GRAMMAR POLICE

Have you ever read something expecting it to be amazing, but it was riddled with grammatical errors or the wrong form of a word? Maybe I am alone here but when I read something with poor grammar or word use, I get so distracted I lose the point of what I am reading. I am literally that person that reads a post on social media, sees the wrong use of “your” and comments with “you’re”…I think I need to find another hobby but that is a fight for another time. 😉

As a business owner, corporate professional, service provider, or leader, you must hone your communication skills at the basic level. Grammar and vocabulary are the foundation of good communication. Using them correctly will help you create clear, concise communications that will build your credibility with your audience!

You are judged by your grammar. Now, no one is perfect, and most of us still end up with a typo or two even after a few reviews. One or two minor errors probably won't derail your message, but larger errors are likely to turn off your reader. One of the most common errors I see in written communication is the misuse of words that sound the same when spoken yet have multiple spellings and meanings to accompany those spellings. In case you are wondering, the technical term for words that are pronounced the same but have different spelling or meaning is "homophone."

There are many words that have the misfortune of sounding like other words and getting used incorrectly. Here are my 6 favorite (or not so favorite) words that get misused the most:

Another common issue in communication is too much fluff. It is important to always to remember that the quality of your words is far more important than the quantity. Sometimes we worry so much about making it look or sound like we have a lot of content but when we start adding arbitrary words just to take up space, our message gets diluted or even lost in the mess. There will be more on this topic to come next week, but for now I will just leave it at this - keep it simple and say what you need to say.

I hope you found this post useful. Come back next week for more on keeping it simple!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ciao for now!