assemblage of words which simply add weight to the body copy.
Be short. Brevity is really a virtue. It helps you capture the reader’s attention span for just the requisite quantity of time and convey your bit with conviction and force.
Condense?
Additionally, break your text into short paragraphs for an easy, breeze-through read.
And also, do adhere to that middle school diktat of Introduction — Body — Conclusion in most of your communicating for simple comprehension and takeaways by the recipients.
Proper Grammar?
2. Not using proper grammar
There is a strong impression that no matter how little time we have, just how small our gadgets become, and in whatever part of this world we work in, grammar will always be our guardian angel in effective communication.
Grammar sets aside a professional from a tyro, a zealous worker from a one, a professional who takes pride in their handiwork from one who is only passing time.
The use of proper grammar uplifts the record, which makes it engaging, easy on the eye and also a pleasure to read.
Grammar Deficiency?
Deficiency of good grammar and its improper use can change the meaning of what you wish to convey, and sometimes in acute circumstances, set your text in the gray zone of libel.
Grammar is not any longer as strict in terms that are significant. The principles that applied, state from the 60s, have been relaxed. It’s alright to write in an easier, fluent, conversational style.
Nevertheless, the basic boundaries that bring shape to a syntax and coherence to your own content must be observed.
Freestyle?
A fantastic writing/editing web resource, Freestyle Editorial, corroborates the point by saying, “The very engaging, persuasive business writing is also very conversational. So that means you can, and often need to, violate some stuffy grammatical principles.
Therefore, you can end sentences with a proposal, divide the occasional infinitive and start sentences with a conjunction. After all, that is how we speak.
But, breaking other grammatical rules can force you to look…well…dumb.
Business Credibility?
They could damage your business’s credibility and affect the unconscious and conscious purchasing decisions of your customers.
There is a zillion grammar minefield you ought to try and avoid at any cost.
It’s vs. Its?
There, They’re, they’re; Stationary vs. Stationery; Principle vs. Main; Who vs. Whom; Affect vs. Effect, and That vs. Which are some of the most common goof-ups we make?
Communication Craft?
Communication is a craft — please hone it and practice it well. Many a standing and companies have been broken on the wheel of feeble grammar and slip-shod construction.
Communication Distress?
Among the biggest offenders of using the smiley face rampantly. Many feel that communication is complete when a sent smiley back to close the dialogue, and close a conversation is fulfilled.
Helpful or Wasteful?
It is the closest thing to smiling back at a person and easily the nicest element in our non-verbal personality indicators and body language. Some get away with it, informal dialog with editors, publishers, and fellow professionals.
Corporate Communication?
But in a more sacrosanct, corporate workspace, it may prove otherwise ineffectiveness.
Emoting using the emojis in your social networking exchanges and having a specific set of people is completely fine.
Go on and give that Thumbs Up or send that snoozing fat kitty.
But, at large, and in the majority of your formal communication, please refrain from looking perplexed or agitated or elated or walloped (the final depicted by this copiously weeping around the face).
Content Communication
Additionally, even when you are bursting at your seams together with mirth, there’s not any place for a’Ha Ha’ in content that is official.
Emoticons have their place within our messaging systems, but a company communication text is not one of these.
4. Overuse of exclamation marks/underuse of spacing options:
• Can you please send it to me ASAP??????
• Waiting for your report!!!!!!!!!!
• I have been awaiting a callback?!?!?!?!?
I know, there are a gazillion instances that make us feel exasperated, push us to the end of the tether and make us hit our heads against the wall.
Corporate Mascots?
Our corporate avatars are constantly barraged by problems and scenarios through the day which tries our patience.
But demonstrating that vexation on the proper platform through the crutch of excessively used exclamation marks is certainly not a proper outlet.
Everything has its place; do not overuse it. That is the reason why the seat and standing office exercises and 2-minute meditation techniques were devised.
Spacing Options?
Among many, personal peeves are when people don’t utilize readily-available spacing options intelligently and permit their text to tumble down their hill of overflowing thoughts.
Please use proper pauses on your clauses. Use indentations and line spacing to split your backup and demarcate contexts and sub-contexts. This isn’t embellishment of text; it is de rigueur in developing your own communication.
5. In the case of this simple, irritating, highly commonly used LOL, what is Laugh out Loud for the goose may be Lots of Love for the gander.
Abbreviated Communication?
• WTF, that omnipresent,
• highly appropriate,
• exceptionally profane Americanism can endure for World Trade Fair (in business),
• What the Fish (a polite kind of ‘that’ profanity),
• Walk into Freedom (US Army),
• Wire Transfer Form (in currency matters),
• Weapons Tactics Force (in gaming),
• Function Time Fun (PSP game) or
• Wikileaks Task Force (US CIA).
In the modern livewire universe of social networking and its 24X7 connectivity, people across the world are taking umbrage for just about anything.
Now, it isn’t okay to compose ‘He can make a difference in the role.’ To be politically correct, you need to write ‘He or she could make a difference into the function,’ lest you risk being labeled a sexist.
Labeled Terminology in Business
In the same vein, avoid using old-practice generic phrases like chairman, businessman, forefather, layman, mankind, labor, spokesman and the like. It is not just the term ‘Black’ which is off limits.
Cultural Preference?
People prefer Asian from Asian or even the more specific Indian, Korean, Chinese, Pakistani (not the offensive Paki), Alaska Native or Inuit-Yupik over Eskimo, Aboriginal people over Aborigines.
Bear in mind, at a conscious attempt to be more sensitive and more inclusive, we no longer use crippled and handicapped; replacing them with much more respectful ‘specific,’ or ‘differently abled.’
Mindless Communication? – Communication and Business Relationships
The mindless, heartless, insensitive communiqué not only set trolls on her spine but also discredited any good work she may have done, brought her infamy and left her to resign from her coveted position.
Finally, among the dirtiest acts in the case of communications is not keeping your home clean and letting emails collect and accumulate dust. Regardless of CCleaner, digital organizer and other organizing tools. We still fail to de-clutter our inbox, encouraging more trouble and stress.
Make your job and life simple by making your communication work for you. Become more efficient, save time and frustration from imbibing a few of these above-mentioned strategies.
