MUCH "bad writing?
A large financial institution in the country, tells me a former student who works there, was not long ago a request in writing of its American branch, this branch of the plant required a computer program to help them manage their specific processes. Our former students be responsible for designing and developing this little program, however, from the beginning there were difficulties: the text did not indicate specifically what should make the software in question. Calls were made for clarification, were sent emails, asked questions, virtual meetings were convened. A second text was central to the requirements "specified" for the program. Our systems engineer, with the help of two colleagues, engaged for three months to produce. When he reached the hands of the subsidiary is that ... was not what I had requested. In the end, the second text was so ambiguous and confusing as the first. Further clarifications, new emails, heated arguments, recriminations, accusations and bickering. I think situations
like this are very, very common in the workplace, the bad writing, like all skills that performs poorly, it has its consequences. They are not easy to calculate, because there is still no research specifically dedicated to clarify this point, however, some considerations can be made, since it is clear that one of its most important effects is the waste of money, time and energy; In other words, poor writing leads to significant costs on business.
The first one is related to the negative image that is associated with an institution whose workers, particularly the first and second level, make spelling mistakes. There is damage most important, but it has its weight. Compared with current total quality standards, presentation of business documents accent accompanied by errors in words of common usage, simply cause a reaction of shock and denial, because deep down we sense that this deficiency is only the tip of the iceberg announces and reveals major problems.
However, poor writing is not just a mediocre performance in the use of the spelling or the tilde, in fact, bad writing is one that does not solve the problems that give rise to the act of writing, it fails the purposes for which a text is designed to not affect or change the audience for which it is intended.
should be noted, in fact, that writing is not a free action, but a behavior that begins to approach a problem and whose objective is precisely to resolve it. The problem can be very simple: our account debited to an expense that we make, and we must seek clarification from the bank, but can become very complex and sophisticated, as when we have to convince a board of directors, obsessed with the budgetary control, to increase the amount allocated to our department. The point is that at the root of writing there is a conflict, a difficulty: "... if There Were no problem there Would Be No Need for your report. To write the report Without Explaining the problem That Gave rise to it-as do Many writers curiously, is to leave out the reason for the whole thing. "[1]. Bad writing happens long before this event, so that the meaning of the act of writing away miserably. The wording is poor
another delicate aspect: it is done blindly, in other words, instead of word-processing takes place in terms of objectives, the ideas in a bad writing just "happens" without apparent justification. Misspelled means to raise a number of thoughts, data, information, without articulating, for the specific composition, a primary purpose and in several secondary or ancillary. In contrast, if you are going to write a letter, a memo, a proposal or a report, you should know sooner, if possible, before you write, what is the aim in the text. [2]
Finally, bad writing is guilty of reckless, ie is no question not addressed the needs of the audiences it is intended. I mentioned the hearings, because as Paul says Anderson, in the business rarely writes for a single person, the letters are actually intended for a wide variety of readers, both colleagues in the same range as lower and upper level; specialists and laymen also, external and internal. This author indicates that the reports may have a little more than three readers and first-level executives who approved its contents, more than two readers that transmit the information it contains, more than fifteen to take concrete action from it and about ten just read it. [3] In sum, what is the cost of bad writing? Could be expressed thus: unresolved problems, goals not achieved, unreached audiences.
Can you translate this to dollars and cents? It is not easy, because as I said at first there is no research to provide us with accurate information, but only in order to mark a contrast comment on the case of an agency dedicated to editing and proofreading. Mathes and Stevenson [4] describe the amount that this company charged about fifteen years ago for his work. Point, in fact, that for a 30-page report, the company estimated a cost equal to $ 21.00 dollars per sheet. This, however, was not all the price is multiplied by a "constant cost" that depended on the qualities of the manuscript, ie, whether the text would be reviewed showed qualities associated with good writing this "constant cost" era equal to 0.6. So a good review and edit written final cost to $ 378.00 dollars. But if the manuscript was dominated by bad writing the "constant cost" was equal to 2.7, so it was hard to correct a bad text, finally, $ $ 1,701.00, which is four times more. Dollars are the eighties, but the ratio between the cost of poor writing and of good writing, at 4 to 1, is very eloquent.
I mention that probably in our third world country, where the price of labor, whether manual or intellectual, is heavily punished, the proportion should be different, perhaps 2 to 1 or, in the best possible, of 2.5 to 1. As proof of this assumption I can only mention, in the absence of solid evidence, the case of a friend mine copyeditor who is willing to review a piece for the equivalent of a dollar in its current price (approximately eleven dollars), but this is only binding to review spelling words, not the bulk of the bad writing, but the tip of the iceberg. If you want a more elaborate correction is not willing to receive less than 2.5 dollars, because in most cases this type of review involves completely redo the text.
