Business Writing and Slang

A guest post By Mark Love

Mark Love is a former freelance reporter and author of several short stories and three novels, “Balancing Act”, “Fade Away” and “Desperate Measures”. His books are available at www.internationalagora.com. You can also read his blog write now.

There’s a line from an old rock and roll song that goes “Don’t always know what I’m talking about” and when it comes to professional communications, it’s a very true statement.

The ability to communicate clearly should be something that everyone is capable of and comfortable doing. But there is a world of difference between a casual conversation with friends and writing a business document. Sadly the shorthand expressions that are so prevalent in modern technology continue to invade the professional landscape.

Years ago, when text messaging was first bursting onto the scene, I received an email from a colleague about a problem I had resolved for him with another employee. This is how he signed his email, “LOL, Bob.”
I was immediately confused. Now I didn’t know this man that well and I surmised that he appreciated my assistance, but the signature line left me puzzled. Rather than play tag with more emails, I called him. When he came on the line, he was very friendly and talkative. That is, until I asked him what he meant with the signature line.

“LOL,” he said, as if it was plain as day.
“Lots of love?” I asked.

There was a moment of stunned silence. “No way! It means ‘laugh out loud’. Why would I tell you lots of love?”

I explained that I had no idea what he had been trying to tell me and encouraged him to refrain from such abbreviations in the future. The next time he stopped in my office, he wore a sheepish grin on his face. “I assumed everyone knew what that meant.”

And right there was his mistake.

You can’t assume anything.

Imagine if Bob had been a female and I had interpreted the message the same way. This could have led to a case of sexual harassment.

The multitude of text abbreviations have slipped into professional communications and can cause more delays, more problems and confusion that simply writing what you meant. I’ve worked in Human Resources for many years. A part of my duties have always included recruiting, which means I’ve seen thousands of resumes and cover letters. This is your chance to make a great first impression. In today’s world, where the competition for jobs is high, a simple mistake can have a huge impact on whether or not your resume actually gets considered.

Abbreviations run rampant through the business world no matter what type of industry you might be in. There is a time and a place for using abbreviations in business, but it’s important to make sure that your audience knows what those abbreviations mean. In publishing POD means print on demand. In transportation POD can mean proof of delivery: different industries, different meanings.

Business writing has no room for slang. This is an arena for clear, concise methods of communication. Slang or texting abbreviations can make you appear lazy and if it causes your reader to stop in midsentence and search out the meaning on Google, you’ve just lost your audience. And in today’s competitive world, you can’t afford to lose your audience.

So when you’re writing, get it right. Take the time to read your messages out loud making sure that what you are trying to say is coming across clearly. The more often you do this, the easier it will become and soon, it will be a natural part of your methods of communicating. Because the last thing you want to do when you’re writing professionally, whether it is part of a presentation, a proposal, a cover letter or a resume is to leave your audience with the feeling that ‘You don’t always know what you’re talking about’.

C ya,