learn the Principles of Business Writing PHẦN 5 pps

communication. Unfortunately, business jargon tends to be so vague that people have

vastly differing interpretations of the same words or phrases. Because of this, jargon

does major damage to a corporation’s ability to convey meaning to its members. If this

causes staff to feel alienated, there can be a breakdown in communication.

What should you as a writer do to communicate clearly? First of all, be aware of the

fact that the process of interpretation is terribly complex. People interpret words in a

variety of contexts, such as upbringing, society and the organisation’s culture. Com￾munication with stakeholders, particularly those with widely differing interests, needs

and emotional states, makes your job as a writer all the more challenging. It is your

responsibility to critically evaluate what you write and how that can be interpreted.

In particular, you should constantly ask - and answer - a very simple question: what

does this mean? Ask this of every word, every sentence, every paragraph and every

chapter, until it becomes second nature. This question helps you to step outside your

own frame of reference and critically evaluate the words, structure or style used. If

such a simple technique were used consistently, business jargon would be used less

frivolously.

Another way to aid the process of interpretation is to take the reader by the hand with

constructions like ‘which means that’ or ‘as a result of which’. It also helps to start a

sentence with constructions like ‘This leads to’, ‘That contributes to’ or ‘As a result of

this’. These constructions create bridges between a previous sentence and an expla￾nation or elaboration and helps the reader - and sometimes yourself - make sense of

what is being communicated.

The meaning of goals and purpose in organisations

You just read how the principle of meaning can help you to be more precise in your

use of language. This principle can also be applied to the organisation as a whole,

specifically when you want to explain how something will affect the organisation.

For example, the introduction of a performance-based pay system will change the

way people are motivated and how they relate to each other. Outlining the strategic

rationale for such a change – say, dealing with increased competition – targets sta￾keholders at an intellectual level and helps people see the logic of change. This helps

people understand the underlying business case and how it impacts their own plans

and targets.

But winning the hearts of people, which is needed to get them to change their at￾titude and behaviour, requires you to address the meaning of such change in terms of

c apture . deliver . excel . meaning 41