Finally, it is clear that misspelling has a price and therefore I think that if we belong to a company that weaknesses in written communication is clear and consistent, we must ask how we are paying this price, that is, how we are paying the cost of poor writing. For more information on the subject, please write to: ehd.cem @ servicios.itesm.mx
________________________________________ [1] Mathes, J. C & Dwight W. Stevenson. Designing Technical Reports. pg. 29
[2] Gloria Sanz. Learning to write notes. pg. 24
[3] Anderson, Paul V. "What Survey Research Tells Us about Writing at Work." pg. 57
[4] Mathes & Stevenson. Ob. cit. pg. 202
"... not having problems you report should not be necessary. When writing a report without explaining what was the problem that caused it - as do many writers, curiously - is leaving out the reason for everything
A large financial institution in the country, tells me a former student who works there, was not long ago a request in writing of its American branch, this branch of the plant required a computer program to help them manage their specific processes. Our former students be responsible for designing and developing this little program, however, from the beginning there were difficulties: the text did not indicate specifically what should make the software in question. Calls were made for clarification, were sent emails, asked questions, virtual meetings were convened. A second text was central to the requirements "specified" for the program. Our systems engineer, with the help of two colleagues, engaged for three months to produce. When he reached the hands of the subsidiary is that ... was not what I had requested. In the end, the second text was so ambiguous and confusing as the first. Further clarifications, new emails, heated arguments, recriminations, accusations and bickering. I think situations
like this are very, very common in the workplace, the bad writing, like all skills that performs poorly, it has its consequences. They are not easy to calculate, because there is still no research specifically dedicated to clarify this point, however, some considerations can be made, since it is clear that one of its most important effects is the waste of money, time and energy; In other words, poor writing leads to significant costs on business.
The first one is related to the negative image that is associated with an institution whose workers, particularly the first and second level, make spelling mistakes. There is damage most important, but it has its weight. Compared with current total quality standards, presentation of business documents accent accompanied by errors in words of common usage, simply cause a reaction of shock and denial, because deep down we sense that this deficiency is only the tip of the iceberg announces and reveals major problems.
However, poor writing is not just a mediocre performance in the use of the spelling or the tilde, in fact, bad writing is one that does not solve the problems that give rise to the act of writing, it fails the purposes for which a text is designed to not affect or change the audience for which it is intended.
should be noted, in fact, that writing is not a free action, but a behavior that begins to approach a problem and whose objective is precisely to resolve it. The problem can be very simple: our account debited to an expense that we make, and we must seek clarification from the bank, but can become very complex and sophisticated, as when we have to convince a board of directors, obsessed with the budgetary control, to increase the amount allocated to our department. The point is that at the root of writing there is a conflict, a difficulty: "... if There Were no problem there Would Be No Need for your report. To write the report Without Explaining the problem That Gave rise to it-as do Many writers curiously, is to leave out the reason for the whole thing. "[1]. Bad writing happens long before this event, so that the meaning of the act of writing away miserably. The wording is poor
another delicate aspect: it is done blindly, in other words, instead of word-processing takes place in terms of objectives, the ideas in a bad writing just "happens" without apparent justification. Misspelled means to raise a number of thoughts, data, information, without articulating, for the specific composition, a primary purpose and in several secondary or ancillary. In contrast, if you are going to write a letter, a memo, a proposal or a report, you should know sooner, if possible, before you write, what is the aim in the text. [2]
Finally, bad writing is guilty of reckless, ie is no question not addressed the needs of the audiences it is intended. I mentioned the hearings, because as Paul says Anderson, in the business rarely writes for a single person, the letters are actually intended for a wide variety of readers, both colleagues in the same range as lower and upper level; specialists and laymen also, external and internal. This author indicates that the reports may have a little more than three readers and first-level executives who approved its contents, more than two readers that transmit the information it contains, more than fifteen to take concrete action from it and about ten just read it. [3] In sum, what is the cost of bad writing? Could be expressed thus: unresolved problems, goals not achieved, unreached audiences.
Can you translate this to dollars and cents? It is not easy, because as I said at first there is no research to provide us with accurate information, but only in order to mark a contrast comment on the case of an agency dedicated to editing and proofreading. Mathes and Stevenson [4] describe the amount that this company charged about fifteen years ago for his work. Point, in fact, that for a 30-page report, the company estimated a cost equal to $ 21.00 dollars per sheet. This, however, was not all the price is multiplied by a "constant cost" that depended on the qualities of the manuscript, ie, whether the text would be reviewed showed qualities associated with good writing this "constant cost" era equal to 0.6. So a good review and edit written final cost to $ 378.00 dollars. But if the manuscript was dominated by bad writing the "constant cost" was equal to 2.7, so it was hard to correct a bad text, finally, $ $ 1,701.00, which is four times more. Dollars are the eighties, but the ratio between the cost of poor writing and of good writing, at 4 to 1, is very eloquent.
I mention that probably in our third world country, where the price of labor, whether manual or intellectual, is heavily punished, the proportion should be different, perhaps 2 to 1 or, in the best possible, of 2.5 to 1. As proof of this assumption I can only mention, in the absence of solid evidence, the case of a friend mine copyeditor who is willing to review a piece for the equivalent of a dollar in its current price (approximately eleven dollars), but this is only binding to review spelling words, not the bulk of the bad writing, but the tip of the iceberg. If you want a more elaborate correction is not willing to receive less than 2.5 dollars, because in most cases this type of review involves completely redo the text.
Finally, it is clear that misspelling has a price and therefore I think that if we belong to a company that weaknesses in written communication is clear and consistent, we must ask how we are paying this price, that is, how we are paying the cost of poor writing. For more information on the subject, please write to: ehd.cem @ servicios.itesm.mx
________________________________________ [1] Mathes, J. C & Dwight W. Stevenson. Designing Technical Reports. pg. 29
[2] Gloria Sanz. Learning to write notes. pg. 24
[3] Anderson, Paul V. "What Survey Research Tells Us about Writing at Work." pg. 57
[4] Mathes & Stevenson. Ob. cit. pg. 202
"... not having problems you report should not be necessary. When writing a report without explaining what was the problem that caused it - as do many writers, curiously - is leaving out the reason for everything
SPELLING!
EXPOSITORY TEXT
PUNCTUATION
ACCENTS
INTRODUCTION TO ARGUMENT
ARGUMENT FOR DISCUSSION
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