Page 18 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

Why are you writing? 7

No body language signals in writing

When we communicate face to face, people around us attach im-
portance to the signals given by our body language. These are said
to account for 55 per cent of the impact we make when giving a
talk. Our voice can account for perhaps 38 per cent – and our
words just 7 per cent.
This is because, in face-to-face communication, unlike writing,
we don’t need to focus just on words. We can ask if we aren’t sure
what is being said. We can look for clues from the speaker’s facial
expression or tone as to the gravity or levity of the subject matter.
These will help our understanding and focus our attention (or not!).
But with writing now taking centre stage in today’s workplace
(think e-mail, instant messaging, social media), words are actually
crucial. Unless the writer is there in front of you, time will elapse
before you get answers to any questions you have. That is, if you
have the time or inclination to ask questions! At the very least, it
means that writers need to think twice, spellcheck – in fact, double-
check – that their words are saying what they mean them to say.

How formal or informal do you need

to be?

Business writing is in a state of flux and is increasingly diverse in
style. Different styles often coexist within the same company. It can
be bewildering for reader and writer alike as I’ll show throughout
the book. Generally speaking, the move is towards more ‘people’
words and more informality.
This can be a special challenge for some cultures. Asian cultures,
for example, place great emphasis on hierarchy, where people of
senior grades are treated with noticeably more deference and re-
spect than those in junior grades. Informality can also be a chal-
lenge for nationalities where there is a distinction between a famil-
iar and a formal form of the pronoun ‘you’. Even Western cultures
can do this; for example, French makes a distinction between