The Effect Of Proper Spelling And Grammar On Professional Credibility
The Effect Of Proper Spelling And Grammar On Professional Credibility
I admit it I’m a nitpicker when it comes to proper use of the language. I’m referring to English since that is my native tongue but regardless of which language you may be using if you want to be viewed as a credible authoritative source for whatever subject you are discussing proper grammatical use and correct spelling is absolutely essential.
Few things irritate me more than seeing bad grammar and incorrect spelling in a newspaper or magazine article or hearing bad grammar on the television news. These places are supposed to be authoritative sources of information. If they cannot even make correct use of the language how are we supposed to trust in their ability to do research or to make valid judgments on issues of importance? These people supposedly attended institutes of higher learning that qualify them to keep the rest of us informed about matters of serious import. When they write and speak like third or fourth graders their credibility flies out the window! When did we lose the ability to use our own language? The same thing applies to advertising.
If you are doing marketing on the internet or anywhere else for that matter it’s a good idea to remember that you and possibly your product are being judged on the basis of your language since that is usually all that we readers can see of you. Howcan you expect to convince a customer to purchase your product if you cannot even convince him/her of your intelligence? Misspelled words and incorrect phrases DO NOT mark you as an authority on anything. Authorities are generally supposed to be successful learned people who have done thorough research in their field of expertise. Would you want to trust your care to a doctor who could not spell the illness you may be suffering from or the name of the medicine he is prescribing for you? Some of the articles I have read recently leave me doubting the author’s ability to research their way back home. How DO they manage to find their office each morning?
A while back I read one of those books written by a “supposedly” successful millionaire entrepreneur. I hadn’t read very much before I was strongly inclined to throw it into the trash. But since I had paid for it I decided to reserve judgment until I finished reading it a painful process at best. My main question is: If the guy is a millionaire why did he not invest a few dollars into getting his book proofread? Did he not realizethat hispoorly producedvolumewould reflect on his credibility and rather than generating sales would have the opposite effect? Any third grader could have written it and would probably have done a better job. I did not find his information eithercoherent or logical. If he’s a millionairehe had to have gotten thereby sheer dumb luck because I could find little evidence of intelligent design in his book.
In marketingbad grammar equals bad impressions; bad spelling equals bad impressions and bad impressions equal lost revenue. If you care so little about thepublic imageyou are creatingby your own marketing efforts how can I the buyer trust you to sell me a worthwhile product? Believe me this affects your bottom line. I’ve been shopping for decades and I can’t remember ever buying a product that was promoted in such an unprofessional manner. Invest a little time and effort into proofreading your promotional material. You may find that it pays big dividends.
About the writer: Kate Sanchet has years of experience in researching a variety of subjects both for her own enlightenment and for publication. These subjects usually concern natural healing and selfimprovement. She has been a student of public speaking for over 30 years.
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