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Between language extremists: find a happy medium for business memos
Personnel
|August 9, 1983
Summary
Human resources managers can improve corporate communications by using clarity and persona as language guides. This approach helps balance grammatical correctness with effective message delivery and image projection.
Area of Science:
- Management Communication
- Business Writing
Background:
- Human resources managers face challenges in corporate communication due to conflicting language use preferences.
- Balancing grammatical correctness with effective message delivery is a common managerial dilemma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a practical framework for guiding language choices in corporate communications.
- To help human resources managers navigate language conflicts and enhance their writing effectiveness.
Main Methods:
- Introduced a 'touchstone' approach focusing on clarity and persona.
- Advocated for evaluating language based on message clarity and desired image projection.
Main Results:
- The clarity and persona touchstones provide a checklist for assessing and refining corporate prose.
- Managers can maintain their professional image while allowing for certain grammatical flexibilities if clarity is achieved.
Conclusions:
- This touchstone approach offers a pragmatic solution for consistent and effective business writing.
- Human resources managers can integrate this method into training to improve communication skills.