Judge not …
It’s bad to be judgmental, right? Evaluating people by appearance, social status, the kinds of cars they drive, how much money they make… we’re all too evolved for that.
And is it ever reasonable to assume good character based on perfect grammar and charisma? Of course not. Countless public figures have been great communicators and equally great scoundrels.
But how about using the same criteria to evaluate people as professionals or experts? My daughter’s English teacher once sent home a note announcing, “This is going to be a pilate project.” The teacher was the cheerleading coach who taught a little English on the side. Incompetent. But perky.
Comedian Jeff Foxworthy tells us that nobody wants to hear his brain surgeon say, “Al’ight now what we’re gonna do is, saw the top of your head off, root around in there with a li’l ol’ stick and see if we cain’t find that dad-burn clot.”
A recent Internet headline asked, “When is a marriage passed the point of no return?” I was intrigued by the use of passed (a verb) instead of past (a preposition). The first paragraph contained another gem: “whose to blame?” (instead of who’s, meaning who is). I wondered how a psychologist or other educated therapist could make such mistakes—and why there was no editor in sight. A short bio at the end revealed that the author was a 26-year-old journalist who had been married for six months. Some expert.
The English teacher has a responsibility to set a good example for her students. Maybe Foxworthy’s surgeon could be excellent at his job without speaking proper English. But the joke is that if he communicates like that, what other classes did he miss in med school? And the journalist, besides being woefully under-qualified to advise on the subject, blew her credibility before the article even began.
In some lines of work, people don’t necessarily think good communication skills matter. Building contractors. Artists. Professional athletes. But all of these people communicate, and it’s a plus for those who do it well. Communicating correctly will not make you better at any of these jobs, but doing it badly could hurt you.
Much has been written about personal appearance in the workplace. Multicolored hair, tattoos, and facial piercings are no problem if you work at Guitar Center or a motorcycle shop (in fact I think they might be required). But corporate America gets to decide how they want you to look. And people who greet the general public in commerce or food service are universally expected to appear clean, pleasant, and appropriately dressed.
Similarly, clear and correct communication conveys an air of professionalism and credibility. No amount of grooming, designer clothing, or shoe-polishing can overcome the impression left by bad writing and speech habits. So if you’re serious about career success, don’t create obstacles for yourself.
Does that mean your grammar always has to be perfect? In a few cases, no. But the communication has to be effective and appropriate for the situation. If you’re Yogi Berra or Charles Barkley, your personality and humor allow for liberties with the language because it’s part of the shtick. So if you’re going to butcher the language as much as they do, you’d better be as charming and clever as they are.
In other cases, grammar matters very much. As a hiring manager, I reviewed many application letters for technical writer positions. One applicant typed the wrong company name in the address block, misspelled my name, and boasted of “atention to detail, good writing skills, and exellent grammer.”
Time to be judgmental? You bet.
