This slogan, coined by the well-known vocabulary program Verbal Advantage, pertains also to grammar, punctuation and spelling.
Alas!
For reasons too numerous to list here, many otherwise good, competent,
talented people lose inestimable opportunities because they're silently
judged for their written mistakes - especially lately, due to the
popularity of social networking and text messaging.
We seem to
have arrived at the odd paradox of being more dependent than ever on
written communication, at the same time that we're less prepared than
ever to do it well. Confusion, especially about apostrophes and homophones, is reaching epidemic proportions. (For further discussion about this, please see the Benefits Manual, pages 31-33.)
Grammar Troll
You may ask, "So what? They know what I mean."
That
may be so; but if you are composing a sales message, remember that you
are competing with others, who may compose their sales messages more
carefully than you compose yours.
The message itself demonstrates your attention to detail. It "says" something about you.
Therefore,
in answer to your question, I would offer another question: if you
don't even care about the seemingly insignificant details of language,
why should I trust you with more significant details by hiring you?
If
you lack the discernment to know how or when to use an apostrophe in a
sentence, why should I trust you to have the discernment to know how to
use anything else, like a wrench on my car, a saw on my house, food for
my children, or care for my aging parents? Sloppy writing says, "I am
incompetent, and I don't care."
Answer: I shouldn't trust
you. Discernment is discernment, and caring is caring - regardless
whether they're about language, automotive or household repair, child
care, or elder care.
This is why impeccable writing is imperative.
Are you a
good, competent, talented person who, for whatever reason, suffers from
this confusion epidemic?
