The effective use of language is how the leaders lead and inspire other to action. The essence of leadership communication is the leaders’ ability to influence positively and overcoming barriers to effective communication. A positive ethos is created by the effective use of the language which is the use of the right words in the right way to achieve the outcome of you intend.
Achieving a Positive Ethos through Tone and Style
Guidelines for Creating a Positive Ethos
1. Do not try to imitate someone else’s style. Although you can adjust your tone slightly to different situations, you do not want to move too far away from your natural voice. If you do, you risk sounding artificial and perhaps superficial.
2. Read what you have written aloud to see how you sound, and if something is particularly sensitive, read it to someone else.
3. Never send something out when you are angry or upset. Always wait until you have control of your emotions and can select your language carefully.
4. Be careful in your use of complex language or “thesaurusitis,” finding a word in a thesaurus and using it because it is a “big” word when a simple one would be better (for example, saying “utilize” instead of “use”).
5. Use strong verbs and avoid passive voice unless you have a specific reason to use it (see discussion below).
6. Select a positive over a negative construction when possible. For example, say “We will begin implementing the changes you recommended on January 22.”
7. Avoid using too many modifiers or empty words, such as “sort of,” “kind of,” “possible,” and too many “ly” words in particular.
8. Be careful in the use of qualifiers, such as “in my opinion,” “I think,” “I believe,” “probably,” and “I feel.” They can make you sound too unsure of yourself and hesitant.
9. Eliminate fillers, such as “you know,” “uh,” and “um” from your speech.
10. Be careful with the use of jargon (see discussion below). Use it only when it is the best way to say what you want to say and when you know for sure the audience will understand it.
Communicating Concisely
1. Avoid the Overuse of the Passive Voice- The Actor Should Usually Come First in the Sentence
Use passive unless
-Want to protect the actor
-Not sure who is responsible for the action
- The actor is unimportant
-The company stile or some other mandate dictates otherwise.
2. Avoid Expletives, Such as “There Is” or “ It Is”- Watch for the “It Is . . . That” Construction in Particular
l Use meaning and emphasis to guide the use
3. Avoid the Use of Prepositional Idioms
Idioms to Avoid Concise Replacements
Due to the fact that --> because
During the time that --> while
For the purpose of --> to
For the reason that --> because or since
If the conditions are such that --> if
In order to --> to
In the event that --> if
In the area of --> in
In the case of --> in
In the interest of --> for
In the nature of --> in
In the region of --> around
Next to --> by
On the top of --> on or above
Over and above --> beyond
With regard to --> regarding
With the purpose of --> to
4. Avoid the Overuse of Relative Pronouns- “Who,” “Which,” and “That”
5. Avoid the Repetition of Words and Ideas
6. Do Not Overuse Descriptive Words, Particularly Adverbs (-ly Words)
7. Avoid Weasel Words, Ambiguous Noncommittal Words
8. Be Aware of Jargon (Language Used in Particular Disciplines) and Other Kinds of Gobbledygook
9. Avoid Nominalizations (a Jargon Word Used b Linguists That Means Turning Verbs into Nouns by Adding –tion)
10. Avoid Redundancies
Using Business Language Correctly
A positive ethos is made up of a concise and confident style with an appropriate tone. It is important to use the correct language in business communication; one careless error can cause a large damage in the company.
The Language Rules That Matter
Type of Error
1. Sentence fragment
2. Unpunctuated parenthetical expression (interrupter)
3. Run-on sentence
4. Faulty parallel structure
5. Dangling modifier
6. Apostrophe in plural noun
7. Comma splice
8. Use of reflexive pronoun when objective case is needed
9. Use of less for a count noun
10. Use of nominative case pronoun in compound indirect object
11. Use of between for more than two
12. Adverbial clause as complement to linking verb
13. Its/it’s confusion
14. Use of adverb “Badly” with state-of-being verb “Feel”
15. Misspelling of “principle”
16. Lack of apostrophe in possessive noun
17. Starting a sentence with “But”
18. “Which” used to refer to entire preceding clause
19. Use of plural pronoun to refer singular noun
20. Use of plural verb with either/or subject structure
The power of Punctuation
Punctuation helps to follow the complete thoughts and distinguish between sentences. The perfect passage is made with the use of proper punctuation. Wrong message will be delivered if the punctuation is used incorrectly.
-Eats, shoots and leaves
Additional Punctuation Rules
Quotation Marks
Commas after Introductory Phrases
Commas with Items in a Series
Commas with Nonrestrictive Clauses
Apostrophes
Parentheses
Ellipses
Sexist Language
Leaders should avoid sexist language in business culture because it shows a bias or preference toward one gender over another.
The Use of Ms.
- Convenient and well-accepted way to address a woman of unknown marital status
- Follow audience’s lead, if possible
A Note on Letter Salutations
- Use Ms. When not sure of a woman’s marital status
- Unsure of the sex, use the first and last name
The Use of Words Ending in “man”
Employing Efficient and Effective Editing Techniques
Develop a method to help you edit your work.
“Do Save Money”
D = Document (overall coherence, organization, formatting, tone)
S = Sentences (structure, clarity, conciseness)
M = Mechanics (typos, spelling, usage, diction)
Document
1. Read the complete document aloud for flow (logical progression and adequate transition) and tone.
2. Map the structure, noting major and minor ideas.
3. Add headings if necessary and make sure all are consistent and capture the “so what.”
4. Break up long paragraphs into smaller paragraphs or make lists if appropriate.
5. Circle all pointer or transition words at the beginning of paragraphs. Do you have too few or too many? Are there places where you need more variety?
6. Check to see that attachments and exhibits are identified in the text of the document.
7. Now, look at the document; does it look neat, logical, accessible, and consistently formatted?
Sentences
1. After you have made any necessary organizational changes, go back through and underline conjunctions.
2. Try combining short simple sentences into compound or complex sentences and breaking long sentences into shorter ones.
3. Cut out prepositional idioms and other wordy expressions.
4. Check for lack of parallel structure and misplaced or dangling modifiers (note each use of an introductory participial phrase such as “having finished” to be sure that the first noun in the next clause can perform the action described).
5. Highlight each “this” and “it” to make sure your reference is clear.
6. Mark “to be” constructions to see if you can substitute a strong active verb. If you find passive voice constructions, make sure that they are necessary.
Mechanics
1. Check for comma splices, run-ons, and fragments. Underlining the conjunctions should help you find sentence errors.
2. Note use of punctuation marks, such as dashes, colons, commas, question marks.
3. Next, proofread the entire document, looking for typos, spelling, and diction.
4. Finally, proofread the document backwards to catch typos and spelling errors. Actually start at the end of the page and sentence and work your way to the beginning. When we proof our own work, we tend to read what we think we have written instead of what is actually on the page. By reading backwards, your eye is forced to look at each word.
Few reminders on proofreading:
Do not proofread as you write. Proofread after you think you are finished.
Try to put some time between when you write something and when you proof it.
Know what errors you tend to make or overlook, and watch for them in particular.
Watch for common trouble spots, such as transposed letters, confused words, pronoun/antecedent disagreement, dangling modifiers, and misused apostrophes.
By Linda and Charles
