Watch your words. The best ideas, poorly expressed, can be ignored and completely fail.
For many years I have been writing texts of all kinds, due to my activity as a consultant. This leads me to analyze the written texts as well and to raise an alarm in this regard.
Definitely, the advancement of audiovisual media, together with a new web culture, makes it appear serious difficulties to use language. I speak of both content and language in its own expressive way.
There is obviously a logical priority: what does it matter what we have to say, if we don't even know how to express it?
I am not going to start a long business communications relationship, poor from every point of view, because it would be boring. But I suggest something better. Read the emails that are being dispatched in your office and put them to the test in the following points:
1. Is the central idea clearly understood and distinguished from the secondary ones?
In many communications concepts of very different hierarchy appear mixed.
For example, I have seen cases in which a manager dedicates ten lines to exposing the core of the production plans, mixing in between "by the way, let me know if Pablo was late." It breaks the continuity of the discourse and the topics are of a different level of hierarchy. Come on, it's not a coffee talk…
2. Are you able to achieve your goal of persuading or substantiating what is being communicated?
And this is true both for a collection claim note, and to attract a potential client.
This can be synthesized in: I must adequately convey the reason that leads me to write to you, raised in terms of benefits for my interlocutor. For example, make a payment claim letter (which is most unpleasant).
Well, instead of:
«… We verify a delay of xx days in your payment, which we ask you to regularize as soon as possible. If you have not done so by the twentieth day, we will notify our lawyers.
Couldn't something like this be better ?:
«Dear Mr. Pérez, as the person responsible for collections, I have noticed that your payment, scheduled for the 20th day, has not occurred. This creates a number of hassles in our financial planning, and I want to avoid getting you into the usual collection recovery process, which typically involves attorneys with significant cost overruns. You have a good track record with our company, and in consideration of this, I ask you to contact me at XXXXXX, to arrange a suitable form of cancellation, which we will surely find. "
3. Do you have the exact extension for your purpose?
An excess of words, tends to confuse any subject and being too sparing, does not help in the least. But this largely depends on your recipient.
When you read it (putting yourself in the place of the addressee), do you feel that they speak to you, or that it is a copy of any collective note?
Precisely related to the previous point, putting yourself from the reader's perspective avoids many inconveniences. In itself, the feeling that someone writes especially to you has a special effect in a time of overcrowding.
In short, who generated the email, did they put themselves in the situation before typing?
4. Do you take into account the particularities of the recipient of the communication?
One last suggestion: also think not only about the recipient, but also about their circumstance. You cannot guess, but you can know the profile of the person to whom you are writing.
I have many business clients, who have their schedules totally messed up, with permanent changes, and crammed with unexpected meetings. What I do? I write short texts, and that draw attention from the title.
For example: PRODUCTION STOPPED AT PLANT TUCUMAN… and then the explanation that a machine broke, etc., etc.
If the title were SPINNING MACHINE PROBLEMS, the effect would be very different.
In short, taking care of your words allows you to improve business productivity, by reducing misunderstandings and emphasizing what is due, with precision.
If you have a good idea, get it across.
And if you need help, we are here for that.
