Details are important. Whether they are part of a large project or a small article, details can distract from your message. What details am I talking about? I'm talking about spelling and grammar.
Copyright (c) 2008 Soaring Eagle Companies LLC
Details are important. Whether they are part of a large project or a small article, details can distract from your message. What details am I talking about? I'm talking about spelling and grammar. If you doubt the importance of spelling and grammar in your communications, read the following quote from the CEO of a Fortune 500 company (taken from an article by Chris Widner in the November 5, 2008 of Chris' ezine):
"Roger has to go. He's just not the type we need around here. At the next rung of the ladder, these vice presidents will need to spend 90 percent of their time networking to bring in the big clients. They attend social functions, serve on community boards, entertain our biggest clients and their spouses for a week on a yacht in the Caribbean. Roger just doesn't have what it takes at this level. His hair looks disheveled half the time, and his grammar grates on me. In fact, his wife is an embarrassment socially when she accompanies him to client functions because her grammar is even worse than his. They're both college educated,...but just not polished."
And he is talking about a vice-president in his company! It makes you wonder how Roger got as far as he did in the company. There are a few of problems with not being careful with your grammar and spelling, particularly in written material. The first problem is that it makes people wonder if you are paying attention to the details. If you can't take the time to proof your own work, maybe you shouldn't be trusted.
Second, the errors are a distraction. An error can temporarily sidetrack a reader or listener because when they read or hear the error, they automatically think to themselves "that should be _________". While they have been mentally doing the correction, they have not been thinking about your message.
Errors, particularly in your written materials, may introduce errors with a different meaning than your original thought. A mistake in grammar or a typographical error may totally change the meaning of a word, and be a costly mistake for you.
There is nothing more important than communication. Whether it is at work or at home, the ability to effectively communicate your message is the key to your success. Take the time to proofread you materials and think about your grammar when you speak. The time will be well-spent and you will make a great impression.
Recipe for Trouble:Documentation (or Lack Thereof)
We all like to trust people and we would like really be much better of if people always did what they said they would do. But we all know that this is not always the case. If you are a business owner, you can find yourself in deep trouble if you do not document.
Recipe for Trouble: IT
Depending on how dependent your company is on computers, IT (or information technology) can be your biggest ally or the biggest thorn in your side. While people tend to refer to IT for anything that involves computers, information technology can encompass a very large variety of business needs from servers to websites. There is no one-size-fits-all IT professional any more than there is a one size fits all employee of any type.
Water is Water Right? Wrong!
We all know that we should probably be drinking more water. We have all heard the health benefits staying hydrated. But we get busy and we forget to drink. So we stop by the drinking fountain and take a quick sip or hit the office water cooler and we think we are getting the hydration we need. But hydration is not even enough. We also need the proper trace minerals.
