Courtsey:Lynn
This week in a Better Business Writing class in Tacoma, Washington, an information systems manager was writing an announcement about certain servers being down for routine maintenance. Her message was going to go to several thousand people. In it, she used the phrase "server maintenance windows." I wondered how windows were involved. Another manager who read the announcement was also confused about what windows had to do with computers (not Microsoft Windows, of course).
Do you know what she meant by "server maintenance windows"?
Talking with the manager, we learned that her windows were windows of time.
Should she keep using the word windows if two interested readers were instantly confused? No. Words such as times, downtimes, or periods would be clear to her readers. She should choose one of them instead.
In an Email Intelligence seminar in British Columbia this month, I noticed that participants used the phrase "caps lock" to refer to something being in ALL CAPS. I had never heard "caps lock" to describe all capital letters (even though that is how the "Caps Lock" key is labeled on my keyboard).
In that seminar, should I start using "caps lock" as they did, or should I continue to say "all caps," which is familiar to me?
I started saying "caps lock" as soon as I recognized what they meant. As their instructor, I had the responsibility to speak their language.
As a writer and business communicator, watch your language. Be sure to use words your audience understands. Watch their language too--then adapt your own to match theirs.
This week in a Better Business Writing class in Tacoma, Washington, an information systems manager was writing an announcement about certain servers being down for routine maintenance. Her message was going to go to several thousand people. In it, she used the phrase "server maintenance windows." I wondered how windows were involved. Another manager who read the announcement was also confused about what windows had to do with computers (not Microsoft Windows, of course).
Do you know what she meant by "server maintenance windows"?
Talking with the manager, we learned that her windows were windows of time.
Should she keep using the word windows if two interested readers were instantly confused? No. Words such as times, downtimes, or periods would be clear to her readers. She should choose one of them instead.
In an Email Intelligence seminar in British Columbia this month, I noticed that participants used the phrase "caps lock" to refer to something being in ALL CAPS. I had never heard "caps lock" to describe all capital letters (even though that is how the "Caps Lock" key is labeled on my keyboard).
In that seminar, should I start using "caps lock" as they did, or should I continue to say "all caps," which is familiar to me?
I started saying "caps lock" as soon as I recognized what they meant. As their instructor, I had the responsibility to speak their language.
As a writer and business communicator, watch your language. Be sure to use words your audience understands. Watch their language too--then adapt your own to match theirs.
