GOOD IDEAS FROM CAROL - 109

I’m getting increasingly exasperated by poor written communications on LinkedIn (and elsewhere too, but this newsletter is designed for this platform).?? So here are some thoughts which I hope you’ll find useful.

GOOD IDEA 1 - get your professionalism right

Remember that LinkedIn is a business platform.? How you show up here reflects not only on you but on your business as well.? So being professional is more important than on some other platforms.?? Check that what you put out is of an appropriate standard at all times.

GOOD IDEA 2 - get your spelling right

As LinkedIn is global, of course there will be differences depending on where you come from.? For example US and UK spelling aren’t always identical. I had an example of that only yesterday when someone used the word ‘armor’ in a poll; I assumed it meant ‘armour’ as we spell it in the UK, but it looked very strange.?? However, spelling more ‘ordinary’ words incorrectly simply looks sloppy.? And before you tell me that some people are dyslexic, let me remind you of the existence of online spellchecks (although some only use American spellings) and – remember them – printed dictionaries.? And yes there are some (limited range) dictionaries for people who find it difficult to look up words in ‘ordinary’ ones.? If you know you find spelling difficult then at least get someone else to check things for you before you make them public.?

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GOOD IDEA 3 - get your grammar and punctuation right

The purpose of both of these is to make things clear.? How you structure your sentences can affect their meaning.? Where you put a comma, or an apostrophe, can change the meaning of a sentence.?? Again, if you aren’t sure then do ask someone who can help.???

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GOOD IDEA 4 - get your structure right

Every day I see polls on LinkedIn which are constructed so they make no sense, and therefore the answers they generate are unlikely to make sense either.? If you’re just doing polls in order to make the algorithms like you, this won’t bother you, but if you’re doing them to show that you and your business are worth noticing, you need to get them right.?? I think sometimes these badly constructed polls might also be to do with dyslexia or some other different brain function, but if that’s the case then it’s even more important that you get help with what you put out there.????

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GOOD IDEA 5 - get your image right

What, and how, you write is part of your image and branding.? And the words you use are part of this.?? For example I’ve had at least half a dozen invitations to connect from people who say they are part of a group of ‘scrappy’ VAs.? Scrappy in the UK tends to mean badly organised, badly put together, untidy and so on – not the image the people using that word meant to convey.? So think about the cultural context of what you write and if you’re targeting people in a different country from your own you might want to check that the words you use have the same meaning there.??? Also the topics you choose to write about reflect on you, your interests and your values – so make sure they are ones you want to promote.?? And similarly you should be aware of the tone, or emotion conveyed in your messages; are you indicating anger, political affiliation, promotion of a ‘cause’ etc?? And this also applies to the kind of humour you use. You will be judged on what you say, how you say it and the underlying messages your writing contains.? So being professional includes all the things I’ve mentioned in this newsletter (and more that I don’t have space for here).? Worth doing a professionalism audit of your LinkedIn communications so you can make the most of your messages – whether public or to individuals.?? They all have an impact on your success.

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More next week.???? ???

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