Corporations spend millions of dollars each year trying to teach their employees how to write professionally. Communication failure is in no way a stranger to freelance writers. I have come to the conclusion, after multitudes of revisions, that I learn more from the area of communication failure than from the study of communication itself. I am very thankful for the process of revisions thereby thwarting any possible confusion created by my own writings. We can further understand the failures of communication by studying the different avenues of communication.
A quote from C.S. Lewis I use quite often brings to mind the complexities of language, and therefore the potential for communication failure. He said, “The history of the human mind since the beginning has consisted in "almost nobody making linguistic mistakes about almost nothing.” This is truer than many freelance writers want to admit. Being a good freelance writer means always being a student of the art.
I like this excerpt from Clair E White; “The key to effective business writing is knowing your audience. Before you sit down to compose your letter, memo or report, think about the recipient of your document. What are you trying to say to this person? Organization is crucial. Outlines are an invaluable aid to writing a lengthy report or memo. Remember, time is in short supply for most business professionals. By organizing your thoughts beforehand, you can determine exactly what you are trying to say. Decide what details must be included in the report or memo. Look for graphic elements to add to your presentation, especially if your report contains many boring statistics. Statistics and research bolster your conclusions, especially if they are presented in a visually appealing manner. With the advent of modern word processing programs such as Microsoft Word and Corel Word Perfect, it is easy to include spread sheets, graphs and colorful clip art to your report, thereby making your work memorable and convincing” (Effective Writing for the Workplace www.writerswrite.com).
With ammunition like this there should be more "profession' in professional writing. However, this is not the case. More attention is paid to being politically correct than actually getting a message across. I believe in being politically correct, just not at the sacrifice of the message. What is communication about if it is not the message? I wrote a short piece on strategic ambiguity where I pointed out how it seems that Corporate America has played the con-game so long that when real rhetoricians stand in their midst, they are treated like an alien. Let me give you an example of what they are used to.
=In a book by Richard Lanham, Revising Prose, he used an illustration I think best fits the topic at hand: “The triumphant moment in which a new systemic dominant gains ascendancy is therefore only the diachronic manifestation of a constant struggle for the perpetuation and reproduction of its dominance, a struggle which must continue throughout its life course, accompanied at all moments by the systemic or structural antagonism of those older and be newer modes of production that resist assimilation or seek deliverance from it.”
Your first reaction would be, “Huh?” Corporate America is bent on saving face instead of money. This doesn't make sense. When asked why they would rather have an English major to do their editing and proofreading they reply “It's always worked in the past. Why change now?” To which I usually reply “Man used to hunt his meals with a stick, but then some smart ass invented the gun!” I have nothing against English majors but diagramming sentences is not very creative in the corporate world. What is needed is a view of communication from someone who not only is a good communicator but one who can put it on paper aw well.
Should we leave Corporate America to her own devices bent on destruction? Do you love this country enough to be willing to sacrifice your time from your own keyboard and computer screen to sit behind theirs and bring them up to speed on writing for business and government?
