Grammar And Punctuation | Communicaid - Communication Skills Blog

May 09

A New Punctuation and Spelling Test for British Primary Children?

In response to current government thinking that standards in spelling, punctuation and grammar have fallen among British school leavers, the Department for Education plans to introduce an external SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) test that children will take before they leave primary school, as reported by the BBC. Head teachers have responded negatively to this new test questioning its validity and expense and are threatening to boycott its introduction.

Answer Sheet Ryan Balderas i A New Punctuation and Spelling Test for British Primary Children?

There has been a huge backlash from teachers and educationalists to the seemingly constant testing that British children are subjected to from a young age. Teachers are now obliged to teach to a narrow interpretation of the national curriculum and the focus is more on passing the tests rather than encouraging broader learning or on developing a curiosity for knowledge and its application. Head teachers are adamant that they and their staff should be trusted to assess and develop children’s writing abilities without resorting to formal testing.

However valid head teachers’ arguments are and however flawed this new test may be, few employers would disagree with the premise that many school leavers and university graduates are joining organisations with a lack of basic writing skills and a very scant knowledge of key principles of grammar, punctuation and spelling. This in turn results either in a very sloppy standard of written communication being sent out or in a considerable financial investment being made in grammar and punctuation training programmes to ensure that new employees convey a professional image of themselves and their organisation. The current proposal from the Department for Education appears to be in stalemate but the discussion needs to continue to ensure that solutions are put in place to ensure higher standards of writing among young British adults – if they don’t have a mastery of these basic communication skills they risk being disadvantaged in the job market.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2012

Jun 09

Do Grammar and Punctuation Matter in Business?

Business Writing Skills, Communication Skills, Writing Skills 1 Comment »

London’s Evening Standard has recently been running a campaign to improve literacy in London. It has published a series of reports that highlight the capital’s poor literacy rates which affect the population from primary school children to disenfranchised school leavers through to recent graduates new to the corporate world. The paper suggests that the British education system is failing to equip our children with the fundamental basic skills to help them enter the job market. This can range from an inability to read basic instruction manuals through to poorly constructed emails to customers or more complex business reports or proposals.

Business Writing Viorika Prikhodko i Do Grammar and Punctuation Matter in Business?

Recruiters are finding that many CVs and letters of application just aren’t up to scratch and four in ten job applications are rejected due to poor grammar and spelling. Even the best candidates often need help with their basic skills and the CBI has quoted that 17% of British firms are concerned by the low literacy skills of graduates.

It is strange that many British employees demonstrate a lack of concern regarding the accuracy of their written communication and are either unaware of or unconcerned by basic errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling. The ubiquitous use of email and instant messaging means that written communication is much quicker and more immediate than ever before. However, this should not mean that it is of a lower standard or lacking in professionalism. A misplaced apostrophe, the use of text abbreviations or poor grammar can all cause misunderstanding, frustration and leave a poor impression on the reader’s screen. Few of us would attend an important meeting or job interview with a stain on our jacket or unkempt hair and so why would we think it acceptable to send written communication that we have not checked for visible errors?

Many organisations tackle these issues early on and include basic business writing skills courses as part of their training offering to new recruits. Only when elementary errors of grammar and punctuation have been rectified can employees then go on to develop more sophisticated writing skills that will enable them to convince colleagues, persuade clients and win business for their organisations.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

Tagged with: business writing skills • Effective business writing • grammar and punctuation • professional business writing • writing skills for professional

Nov 30

Effective Business Writing | The Exclamation Mark!

Business Writing Skills, Email Writing Skills, Writing Skills 1 Comment »

Most purists would agree that there is no place for the exclamation mark in business writing. Punctuation should be clean and simple, there to guide the reader through the document and to add clarity to the message. The exclamation mark is overly emotive and loud, highlighting the writer’s inability to use words to express their thoughts. We can argue that good writers are able to use language effectively to emphasise key ideas or to demonstrate their enthusiasm rather than resorting to the shouting affect of this rather childish punctuation mark. The exclamation mark can have the same affect as overdoing the use of capital letters, bold or underlining.

Typing Dmitriy Shironosov i Effective Business Writing | The Exclamation Mark!

