Can Poor Grammar Skills Tarnish Your Brand?

I admit to forming an impression of someone based on their grammar.  Recently, a peer recommended an event planning professional to me.  Her client list was very impressive.  To gather more information, I read her website.  My favorable impression was spoiled when I spotted a few grammar goofs.   I did not expect her to be a grammarian.  However, I expected her to have good communication skills, attention to detail, and the wisdom to hire a proofreader when creating a professional website.   Don’t let spelling and grammar mistakes tarnish your brand. Nobody’s perfect – I know it and so do you. However, you can use some tools – many of which are free to help you.

1.) Assess and improve your grammar.

How confident are you in your grammar skills?   There are free resources online, including self tests so you can assess your abilities.  If you have always written or spoken in a certain way, you may assume your grammar is correct.   Assess your skills and then commit to improving your grammar.  Try www.englishgrammar101.com and www.grammar-monster.com. 

2.) Pay attention to your verbal and written communication.

Your verbal and written communication is a representation of your brand.  If you have difficulty with subject and verb agreement, you are not representing your brand in the best way.  Common mistakes are the incorrect placement of commas, capitalization of common nouns, run-on sentences, and the incorrect use of apostrophes.   Some common mistakes become viral.  If you are in doubt about an aspect of grammar, always seek clarification from an expert grammar source, such as The Purdue University Online Writing Lab.

3.) There are variations to the rules.

When writing letters, reports, essays, and business documents, you are expected to use proper grammar.  Anything less than that will discount your professional brand.  An exception to proper English grammar is an informal text message. There are times when variation in grammar is appropriate.  Short phrases, instead of complete sentences, are acceptable in PowerPoint presentations.   Resumes are written employing several unique rules, including the use of phrases, the omission of articles, and writing numbers rather than spelling numbers (“3” versus “three”).

The Bottom Line.

One of the most common resume clichés is the phrase, “Excellent verbal and written communication skills.” Yet, very few individuals are excellent communicators.  A lack of grammar skills can interfere with your communication and tarnish your brand.  Avail yourself of the resources to ensure that your grammar is impeccable.