Picture Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof singing “Tradition,” but with different lyrics. The song is now called “Precision,” and it’s his advice on writing in the workplace. (Maybe Tevye even dreams of writing ad copy – “If I Were a Pitch Man.”)
Last week, we covered a few words that often do not communicate with sufficient precision. I picked on “incredible” and “awesome” because – while they are compelling adjectives – they do not specify why something or someone is outstanding. “Downhill” and “peruse” can be ambiguous. “ASAP” fails to specify if we mean in the next five minutes or by the end of the day. And I noted that dollar figures, such as salaries, might not mean much without a context.
So let’s reinforce this topic with a few more words and situations that should sound alarms. How might you alter these examples to achieve greater precision?
1. Cathy made some excellent contributions at the meeting except for an inappropriate comment toward the end.
2. I’d like to talk with you about the launch event to ensure a positive outcome.
3. In addition to serving in three health-related internships during his four years, Eric graduated with a 3.6 GPA.
The hit list
1. “Inappropriate” is a handy word to use with children to acquaint them with proper behavior in a restaurant or at a family gathering, but it can be a lazy word in workplace writing or discussion. How was Cathy’s comment inappropriate? It veered away from the main point? It betrayed a confidence? It was politically incorrect or off-color? It was potentially divisive?
2. As noted in other posts, the words “positive” and “negative” often lure us into redundancies (“negative downturn”) or signal that we have an opportunity to dress up our language. For example, a “positive quality” might be termed an “asset”; a “negative result,” a “setback.” Here, however, the point is what do we mean by a “positive outcome” for the launch? Outstanding attendance? A smooth program? Broad media coverage?
3. Ah, statistics again. Handling them with care helps put our writing a cut above. In this instance, how impressive is a 3.6 average in an era of grade inflation? If possible, expressing the GPA comparatively enhances precision: “… graduated in the top 20 percent of his class.” Now that’s impressive.
Postscript
I’ve talked about “setting alarms” before, in connection to rooting out common errors. But it also behooves us to infuse our alarm system with words and situations that often rob us of precision.
In addition to presenting workshops on writing in the workplace, Norm Friedman is a writer, editor, and writing coach. His 100+ Instant Writing Tips is a brief “non-textbook” to help individuals overcome common writing errors and write with more finesse and impact. Learn more at http://www.normfriedman.com/index.shtml.