Bad Writing: As Written Communication Skills Deteriorate, Business Schools Take Aim. There is hope and I am encouraged this Monday morning. We comment about writing skills frequently here at The Hire Sense since, well, we have seen some atrocious documents.
The article attacks the problem right at the source:
But in an era of nonstop e-mail and instant and text messaging, written communication skills within companies may be getting even worse as quality is compromised by the perceived need for speed.
The casualness of email and the shorthand of text messaging has crippled writing styles. Now it appears to be affecting basic writing ability. The ubiquitousness of cell phones probably plays a part in this whole sordid trend also. Instead of writing a letter to a friend, one can simply call them (and reach them) instantly on their cell phone.
In case you had some doubts:
“Frequently e-mails are fired off with never a second thought no proofreading,” said O’Rourke. “And certainly the grammar of instant messaging and text messaging has intruded as well.”
We see this trend in cover emails – it is patently obvious that the author did not proofread their email at all. The reason these errors are important in the hiring process is that this communication should be their best work – as good as they get. If they cannot take the time to proofread their prose when they are looking for a new opportunity, I guarantee they will not take the time to properly proofread their communication when representing your company.
“People have been complaining about the quality of student writing since Plato,” said Kate Ronald, an English professor who runs the school’s Howe Writing Initiative. “But I think businesses are paying more attention to it. Businesses today are doing so much more writing, and doing it so much more publicly because so much of the discourse is discussed on the screen rather than on paper.”
Email, websites, text messaging and blogs. I think Professor Ronald is spot on in her closing comment.