Hospitality Leadership Solutions Series: Communication
Writing Skills Matter More than Ever (as published in Hotel Management, Feb '18)
Noted hospitality thought leaders and corporate governance/ performance management experts Kefgen and “Dr. Jim” share common management challenges while providing time-tested, field-tested or just simple “quick-fix” ideas to keep professionals inspired, effective and successful.The Flaw
Communication in the 21st century – personal or professional – involves less conversation and more electronic sharing of information. Written communication, therefore, is often the norm. Sadly, many good business people are very poor writers. Poor writing in any context leaves a lasting impression, which can be especially detrimental in today’s workplace of enduring email, texts, digital documents and social media. The six tactics below will make you a better writer. The Fix- Be clear. Many think that using fancy words and excessive language makes them appear more persuasive, authoritative or intelligent (fun fact: this is called being a “sesquipedalian”). In reality, it has the opposite effect. Effective writing consists of words that are clear and accessible to the audience.
- Be concise. Make your points quickly, because people in business today are too busy to wade through paragraphs to reach the important points. In fact, after the opening paragraph it is more effective to use bullet points rather than paragraphs. Tests have shown that people read in short bursts rather than in long paragraphs. If you must use paragraphs, keep them short and to the point. For online reading, 5 to 6 sentences should be the maximum.
- Be direct. Writing instructors routinely teach that the purpose of the communication be addressed as early in the first paragraph as possible. In email this is even more important, since many people use the preview pane to gauge the nature and importance of an email when they may be too busy to read those they think are unimportant or not pertinent. If the subject is clearly stated in both the subject line and first paragraph, the email is more likely to be read, and more importantly, taken seriously and actioned.
- Have someone else proof important written communication. Spelling errors are unacceptable, because they make writers look uneducated and sloppy.
- Font size and style. Research has shown that for reading on a screen, a non-serif font such as Arial or Verdana is recommended as opposed to the standard serif fonts such as Times New Roman. Font should be either 11 or 12 points, making the text large enough to read from a standard distance but not so big as to strain the eyes. And, please, do not use all capital letters in correspondence. The occasional use of a word or two in capital letters is a good way to emphasize a point, but using all caps is jarring to the eye and is considered to be “shouting” by online enthusiasts. And, it bears repeating – USE SPELL CHECK!
- Maintain business etiquette and tact. Be considerate of both co-workers’ time and points of view. Separate emotion from intellect, and do not be condescending. If you are a manager, set an example and never allow anger to overrule reason.