Clear Writing

I gave a presentation to an association Board on Friday about generational differences. During the discussion, one of the Board members (who had described himself as one of the oldest in the room) made a point that he was concerned about the quality of writing of younger generations. To his credit, he raised it as a question, and he acknowledged he may simply be reflecting his own bias (in other words, he didn't just trash the younger generations because they didn't act like he did).

But this topic comes up a lot in generational conflict. Often the millennials are chastised for their use of "texting" language in their writing—shorter forms of sentences, or even abbreviations (OMG!). I think it is often a biased criticism, because millennials never claimed that texting language was the epitome of writing quality—it simply works for texting (there was an article about this about which I blogged in November). On the other hand, I think you can make a solid argument that writing quality, by traditional standards, has been declining over time.

And all of this ties into a recent post from Seth Godin, and appropriately enough I can quote the whole post right here:

Don't let the words get in the way. If you're writing online, forget everything you were tortured by in high school English class. You're not trying to win any awards or get an A. You're just trying to be real, to make a point, to write something worth reading.

So just say it.

There may be something to the argument that writing quality is declining, but you can't make that argument while ignoring the fact that the AMOUNT that is being written has grown exponentially. When the volume of global writing was smaller, the "quality" of the writing meant more. We have so much more written information that we are faced with on our world, and that's why Godin is arguing for us to make it clearer, more direct, and maybe even less eloquent.

We are competing for attention these days. Do you want your writing to sound perfect, or do you want people to read it? Is that a generational issue?

Comments

[Matt Baehr]

Great post Jamie. I have thought about this in terms of job postings that ask for a writing sample. What kinds of samples would Gen Y folks send in? And are the people judging them looking for perfect English or readability?

[Russ Capps]

I have noticed, as one of the folks with access to the email box that collects resumés submitted for vacant positions, that it seems the quality of writing in the cover letters is not what it used to be. But, I might just be aging and my perception may be biased and not based on reality. I can say for a fact that generally, the more the position has to do with information and technology, the less good the writing, but that is to be expected of "computer geeks", I suppose.

[Lindy Dreyer]

Poor writing is not a generational difference. The weak points are the generational difference. Where younger generations tend to be too brief or informal, their mentors can sometimes obfuscate a message with too many words.

This is another case where we can learn and grow from one another.

[Virgil Carter]

I b fur gud informachun. U2? We b diff as 2 what s gud. Right'g not gen'l. Is jus import 2 be fuelly unders'd. XXOO.

[Chris Hanson]

Seth Godin's pendulum swung a tad too far on this one. He misses the mark with his all or nothing thinking (don’t’ agonizing over it, just let it rip). What’s needed is the middle ground: Solid writing skills that can be applied at will, clearly and simply, to communicate and persuade. His advice--if taken to heart--would generate even more long-winded, rambling, and semi-coherent communications.

[Jamie Notter]

Virgil: LOL!

Chris: Hmmm. Yes, I think Godin provokes with some either/or statements. I guess I've always taken those with a grain of salt. I was just thinking of some of my own writing. There are times where I labor over saying the right thing the right way, and in the end I regret it. I could have said it more clearly and directly. Sometimes complex writing qualifies as "quality," when simple writing would have been clearer, thus a better choice.

[Ray van Hilst]

Great post. My colleagues and I were just having this discussion as you were writing this. We had 2 thoughts which are worth sharing:

1) For associations/companies trying to capture younger members, perhaps they may want to embrace some more "millennial writing" in their content. This audience is turned off by long flowing paragraphs of why your association is great and the benefits of membership. Keep it short and sweet, then close the sale. We spend much of our time reviewing client work that is verbose and irrelevant. Perhaps we should all embrace a lighter writing style and keep the discussion authentic to the audiences we are trying to reach.

2) On a literary note, good writing tells a story and communicates well regardless of the punctuation and use of abbreviations. For example, ee cummings is just as wonderful to read without capital letters or punctuation.

[Joe Raasch]

Hi Jamie,

Let me be clear: you've been tagged!

Check it out:

http://happyburroblog.com/2008/01/29/i-was-tagged/

Have a great Tuesday!

Joe

[Russ Alessi]

This topic comes up quite a bit with non-profits because communication is the lifeblood of your success in introducing any initiative. I am not the greatest writer or wordsmith but I am smart enough to realize the importance of effective writing and finding people who do it well.
I believe "effective" is the key word. One size does not fit every audience. So style and grammer and even incorrect grammer are tools to get the job done. Being a "writing snob" does not always get the job done.

[Diane VanBuskirk]

I disagree that because the volume of written stuff has increased, that signals a need to write worse and make it "more real." Good writing makes a point better and makes a description MORE real and concrete. How is writing of poorer quality more "worth reading"? I think too often people confuse "good writing" with prose that is long and pretentious. And this is coming from a "millennial."

[Virgil Carter]

Thank you, Diane--that was the very point of my parody message above (which I am deeply disappointed that it didn't get more than a LOL from Jamie or anyone--where's the love?).

Words, in simple declarive sentences are the way we communicate, verbally and in writing. If successful communications are unimportant, then words and writing are unimportant. But for many, it is still important to clearly convey important information.

If your organization is a global one, as mine is with members and customers in over 120 countries, clear writing and communication is a challenge at another level of magnitude. For example, see http://engrish.com/

[Lindy Dreyer]

I loved your parody, Virgil. I should have said so. And engrish.com is OMG...2 funny.