With the ever-increasing growth of worldwide communication and trades, you must make sure to project a professional image in your written words. Your credibility depends on it! Here are my seven tips to help you achieve this:
- No matter which language you conduct business in, your image is seriously analyzed by the way you communicate. Always strive to improve on your vocabulary by having access to good dictionaries and grammar books. No matter how good the technology is (spell-checkers, thesaurus, etc.) on computers, the choice of "words" still remains mainly with the author! The better your own vocabulary, the more clearly you will be able to express your thoughts.
- Sign up your employees to "Improvements in Communication" seminars. There are a variety of courses out there and the investment in your staff will pay tenfold. Good written and verbal communication is a sign of professionalism and gives you more credibility as a company. Your employees are on the front line and are the ones who communicate with your clients!
- Another way of ensuring proper communication is to have some pre-formatted letters to address different types of situations. They can be used efficiently by your staff to respond quickly by using proper language in a uniform way. They fill in the blanks and must make sure that the text in these letters flows properly. This will save time (and money!).
- Always make use of the spell-checking facilities on your email or word processing programs, but "beware" of errors caused by typing a word considered as "good" by the spell-checker but which is in the wrong context for your letter or email.
- Be short and to the point. People nowadays are bombarded by tons of messages and seldom have the time to read. Make your point early by using an appropriate (descriptive) title to catch their attention.
- The same goes for the body of your message. Make your point quickly and early in the body of the message. They will appreciate it!
- No matter what, "never" skim on having any of your documents translated to another language properly. If you have foreign language customers (or want to expand in this direction), you "must" utilize a professional translator. Whether you hire a freelancer or go through a serious translation company, it is up to you. Just remember that someone who speaks another language fairly well does not automatically make a good translator!
