CHAPTER 9
Write Can Be Wrong
It was the best of communications. It was the worst
of communications. It was the age of the ability of
e-mail. It was the age of the inability of e-mail.
There have been incredibly gifted writers like Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, and Edgar Allen Poe. They had the ability to color and animate their words, allowing us to feel their inner thoughts and emotions. They were artists who could transport us with ink on paper, causing us to dream, causing us to love, and causing us to read stuff in school.
Then there is a new, different language of e-mail, texting, instant messaging, and assorted social media networks.
You do not have to write like Dickens, Shakespeare, or Poe. But if you are going to become indispensable, you will have to write effectively. Your written words must reflect your message accurately.
The key to effective writing is being clear and concise. People become choked on unnecessary words on paper. Think about it. The Lord’s Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address consists of 286 words, and the Declaration of Independence has 1,332 words. Yet the U.S. government regulations on the sale of cabbage totals 26,911—about as many words as are in the book you are reading. Does that make sense?
A general rule is that people comprehend and understand sentences of 15 words or less. When writing, 12 words per sentence will do in most cases. A paragraph should consist of eight or fewer sentences.
Whatever you write, your objective is clarity. Clarity begins with simplification. If you want to connect through memos, reports, and other written communication, start simplifying everything now.
For practice, pull four recent memos from your file. It does not matter whether you received or sent the memo. Count the words on the page. Now rewrite the memo, but use only half the words. If you are like most, you will be able to make your point with more clarity by eliminating unnecessary words.
Those who receive memos, reports, and other documents have limited time to read and comprehend your ideas. Write to save the reader time. If a word isn’t relevant, leave it out. If the reader can comprehend the idea without multiple details, delay them until later. Get the reader’s buy-in. Then add the less important details.
Today much of our communication is instant and spontaneously transmitted—sometimes to a location a few inches away. We communicate without the benefit of facial expressions (
does not count), audible tones, or hand gestures. This increases the challenge in communicating effectively.
Business e-mail (and text messages) can be misunderstood easily. No one can read facial expressions and body language electronically. What you happily keyed—may be read angrily. What you keyed innocently—may be read as contempt. What you keyed humorously—may be read as offensive. You think you have written a masterpiece, but the reader may find it confusing and never finish it. You may never know what you really communicated. You may have touched a nerve, started a feud, or created an adversary innocently and unintentionally.
If such misunderstanding is easily achieved with simple written messages, then the possibility of communication failure with more sensitive matters is high. Be careful.
Never respond in writing to anyone if you are responding in anger. Stop, and cool down first. If you do not completely understand an event, message, or request, get clarification before you reply. If you have received an e-mail and it has stirred your emotions, remember, you may not have understood the writer’s intent. You have no confirmation of facial expression.
Be careful with any of your responses that seem to correct or “call out” the recipient. For instance, avoid phrases and statements like these:
“I have already sent that to you.” (and then forward the e-mail you sent a week ago)
“I told you …”
“I said to …”
“Stop DOING that!” (Don’t type action words in all CAPITALS.)
“Did you not see my e-mail yesterday?”
“You were wrong.”
Instead of calling out the recipient, you can deflect and diffuse the emotion in a situation by allowing the person an out with dignity:
“It may have gotten hung up in the e-mail server.”
“Did I mention … ?”
“I know you already know this, but I …”
“Could you help me with … ?”
“Share with me your thoughts on …”
Disarm and diffuse. Gain cooperation, not grudges. Disarming and diffusing the emotional content of situations may not give you the opportunity and enjoyment of proving you were right. You may not have a chance to set the record straight or get even. But you may get a chance to gain an ally. No one appreciates a response he or she considers belittling or disrespectful. If you have any question about the way your message may be received, ask someone else to read it before you hit Send.
Perhaps you admire some billionaires who speak their mind and say it like it is. These people are on TV, able to say whatever they want to whomever they want. You can do that too … once you are a billionaire and have TV shows who want to interview you. Until then, you may have much better success building rapport than building your ego.
If you supervise or manage workers who need correction, you must do so. But remember, you may well create more issues with any communication that does not allow the recipient the opportunity to observe and confirm your intent and expression.
E-mail is not only a poor communication vehicle for definitive interactions but it also has traps. How about those Reply, Reply All, and Forward functions? More eyes, more alternate viewpoints, more opportunities to be misunderstood, and a bigger quagmire. The point is, there are no simple e-mails. Never write anything in an e-mail that communicates a subject, words, or a tone that you consider private. There are no private e-mails—they have a way of creating a life of their own.
There is rarely an appropriate time to forward an internal e-mail to an external reader. Somewhere within that e-mail string there may be some verbiage that could embarrass, alarm, or irritate an outside reader, not to mention people within your organization. Keep your internal e-mails internal.
Remember, everything counts. There is really no need to use special exotic fonts, colored fonts, e-mail wallpapers, pictures of your dog, and graphics like smiley faces with your e-mail. Remember, everything communicates. Your favorite color, font, wallpaper, dog, or graphic may communicate something different to the recipients. It may not be their favorite color, or perhaps they were once bitten by a dog just like yours. You never know. You have nothing to gain by sending personal graphics. In fact, doing so may even send a message that will prevent you from becoming indispensable.
An e-mail is virtually permanent, irreversible, and can be shared with others. You have no control over where it goes after you hit Send. Furthermore, deleted messages can later be resurrected. Use discretion and caution. Confidential e-mail messages do not exist.
Any communication you send represents you. You will likely never know if further explanation was needed or if it was received as you intended.
If you want to become indispensable, protect your reputation and message with every written communication.
Take Action
When you hit the Send button, you lose control over how your message may be accepted. Here are a few things to do before you hit Send:
1. If it is an important message, print and read it before sending. If it is really important, print, read, hold until the next day, read again, and then hit Send. You can’t take it back once you hit Send.
2. Never forward jokes, political rants, or pictures to business associates. They receive enough from people who are not trying to become indispensable.
3. Use Reply All rarely. Make sure that “all” need to know before you waste their time.
4. Never send anything in e-mail that you wouldn’t want the world to read. E-mails have a way of mysteriously appearing in weird places.
5. Use e-mail as a tool. Don’t overuse e-mail. When people receive a message from you, they should know it is important.
From this point forward, be conscious and in control of every written communication you send or post. Be aware that the message may be seen by people you never intended to see it. It may be posted on a random site. It may suggest multiple meanings. Write it as though you would not be ashamed if everyone in the world read it.
The Indispensable person does not try to impress with big words, long sentences, or verbose statements. The Indispensable person communicates clearly, concisely, and to the point.