Have you ever had the experience of talking with someone and getting a look like you’ve started speaking Urdu? You give yourself a quick mental review – yep, speaking English, using everyday words, concepts not too difficult. What in the world just happened?
It’s bad enough when you’re speaking one-to-one, but when your company’s message gets a blank stare and glazed eyes, you’ve got a big problem. Okay, you’re using standard English, more or less. But how much of that is wrapped up in jargon, bureaucrat-speek, geek-speek or trite phrases? Do yourself, and your company, a favor. Ask someone to proof it. Someone not in the company, not even in your industry, should read it for clarity and standard English usage.
Ask your employees, friends, family and vendors what you do. It should be clear to everyone and everyone you talk to regularly should be able to articulate a clear statement of what you’re business is about. It’s everyone’s job to communicate the company message clearly. It’s your job to make sure they can.