Chris Knox
Professor R. Dollieslager
English 111-24W
September 15, 2016
Professional Communication
Professional communication is a very important aspect of any career. Throughout one’s career one will be expected to communicate with colleges or customers. It is important that these communications are held in a professional matter. The quality of the company is reflected in the communications of its employees. Correct grammar, clear concise statements, and the lack of any slang or any unclear vernacular, are the corner stones for professional communication.
Recently two articles were written about the importance of grammar in a work environment, "Why Grammar Counts at Work," and "I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why." After reading the articles, there are a few things that stand out. For instance, it is interesting to note that language is constantly evolving and these evolutions often derive from improper use. (Adams) This evolution does not however give an excuse to use improper language in a professional environment. One of the points made by Kyle Weins, is that language is a reflection of intelligence and thoughtfulness. Assuming that is true, with all the digital communication we participate in, our grammar tells a lot about us. Along with our intelligence, grammar also shows our ability to pay attention to detail, and how well organized we are. (Adams, Wiens) Weins believes this has a direct correlation to ones work performance. Taking all of this into consideration, I can understand why a company would want to make sure it is hiring people with good grammar.
The career that I would like to pursue is in Advanced Integrated Manufacturing. Communication and good grammar are important to this career in numerous ways. A career in AIM requires communication with lots of technical writings, for example manuals or schematics. This will have to be kept in mind while writing. Documents will need to be understood completely by the reader so they can then implement the processes or changes being described. When a new process is implemented it will need to be documented and this documentation needs to be clear and concise. There also will be circumstances which repairs or changes need to be made, and these changes will also need to be documented. Imagine you work at a nuclear facility and the reactor needs to be shut down, but the process for shutting down the reactor was not documented clearly. The lack of a clear concise process could result in catastrophe. The importance of clear communication in a technical field is key.
Communicating as a professional is a skill that will I will need to hone. I will need to improve my grammar. My grammar currently is not very good, but I can improve it by doing some of the things I have learned from my English class. The first thing I can do to improve my grammar is to make sure that I am using it correctly in everyday communication. For example, text messages, emails or just talking. This will help me practice so that when I need to communicate in a professional environment I will be more confident. The next thing I can do is always have access to a dictionary, so I can use words properly and expand my vocabulary. I will also read more books for entertainment in order to learn new words and practice my comprehension. The last thing I will need to work on is a personal problem that I have. I tend to find humor in things and make jokes when the situation is not appropriate for one. I will have to be mindful of this and make sure I save the jokes for the appropriate conversations.
Communicating as a professional is a skill everyone should have. This skill does not come easily to everyone though. It takes practice and some self-reflection to develop good communication skills. Considering that impressions of people are determined primarily by their communications, I would say that good professional communication skills should be a top priority.
Works Cited
Adams Susan. "Why Grammar Counts at Work." Forbes. 20 July 2012. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/07/20/why-grammar-counts-at-work/>.
Wiens Kyle. "I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why." Harvard Business Review. N.p., 23 July 2014. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
<http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/07/i_wont_hire_people_who_use_poo.html>.