Is Communication the Currency of Credibility?

 

The times are too many to count when an English teacher drilled in me the importance of taking care of words, whether written or spoken, like a BFF. The teacher under whose spell I fell was my mother and her ultimate respect for language I’ve since inherited. That communication mastery offered advantages that communication dysfunction didn’t amounted to a ‘duh Dora.’

Truth is, communication value isn’t up for automatic adoption by every household in America. Although the Zimmerman trial has granted an up close with one, carbon copies of Rachel Jenteal exist across the country’s multi-hued social spectrum of white, black, yellow and brown. Here’s the bombshell if you’ve concluded communication collapse is endemic to urban and rural youth: According to the WSJ, the epidemic has spread its ugly wings to cover MBA candidates.  

From where I come, command of the English language is considered an asset that buys favor. Treat it as less and your deposit registers disfavor. Call me a snob but I have a hard time lending credibility to a writer of a grammatical train wreck just as others dismiss language that fails to fit the box marked 'standard.'  Yet, the latter neatly unravels the tie to credibility class consciousness has sewn: In the great education divide, language superiority will always be preferable to the inferior’s debauchery.  

Like grammatical correctness in writing, there’s no denouncing the weight enunciation and articulation carry in the real world. However, aside from the misrepresentation of established fact in the court of law and the leak of too much information via Social Media, canceling 19-year-old Rachel Jeantel’s credibility solely on the basis of communication skill is just plain wrong.         

SOcial MEdia's 'SO ME' Should Be 'SO WE'

Several weekends ago, I delighted in a visit with my Godsister’s occasionally shy young son. After complimenting his snazzy duds and planting a peck on his cheek, my heart was instantly warmed when his little mouth sang appreciation.   

Research continues to record communication trends stacking textersation and Social Media consumption against old school talk. Aptly nicknamed ‘So Me,’ Social Media has managed to resurrect the ‘Me Decade’ which I once mistook for death like 80s disco. What is increasingly becoming a forgotten expression are two of the most important words in the English language – Thank you.         

With all of its utilitarian good, technology’s unleashing of mannerless monsters mark a ‘disconnect’ in the intended connection. Since media like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest were designed with social in mind, the ‘all about me’ vibe is wickedly ineffective. In order to maximize ‘social,’ you’ve got to get over you.

A negative impression is planted anytime a Twitter account holder, whether a swag-heavy marketing expert, global corporation or regular Joe Blow, neglects to acknowledge follower and non-follower comments. Granted, the Twitterverse timeline is Big Apple packed in rush hour traffic so occasional oversight is forgivable.

However, you’ll shift your ‘me’ to ‘we’ gears if you abide by the manner-molding words of Brit Morin, CEO, Brit + Co: “Your audience wants R-E-S-P-E-C-T. It’s important to respond to literally every tweet, Facebook message, and so forth. It shows users you respect them – and then they start evangelizing for you.”

Rather than hurl how-to tips on getting your manner groove on, observation of the white-gloved etiquette of a few peeps will lend an enormous clue. On Twitter, check out Boom Social CEO Kim Garst @KimGarst. Her timeline is always polished with thank you(s). Your assignment is complete when you post a comment on the blog of leadership guru, Mark Sanborn, at http://www.marksanborn.com/blog/. As a first time visitor, I received ‘Thanks Shari’ via iPhone after leaving a comment. Nice touch!      

Everyone might be going social but social is best when done with a side of supersized manners.                         

    

Writing Olympics:Gen Text Returns Bling-less

As the Olympics 2012 curtain closes, the culmination of silver, bronze or gold for the blood, sweat and tears poured into athletic preparation was truly a sight to savor by spectators worldwide. Glued to the tube so not to miss Michael Phelps’ epic medal splash or Jamaica’s Usain ‘Lightening’ Bolt’s record runs, thoughts of a Writing  Olympics flashed during commercial breaks. Seriously, had an event of this nature been held today, Generation Text would’ve returned to US soil bling-less.

Truth be told, scholastic accounts about communication skill erosion in this day and age are infamous. You may recall a WSJ report detailing the inability of MBA students to craft effective emails: “Employers and writing coaches say business-school graduates tend to ramble, use pretentious vocabulary or pen too-casual emails.” Did undergraduate study fail to prepare them adequately or was preparation written off in favor of fractured textsations (conversations via text)?  

