Literary guise
An email went out the other day by a specific executive here at work regarding an upcoming event that the executive wanted us to be aware of. A co worker and I instantly noticed the glaring grammatical and syntactical errors in the email. Realize this email was a departmentally wide email, serious in nature. This isn't the first time this has happened where people in higher power, ergo executives, have a problem with proper grammer.
I feel that literary and verbal command the language is a must in the executive world. Next to the physical, it is the first intellectual impression a person can make. I've always been under the assumption that someone who is in command of many should have the ability to put forth a command of the language that is indicative of the position. I told my co worker that it seems that you don't have to nessesarily speak or write well to succeed in a corporate career these days. If you can schmooze and brown nose, then I guess that can greatly compenstate for the lack of literary guise. What a rip, I don't believe I'm a Hemingway, CS Lewis, TS Eliiot or have a Ph.D. in English but seriously....
Comments
Oh dave! You sound like one of my co workers. Although i do agree with you, some people are annoyingly anal about that stuff. You should get that shirt that says " Bad grammar makes me [sic]" and wear it around the office, especially around the brown nosing big wigs :D
Posted by: Auliya the Cute One | November 16, 2006 01:53 PM
This is my BIGGEST PET PEEVE. I can not tell you how many business-related correspondences I receive tainted with grammatical errors. One after another - I can hardly finish the e-mail without up-chucking on my own shoes.
There is one person in particular that I have had an especially unpleasant e-mailing experience with. As a wedding vendor, I expected her to present herself in the utmost professional manner. But instead I was bombarded with emails with "sentences" such as (and these are direct quotes), "And any retouching or cropping notes. (NOTE THE PERIOD)" and, "The album you have payed for is the classic album with 4x4 cut out that is here at our office( I think I have sent you a image of it in the past, it's a beautiful album and very popular)." Please note the way the word "paid" is spelled.
I understand that appropriate grammar may not be everyone's forte, but honestly people, who doesn't know how to utilize spell check???? In an age so heavily reliant upon digital communication, it is imperative that we strive to perfect our letter writing abilities. Communication skills, however they may be applied and whomever they are applied with (i.e. in a business or personal environment) MUST BE PRACTICED, for effective communication is not an inborn trait.
Posted by: Ash Mari | November 16, 2006 07:05 PM
One simple phrase: Eff-Seven.
Posted by: Sean | November 30, 2006 05:09 AM