The Articulate CEO

Spelling Really Does Matter

Communication blogger David Wise sent me the following link and asked me to comment. It is an article citing the work of CQUniversity researcher Dr. Michael Cowling who states that "Spelling is overrated. As long as the meaning of something is clear, why does it matter how we spell the words?"

For the benefit of Michael, David and everyone else, this is why it matters.

How you say what you say has a huge impact on its meaning. As readers, we don’t set out to be judgmental. In many cases, however, the only knowledge we have of an author is through what we are reading—and, consequently, how that text is written greatly affects our opinion of both the writer and the message. If all you can see are misspelled words, you might start questioning the credibility of the writer. You might wonder about the author's age, education or intellect and just how seriously you should be taking that person. Forget 'might'... you will!

That is the reality of the situation. However, we live in an era where those who point out errors in grammar or spelling are quickly marginalized as "Grammar Nazis". Ignorance rules the day, and the social pressure encouraging good spelling and grammar has dramatically declined. Consequently, people are making the mistake of thinking they can get away with poor spelling and grammar.

Now, English may well be a very difficult language, with a tremendous array of conflicting influences, and a host of specialized rules and conditions. It is fair to say that it is very difficult to conform to all norms of grammar given that many of them are subjective and conflicting (and many self-appointed gurus have themselves made embarrassing errors). I have absolutely no doubt that this entry, for example, has over a dozen real or subjective grammar problems: From the incorrect placement of a comma, to the overzealous use of a compound adjective, to the use of a colon where a dash would suffice.

I am not making a claim of perfection nor am I requiring that of others. Mistakes of grammar are common and, given the complexity, understandable. However, spelling is standardized (with minor regional variations), so unless you are intentionally trying to extend or adapt the language, some effort should be exerted to check it. To do otherwise is simply being lazy.

How we write is a direct reflection of our intelligence, knowledge, education, experience, and personality. Even if you are not intending your writing to be such a reflection it is how you are judged. So does proper spelling really matter? Of course it does! It helps make your voice more powerful and, in some respects at least, more meaningful.

Begin With The End In Mind

If there is one thing everyone needs to understand before they start their presentation it’s the ending. Begin with the end in mind. As Oscar-winning movie director Andrew Stanton explains, “Storytelling is joke telling. It’s knowing your punch line, your ending. Knowing that everything you’re saying from the first sentence to the last is leading to a singular goal.”

 Ask yourself: when’s the last time that you built your presentation, meeting agenda or sales pitch on a punch line? Did you begin with the end in mind? Did you pre-plan the one thing you wanted everyone in the room to leave with? It’s absurd not to plan a punch line - even the worst joke tellers have one in mind. So, if you have never done it then it’s time to start.

It’s the big idea, the lead of your story, and most importantly, the phrase that signifies the biggest change in how you want your listener to think or act about your topic.

Your punch line should not be “buy my product” because that is a message focused entirely on you. It needs to be a message that is framed with the listener in mind. How and why should your listener think or act differently about technology, an issue or their priorities. What problem are you trying to solve?

It is the most important thing you want to impart to your listener and the whole reason you are speaking to them in the first place. Therefore, not only do we need to be ruthless in prioritizing our most important message but we also have to frame it in a way that matters to them.

The fact is that most communication does not begin with the end in mind and, as a consequence, quickly becomes convoluted and confused. However, if you spend the time beginning at the end then it will lead the way. It will frame everything you do and all of the supporting content, claims and evidence that you need to gain buy-in will come easy.

Why Incompetent Presenters Remain Blissfully Ignorant

There are many incompetent people in the world and I worry that I might be one of them. I worry about this because, according to research conducted at Cornell University, most incompetent people do not know that they are incompetent.

On the contrary, people who do things badly are usually supremely confident of their abilities. They are actually more confident, in fact, than people who do things well. But then they would be wouldn't they? After all the skills required for competence are often the same skills necessary to recognize incompetence. It's little wonder that so many bad speakers are so blissfully self-assured.

Not only do they reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the ability to realize it!

This deficiency in 'self-monitoring skills' helps explain the tendency of the humor-impaired to persist in telling jokes that are not funny, the amateur chefs who are convinced that their latest cullinary disaster is actually delicious and the awful business presenters who insist that they have this whole speaking thing down pat.

I guess the research findings support Thomas Jefferson's assertion that 'he who knows best knows how little he knows.'

And the research meshes neatly with other work indicating that overconfidence is common; studies have found, for example, that the vast majority of people rate themselves as 'above average' on a wide array of abilities -- though such an abundance of talent would be impossible in statistical terms. What's more the studies indicate that this overestimation is more likely for tasks that are difficult than for those that are easy. Maybe that is why it seems to be such a common problem in public speaking.

Of course the inherent power relationships in business probably don't help. In various business presentation situations, feedback is absent, or at least ambiguous; even a humorless joke, for example, is likely to be met with polite laughter. And faced with incompetence, social norms and career preservation prevent most people from blurting out ``You suck!'' -- truthful though this assessment may be. Maybe the incompetent don't know how bad they are because no one is willing to tell them. Unfortunately, in my experience it is far more likely that they are simply not listening.

So if you are one of the many confident, articulate speakers out there currently boring their audience to tears maybe, just maybe, it's time to start worrying if you are the one who is incompetent.