Writing It Doesn't Always Make It Right

Probably 80 to 90 percent of a manager's day consists of communicating in some form or other. Obviously things like training, orientation, performance evaluations and the like are forms of communication. But communication also forms the basis of discipline, counseling and complaint-handling - even terminations. Unfortunately, much of a supervisor's day may be spent making up for bad communications.

Some people assume that, although misunderstandings might occur when speaking, there is no possibility of that happening if instructions are written. But a sloppy presentation can be counterproductive. There's no reason to blame the reader for misunderstanding something that could have been written more clearly. That burden always rests with management.

This article appeared in the December 07, 2007 issue of the Daily Journal of Commerce - Portland, OR.