Mirror, mirror on my words
which reflect upon my heart.
Interpretation others find
whether I choose wisely or do not!
Americans understand that we have the right to free speech, but what we often fail to understand is that our communication has consequences. What we say affects people either negatively or positively. What we say may be interpreted the way we intended or in a way we never even anticipated.
Some of the things we say are of little consequence, but much of what we say may have dire consequences if we are not properly understood. If we misspeak and everyone comes to our dinner party a day early while we are in our PJ's, it could only be embarrassing. But if we misspeak in our resume, we may not get the job! If we misspeak while trying to sharing the Gospel with someone, we may inadvertently lead him away from the Lord.
What if we misspeak on our website? Our sales brochure? Our book? Our letter to the editor? Our ad?
I see so many marketing "gurus" who say that spelling doesn't matter, grammar isn't important and that mistakes are even preferable. However, did you know that many times your communication is simply dismissed without you having any way of knowing? How many times do people click out of your website because you have 16 mistakes in the first paragraph? You may never know unless you engage the help of a good editor.
Our communication matters. Many times it isn't the words we use but the way we come across that makes or breaks our effectiveness.
If you're looking for a good editor, you won't do better than mine: Carla Ives from A Word Aptly Written. She not only spots misspelled words from tall buildings in a single bound, but she allows your personality and style to shine through your work.
Want to hear more about this amazing purveyor of fine words? Check out Grace Talk Soup! She's my co host each Thursday morning at 8am PST/ 11am EST. But if you missed the live show, just scroll down to the show's archives and listen to the past recordings. You'll be very glad you did!