However, with the reliance on email writing in many organisations as the main means of communication, and often the only method of building relationships with dispersed contacts, perhaps there is a small place for the exclamation mark in our professional email correspondence. As a writer at the Chicago Tribune recently observed.

The exclamation mark can sometimes help us to build rapport and convey warmth and empathy with contacts we never or rarely meet. The secret is to use it sparingly and certainly never use more than one exclamation mark at a time. ‘It was so great to meet you last week!!!’ might not have the desired affect on your reader and could leave them feeling a little overwhelmed or even rather scared. That said, the occasional ‘Thanks for your help!’ or ‘Talk to you soon!’ can show that you are committed, enthusiastic and enjoy working with your recipient.

The key message is to use the exclamation mark sparingly. If you are guilty of overusing then consider how you can replicate the exclamation mark in other ways. If you are a purist who never uses the exclamation mark why not experiment with introducing one or two into emails to contacts you already know. Grammar and punctuation training courses can also be a really useful method of understanding current punctuation trends and usage in business communication.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

Tagged with: Effective business writing • grammar and punctuation • professional email writing • writing skills • writing skills for professionals • writing with impact

Nov 10

Employers Invest in Writing Training as Graduate Recruits Lack Business Writing Skills

Business Writing Skills, Email Writing Skills, Writing Skills No Comments »

Do good business writing skills matter to employers? The answer is a resounding ‘yes’ as many top employers across the UK and Ireland comment that ‘graduates have poor writing and communication skills’, as reported recently in the Irish Independent.

Business Woman on laptop 2 quavondo i Employers Invest in Writing Training as Graduate Recruits Lack Business Writing Skills

Employers observe a range of issues from poor grammar and punctuation, a lack of attention to detail to an inability to adapt the academic style and register appropriate for essay writing to a more concise punchier business style. Graduate recruits who think that it is sufficient to get their ideas down on paper without worrying too much about how articulately they express themselves may find their employers are disappointed with their inability to write brief updates, proposals and reports or even draft a simple well structured email.

Most organisations now rely on email as their main form of business communication yet many employees are unable to compose a message without basic punctuation, grammar and spelling errors. Email may be quick and relatively informal but a professional email needs to be accurately written and clearly structured. Graduate recruits would do well to leave behind the text message style of email writing when they join the workplace.

In addition to a lack of basic skills, there is also a distinct absence of sophisticated language necessary when influencing and persuading. Important relationships can be made or broken by the tone and register of written communication.

UK and Irish businesses are finding they have to bear the heavy costs of remedial writing skills training and suffer lower productivity and poor quality, especially when compared to their international counterparts. Particularly now in tough economic times, UK and Irish businesses need to differentiate themselves through the high quality services they provide.

The media has highlighted the issue of poor writing skills among British school leavers and graduates for many years and in the current tough job market, prospective employees need to be able to demonstrate good business communication skills in addition to their academic achievements. Taking the time to consider how they write their CV and cover letter rather than simply what they have to say increases their chances of response. Considering what each organisation would like to hear rather than using a template approach should also improve their success rate.

And what can the business community do? Many organisations include business writing testing as part of their graduate recruitment process while others offer company-wide business writing courses in an attempt to remedy these skills gaps. Programmes on general business writing skills or specific areas such as grammar and punctuation, professional email writing or report writing can all improve graduates’ ability to write and increase their confidence in their own skills.

Tagged with: Effective business writing • grammar and punctuation • professional email writing • writing skills for professionals • writing with impact

A New Punctuation and Spelling Test for British Primary Children?

Do Grammar and Punctuation Matter in Business?

Effective Business Writing | The Exclamation Mark!

Employers Invest in Writing Training as Graduate Recruits Lack Business Writing Skills

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A New Punctuation and Spelling Test for British Primary Children?

Do Grammar and Punctuation Matter in Business?

Effective Business Writing | The Exclamation Mark!

Employers Invest in Writing Training as Graduate Recruits Lack Business Writing Skills

Speech Training Courses

Presentation Skills

Negotiation Skills

Communication Skills Training RSS

Pages

Categories

Archives

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