Everyone's all a-Twitter...

With the 140 character limit on "tweeting", and the IM shorthand and text message abbreviations that have been around for a while now, it was inevitable that it would begin impacting schoolwork. It has, big time. A study showed that nearly 2/3 of young people aged 12-17 have used emoticons, text shortcuts, and informal language in their school assignments. But, the majority of teens surveyed said they don't consider electronic communications to be "writing" and that they think good writing skills will be important for success later in life.

This means a couple of things for you. First, as these young people grow up and become a major part of the workforce and of society in general, the shortcuts will become more and more accepted. If you're not used to them now, you may need to get used to them soon. Look how quickly "Casual Fridays" became "Casual Everyday" in many places of business.

Second, as you learn in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, in order to communicate effectively, you need to use words, terms and phrases that will mean something to the other person. If they are text-shortcutters, you may need to use that style to reach them, whether that's natural for you or not. Conversely, if you use shortcuts often, and they don't, you may need to keep your writing more formal in style. It's just another part of putting the focus of your message on the other person. And, as you'll learn in your "Break Through" seminar, that's one of the keys to effective communication.

Call or E-mail today to schedule a "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. OK? CU L8R.

Couldn't have said it better

Here's what some clients had to say following their "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminars...

Call or E-mail today to schedule a "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com.

Either way works for me...but, spell check doesn't

Major league baseball teams allow you to make a contribution to their charitable funds and then have a message or greeting displayed on the scoreboard during a game. It's a great way to wish someone a Happy Birthday or Anniversary, propose marriage, or even welcome someone home. Perhaps this person being welcomed really is a "Brain". Perhaps this person's name is actually "Brian".

Regardless, the point here is that spell check won't catch your error when you type an actual word, just not the word you intended to type. For written communication, it is always critical to proofread your message. Read it out loud to yourself and listen to what you have actually written. Mistakes DO become distractions. The focus of the people who planned and paid for this message on the scoreboard went off of the message and onto the typo. Their special moment for Brian instead become a joke. It doesn't take long to proofread your message and it's pretty easy to do.

It's not like it's Brian surgery.

Call or E-mail today to schedule a "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com.