Business Writing

Ban This Word: "Bandwidth"

Last week in a Better Business Writing class, two people writing separate documents used the word bandwidth at the same time. Neither one of them was referring to "the transmissions capacity of an electronic communications device." Both were referring to time, I think.

Their uses of bandwidth were similar to these:

• Jason will take over most of the receptionist's duties. However, he will not have the bandwidth to order refreshments for meetings.
• Our customers use our service because they do not have the bandwidth to research products on their own.

Jason does not have bandwidth? Customers do not have bandwidth? Those sentences make me worry that Jason and our customers have limited abilities and poor time-management skills. I don't like to think of them that way.

How about "Jason will be working on team goals and will not be available to order refreshments" and "Our customers are using their time well, focusing on what they do best"? I feel much better thinking of Jason and our customers as smart, successful professionals rather than people stretched beyond their "bandwidth."

I read about the bland overuse of bandwidth years ago, but it wasn't until last week's Better Business Writing class that I witnessed two savvy women using it at the same time.

Enough! Ban bandwidth from your vocabulary unless you mean, well, bandwidth. There are so many accurate, apt words to choose from.

Are you seeing bandwidth in the writing at your workplace? Please share your experience.

Lynn
Syntax Training

Advice on "Includes No"

The other day Stuart, who lives in the UK, emailed some helpful comments to me because of "alarm bells" that went off as he read one my recent posts. I made changes based on Stuart's comments, but one of his remarks has left me perplexed. I would appreciate your opinion.

Stuart objected to this sentence of mine: "An email Rita had sent me recently included no phone number, no website, and no other contact information." 

He wrote: "If Rita's E-mail did not contain any contact details, then it could not have included them. Something that is not present cannot have been included."

He went on to recommend that I write "did not include" rather than "included no."

I have searched 25 reference manuals and writing guides on my bookshelf, and I can find no rules barring "includes no." Or as Stuart would say, "I cannot find a rule barring 'includes no.' "

Did I sleep through a discussion of "includes no" in my college and graduate school writing classes? I have never encountered this issue before.

I will be grateful for your views!

Stuart, thank you for your suggestions. I appreciate your high standards and expertise.

Lynn
Syntax Training

No Contact Information? No Job.

This week I almost recommended a consultant. One of my clients had asked me to recommend someone who taught a particular subject, and I was ready to recommend Rita (not her real name).

But when I tried to track down Rita's contact information to give to my client, I couldn't find anything but a gmail address. An email Rita had sent me recently did not include her phone number, website URL, or any other contact information.

Rather than give my client Rita's name and gmail address with no other way to contact her or check her out, I recommended another consultant.

Sorry, Rita! I would be glad to recommend you. But I need some help to do it: your phone number, your website URL, and an email address that makes you seem professional. Since I didn't have any of those, I recommended someone else.

Here's the moral of the story: If you want work, share your contact information. Put it on everything. Include it on every message.

Lynn
Syntax Training

In the "Peanut Gallery"

As a teacher and writer, I have to watch my language. I check regularly to be sure I am communicating what I intend. That is why I looked up a phrase I have been hearing in a professional group I belong to. The phrase is "peanut gallery."

As a member of the so-called "peanut gallery" who participates in teleseminars and a discussion forum, I am invited to share my professional opinion.

But is the peanut gallery an impressive place?

No.

According to my American Heritage College Dictionary, "peanut gallery" means "a group of people whose opinions are considered unimportant." It is also "the hindmost or uppermost section of seating in a theater balcony, where the seats are cheapest."

No, the peanut gallery is not the place to be. I'm going to talk to my professional peers and suggest we change our language. I'd rather be in the "expert circle." Wouldn't you?

If you are coming across phrases used in a way the speaker or writer does not intend, please share them. Let's educate one another!

Lynn
Syntax Training

Ten Rules of Etiquette for Blogs and Forums

If you are reading these words, you probably participate in blogs and forums. Based on my experiences (both positive and awkward), I suggest these 10 rules of etiquette for public postings. Please add your guidelines!

Note: As usual, I am thinking of business writing.

1. Never shame anyone who participates in the blog or forum. No name-calling or sarcasm.
2. Be extremely cautious about shaming people outside the blog or forum. It's bad karma to go negative on individuals.
3. If you ask a question on a forum, say thank you for the answers you get from others. And not just "thank you"--dress up the words with some details. Example: "Thanks for sharing your terrific ideas on my marketing postcard! As usual, you thought of something I had never considered."  
4. If you want to ask questions on a blog or forum, participate actively. Give to others--don't just show up to take.
5. Remember that your comments are written, and follow the rules of writing. Use standard grammar, punctuation, and usage. It takes only a moment to capitalize your name and the first word in a sentence.
6. Don't give unsolicited advice to individuals, or you will come across as a parent or know-it-all. If people ask for advice, give it if you can.
7. Don't comment in anger. You will not be angry tomorrow, yet your comment will display your old anger indefinitely.
8. Forgive people's off-moments. If they come across oddly or ignorantly, brush it off. Perhaps tonight they will get enough sleep, and tomorrow they will be brilliant and clever again.
9. If you actively participate in a blog or forum, let people know when you will be away. With that information, they won't worry about you or ask for your comments when you are unavailable.
10. Be human. Let people get to know you. Don't hide behind a screen name. Assume that you are communicating with human beings who are as wonderful as you, perhaps more so. 

Please add your ideas.

Lynn
Syntax Training

"Subordinates"--a Word to Avoid

I recently led a business communications class for a group of global executives in Seattle, Washington. Many of them spoke English as a second, third, or fourth language. When I asked them about their learning goals, several mentioned wanting to communicate more effectively with subordinates.

Here is a way to instantly improve that communication: Stop calling them "subordinates." In the United States, the word subordinate has a negative connotation. It communicates the idea of someone who is "less than." Although "subordinates" do by definition have a job that is smaller than that of their manager, suggesting that they are "less than" belittles their contribution. 

Another term to avoid is "people under me," which paints the wrong picture and hints vaguely at scandalous behavior.

These are good alternatives for "subordinates" and "people under me": employees, staff, team, team members, teammates, workers, assistants, associates, and individual contributors. Another excellent option is to use people's job titles.

In your English-speaking country, which terms do you use? Are "subordinates" and "people under me" acceptable terms? Please share your views. You can help communicators around the globe learn from your experience and achieve their communication goals.

Lynn
Syntax Training

Errors on a Hawaiian Holiday

We have returned from a heavenly week of vacation on the island of Hawaii. Warm weather, relaxation, the tropical landscape, and the Hawaiian people were grand.

Although I wasn't working, I could not stop my eyes from spotting written errors. Here are four interesting ones to remind us of the need for proofreading:

• On a hotel's restaurant menu: harsh brown potatoes [I tasted them, so I know the sign was wrong!]

• On another hotel's restaurant menu: pancake's and maple syrup

• In a small museum, on a description of buildings: thash roofs

• At an elegant, world-class spa, in a description of a massage: the warm and cook feelings of the stones [should have been cool feelings]

Now let's not be smug. These are perfect reminders of the need for a fresh set of proofreading eyes. If I could catch the errors in my carefree holiday mood, no doubt another worker in the restaurants, museum, and spa could have done so too. Let's all ask our colleagues for proofreading favors.

Aloha!

Lynn
Syntax Training