Language is Words

So, about that heading, I know what you’re thinking…

If you’re in college, you already know that language is made up of words. But when it comes to professional/technical communication, it’s not quite that simple. We’ve all had those moments when we’ve spoken or written something without really paying attention to all of the words we’re choosing. In our personal lives, that can get us into an argument, leave us sleeping on the couch, or get us dumped. In our professional lives, the consequences can be much more significant.

All writing is made up of choices and that’s even more true in professional/technical writing. As the ‘author’, you are responsible for every word you put on a page or on a screen. And that means that it’s important that those words be sensitive to your audience.

And, again, I know what some of you are thinking…

Obviously, the video exaggerates things (a bit) to make a comedic point and also obviously, everyone has their own thoughts/opinions/feelings on ‘cancel culture’ and the ‘policing’ of language. But when it comes to professional writing, language matters. As over the top as they might seem, the reactions in the video aren’t that far off from how someone (*cough* Karen *cough) might react in real life.

Whether you agree with it or not, whether you think it’s silly or about damn time, whether you’re all in on DEI or think woke is whack (a phrase I’m embarrassed to say I just wrote), it’s just smart and in your best interests to use appropriate and sensitive language in your professional writing.

What Is Sensitive?

I’m glad you asked.

Let’s take a look at some examples of insensitive language and the more appropriate ways to say the same things…

For some writers, it takes some time to get in the habit of using sensitive and appropriate language, but it’s a vital part of professional/technical writing and communication. If you want your audience to respect your views, listen to your points, agree with your arguments, or follow your instructions, then you need to demonstrate respect for them. 

Tone

The other language-based concept that needs to be considered is your choice of tone. Many of us have some experience with that in our real lives…

Tone is important because it can reinforce the message sent by your words or it can totally defeat that message. Consider this example: a man giving a speech to encourage the audience members to nominate him as their candidate for a political position…

What issues are there with Phil’s tone? Does it help or hurt his message?

But tone isn’t just how you sound. It’s about the way in which you present the information, the types of words you choose, and the voice you employ. Sometimes, it’s even about grammar.

Word Choice

All writers want to sound smart and many of them think that BIG WORDS = BIG BRAINS. They end up cluttering their writing by constructing overly wordy sentences, using too much jargon, and choosing bigger words when smaller ones would be the better choice.

Let me give you an example:

Jack and his testosterone deficient companion vertically ascended the semi-mountainous formation.

Right now, I’m guessing this is you…

That sentence is one you’ve all heard before, probably when you were very young.

Jack and Jill went up the hill.

As ridiculous as that first version of the sentence is, it highlights the fact that, sometimes, simpler is better because it’s also clearer. You don’t want your audience to have the same reaction to your writing that you did when you read about Jack and his testosterone deficient companion. There’s a time and place for you to sound smart or show off your vocabulary, but you need to make sure it helps your message instead of hurting it.

Being Specific and Concrete

Writing teachers always stress the importance of being specific and offering specific details. That’s even more true in professional/technical writing. A lack of specificity and details can confuse your message/audience, can lead to faulty assumptions or conclusions, and might even cause some of your audience to question your knowledge or how much you care.

Consider these three examples of vague language. How could you make them more specific?

• I have many years experience doing similar work.
• Hiring a few more people will improve the department.
• Our earnings exceeded expectations.

Passive vs. Active Voice

Remember when you were in elementary or middle school and you learned all about subjects, verbs, and objects in sentences?

Passive and active voice are all about where you put the subject, verb, and object in the sentence.

The active voice is:

• More concise
• Easier to understand
• Active

All of those are better for your audience and, therefore, better for you.

Grammar

I’ll let you in on a little English teacher secret: I hate grammar and everything about it. I hate talking about it, I hate commenting on it, I hate grading it, and I hate worrying about it. But, in professional/technical writing, it’s extremely important.

Editing, proofreading, and correcting your grammar mistakes isn’t just about creating error-free documents or content. It’s also about the message you’re sending to your audience. If your writing has a bunch of misspellings, sentence fragments, run-ons, or other mechanical errors it might be difficult to understand and, even worse, not correcting those mistakes tells your audience that…

Either way, leaving mistakes like that in your document sends a very clear and very NEGATIVE message to your audience. Proofread and editing every document can prevent you from hurting your own cause!