“How falling standards of English are forcing colleges into drastic action
By Damien O’Neill
Belfast Telegraph, 16 August 2007”
“School tests show decline in standard of English”
By Richard Garner
The Independent, 14 September 2006”
Reading these headlines and others like them, it seems as though standards of English are falling within our education system and these lower standards are permeating into the business environment. These falling standards affect communication in a number of ways, including:
- Poor grammar, punctuation and spelling.
- Badly-constructed reports, articles, and briefs.
- Ambiguous or hard-to-follow instructions.
- Rambling verbal communication.
All these contribute to a failure of communication in that the message is lost as the recipient tries to make sense of what they are reading or hearing. Successful communication relies on the message getting across in a clear, precise and unambiguous way without the recipient having to unravel or otherwise try to make sense of the way it is communicated.
Does it matter?
For informal communication between peers, then the answer is probably “No, not really”. In this context then the use of shorthand, jargon and slang is perfectly acceptable, provided of course that everyone involved in the communication shares the same vocabulary and can be mutually understood. This type of communication has existed for years, probably as long as humans have communicated with each other. Cockney Rhyming Slang, the Backslang traditionally used by grocers, and radio shorthand are all examples of communication between members of a community sharing common experiences and knowledge. The shorthand used in modern communications by text, email, and Instant Messaging is simply a development of this type of informal communication for a new cultural group.
For formal communication, both within a company and between a company and its clients, then the answer is most certainly “Yes, it does matter”. In this type of communication, it is essential that the right message gets across to the right people in the right way. Whilst it may be acceptable to include jargon, acronyms, and other company-specific language in an internal communication, it is not acceptable to include these in communication with those outside of the company. In all cases, however, it is critical that any formal communication is written to a high standard of English, correctly spelt and punctuated.
So, what do we do about it?
Addressing the issue of falling educational standards in English is beyond the scope of this blog. However, there are actions that can be taken to enhance all aspects of business communications. Companies such as AND Solutions Limited can provide consultancy and training to assist companies and other organisations in identifying areas where improvements can be made in their business communication and to enable their staff to reach their full potential.
Remember that appearances do count and that company image will influence customers’ buying decisions. Whilst it can be argued that good-quality documentation may not necessarily directly result in an increase of sales, we strongly believe that poor-quality, badly-written or less-than-usable documentation will have an adverse impact on sales and, ultimately, on the public image of the company or organisation.
What about documentation supporting products?
In this context, ‘documentation’ refers to any Information Product, including user manuals, on-line Help, websites, and training materials.
This type of documentation requires specialised skills. Using secretarial staff or the designers or developers of the product to document its use is, in our opinion, a mistake. The former probably doesn’t have the necessary technical knowledge to fully understand how the product works. The latter definitely has the technical ‘know-how’ but can tend to assume that the reader also has this knowledge. In both cases, it is unlikely either would have the skills as a professional communicator. Trained, experienced Technical Communicators (Technical Authors) have the necessary skills to form the bridge between the technical aspects of a product and the intended users. They can develop documentation that meets the needs of the end user, enabling them to use the product to perform tasks, without being patronising or ‘blinding them with science’.
Their audience analysis skills enable them to pitch the information at an appropriate level. They usually come from a technical background and tend to specialise in a particular field, industry, or technology. They are experts in communication techniques and can develop all types of documentation to support a company’s products and describe them to the intended market. This documentation ranges from the highly-technical to the more simplistic.
Where do I find these professional communicators?
There are a number of specialist companies who can supply professional communicators to a company or organisation. AND Solutions Limited is one of these and we can either work as part of an existing authoring team or, if preferred, we can manage the entire authoring process.
What should I expect from them?
Amongst other things, a professional communicator should:
- be skilled in communication techniques and methods;
- have technical knowledge or qualifications in the relevant field;
- have experience or understanding of the relevant industry;
- be able to interact with personnel at all levels of a company or organisation;
- be able to understand the needs of the intended audience.
The most important requirement is membership of a professional society. For professional technical communicators in the UK, this is the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (ISTC). By joining a professional body like the ISTC, the individual has expressed their commitment to the profession, has given an undertaking to be bound by the society’s Code of Practice, and has agreed to maintain and develop their professional skills by means of a Continuing Professional Development scheme.
What does this all mean?
Whilst the standard of English may be falling and businesses may be facing communication challenges as a result, there are professional companies who can provide consultancy and other services to assist.
If nothing else, ensure that the documentation developed to support products is written by professionals who have the necessary skills. The products have been developed by experts; use an expert to document them.
Posted by Simon Butler FISTC 
