Does Anyone Put a Value on Good Business Writing Anymore?

When my roof needs to be repaired, I call a contractor because I don’t like heights. When my car breaks down, I call a mechanic because I don’t have the right tools. When my refrigerator goes on the fritz, I call a repairman because I don’t know the difference between a compressor and a condensor.

I gladly write the check because a) I need the work done correctly and b) I can’t do it myself.

When it comes to good writing, however, I find a lot of business people would rather do it themselves than pay someone to do it right. They think they can string together a few words to make a sentence and a few sentences to make a paragraph. Put a couple of paragraphs together and pretty soon they have a document. What could be easier?

It doesn’t matter if it has grammar and punctuation problems. It doesn’t matter if it’s rambling and unfocused. It doesn’t matter if its full of jargon and technical concepts.

Does it work? Does it get their message across? Does it motivate anyone to act?

Probably not.

If I tried to fix my own roof, I guarantee it would leak. If I tried to fix my car, it would break down right away. If I tried to fix my refrigerator, I’d be tossing out a lot of spoiled food.

Why is the business world such a safe haven for horrible writing? From memos and reports to sales letters, press releases, web content, brochures and newsletters, authors get away with linguistic transgressions that would not have been tolerated by my eighth-grade composition teacher.

I’m talking about putting a value on clear, concise, compelling language. I’m talking about knowing the difference between “its” and “it’s” and “they’re” and “their” and “there.” I’m talking about knowing your audience and conveying a message.

Good business writing can boost a company’s profitability and reputation, yet many organizations are unwilling to leave it to a professional. Why is that?

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