According to Sharon Washington, executive director of the National Writing Project in Berkeley, Calif., “U.S. high schools and undergraduate programs have de-emphasized writing instruction.” Washington finds comfort in the fact that texting is writing but that’s a product of thought I prefer to leave on the shelf.  

While it’s one thing to peruse these articles, being the recipient of overly casual communication in a business setting offers proof positive. Imagine the horror on my face when I received this iPhone-transmitted email from a vendor I contacted to resolve an issue: ‘Uh, s-faced @ HH.TTL.’ Happy hour? Seemingly, the beverage of preference had drained all professional accountability. It would’ve been more palatable had she said “If not urgent, may I get back with you tomorrow?” OMG, TMI, and I believe that’s what Generation Text calls DT – drunk texting.  

Following a round of interviews, one candidate closed his follow-up email with “TU for taking time to discuss the position with me.” Yes, I’m well aware of what TU means and unlike Generation Text, my main information resource isn’t Wikipedia. Still, in a professional environment, the casual tone doesn’t exactly convey gold-medal best.                 

Unmistakably, what Phelps and Bolt accomplished in London required tunnel-vision commitment. By the same token, communication is a skill to be mastered since it starts the success engine. Matching the message with the audience and recognizing when casual and professional language usage is appropriate is a must. Technology might’ve initiated Generation Text’s rocky start but it’s never too late for a strong finish.        

Baby Got 'Back'? Back Not Required

I conniption-fit cringed when I read this sentence in a major newspaper admonishing a NFL player’s performance: ‘(Jacoby) Jones seemed to revert back last season…’ Defined by Merriam Webster, the verb ‘revert’ means "to come or go back (as to a former condition, period or subject)." Thus, the attachment of ‘back’ to revert is redundant and wasteful like a discarded crab cake sandwich for which you just forked over $18.00.     

If this example registers a mild grammatical error, consider another violation frequently peppered in workplace emails: Although ‘Read receipts’ serves a limited acknowledgement function, I take offense to a writer’s ‘respond back’ directive. Are you kidding me, since ‘respond’ suggests a reply should be returned?! In this instance, ‘please respond’ is sufficient.  

And if that’s not illustrative enough of a communication F-game, check this out: A prospective candidate casually mentioned that she’d recently ‘relocated back’ to Texas during an interview. Since command of the English language is my professional expectation, it would’ve been more palatable had she said she’d ‘returned to Texas’ instead of ‘relocated back.’ After all, the prefix ‘re’ is synonymous with the original place.

The more back baby has, the better, some say. This preference rings a lyrical bell for another Kanye West ode to Kim Kardashian, his current flavorite who is packing plenty ‘back.’ For those unhip, ‘back’ is equivalent to ‘junk in the trunk’ or a plump derriere.  

Getting back in the language saddle requires language liposuction and although throngs may find ‘back’ attractive, the word has no rightful place in the examples above.   

Tech & Pop Culture Are Killing Communication Skills

Last month, I read an editorial focusing on education and employability that has never left my craw. Regarding the frequent cry that students aren’t learning what they need to compete for the jobs that do exist, Washington Post Columnist Kathleen Parker also observed “the common experience of employers who can’t find applicants who can express themselves grammatically.”

While Parker’s statement trumpets truth, employers, in turn, have been quick to shift the unemployment blame to the educational system for its lack of technical skill preparedness. But what purpose does technical competence serve when basic communication skills are absent? I mean, how far can one go if unable to articulate his or her thoughts effectively?

Instead of books, parents today are supplying the latest gadgets to their techno-obsessed youth with Twitterspeed. Textersations lined with mistakes have replaced old-fashioned conversations, and what passes youthful muster as music contains lyrics egregious enough grammatically to render an English professor punch drunk.

Technology deserves ample applause, but there’s the potential to be both friend and foe.  After all, the “Keeping up with the Joneses” electronic premium erodes in value when a simple sentence cannot be crafted.  Spoken in the Rodney King vein, can we please get back to the communication basics!?