“All My Life I’ve Always Wanted to Be Somebody …
But now I see I should have been more specific,”
wrote Jane Wagner in The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe.
Words like more better, “some,” “less”, and “soon” enable us to seem assertive without actually asking for what we want.
If you write an internal memo asking that your department devote “more resources to this project,” the manager could send you a box of pencils and say that he fulfilled your request.
If you tell your secretary, “You must do better if you want to keep your job,” he has no way of knowing what you mean by “better.” Is his typing inaccurate? Does he revise your work too freely? Is he rude to clients on the phone? Does he make the coffee too strong?
If you inform a key customer that its order will be shipped “soon,” will that customer feel confident about your firm and your service?
If you find yourself slipping into more dom, ask yourself whether vagueness will truly serve your purpose. You might find that:
1. You are not sure exactly what you want.
If you are not sure what you want, take the time to clarify your request in your mind before verbalizing it.
2. You don’t have enough information to make a specific request.
Try to get the relevant information. If you can’t, you may have to resort to nebulous terms.
For example, if you have produced positive results for a customer, don’t just say that profits were increased; say “Profits rose 25 after we introduced the new marketing campaign.”
3. You must be vague in order to CYA.
This is a judgment call. Will ambiguous language benefit you in the end?
4. You are afraid that if you ask for what you want, you will make your reader angry and still not get what you want.
If you think your request will make your reader angry, then explain your reasoning briefly before making the request. For example, if you want a raise, take the time to write out your recent contributions to the company, the hours you have put in, the training you’ve gotten, the profits and new business you have produced. Then write out what you want: “Based on the additional strengths and contributions I’ve made, I would like a 20 raise.”
If you are sure that your request will anger your reader, why are you making it? The company owner who will grouse when you ask for one more secretary is just as likely to complain when you murmur “We need more secretarial help soon, or we’ll have more late deliveries.”
The next time you are inclined to write “please return this to me as soon as possible,” pause before you write. Do you really need it back by 5:00 pm? By Friday at 5:00 pm? Tell the person what you mean. If “please return it by 5:00 pm” seems curt, then soften the sentence. You could write, “I would really appreciate it if you could get this back to me by 5:00 pm today.”
It’s been said that the problem with American culture is its preoccupation with having “more.” Maybe we ought to be more specific.
Author Resource:-
Elizabeth Danziger, writing trainer, author, editor and coach, has written four books, including the business writing text "Get to the Point!". She has worked for Norwest, Transamerica, Lipton, US Dept.of Commerce as well as many smaller businesses. She can be reached at http://www.worktalk.com.
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