Written communication has been very important for our small company. I believe that writing expresses who you are not only as a leader and a co-worker, but also as a person. It’s very easy to be reactive to situations that come up in business; we often are the victims of too much verbal communication. Writing helps you refine your ideas when giving others feedback or developing ideas. Writing permits you to evaluate the adequacy of your argument and rethink the situation. It stimulates you to extend a line of thought beyond your first impression or gut response.
In the past, we had a few cases where we lost customers over verbal communication. Anger that arose in a situation was communicated too quickly over the phone. After this, I was convinced to think — and rethink — before communicating something important. Sometimes, I even sleep on it to give myself an extra day to think it through, and then I write my thoughts down. It has worked wonders in improving our relationships!
–Zeynep Ilgaz is the president and co-founder of Confirm BioSciences, a leader in the commercialization of new technologies for personal screening testing that brings both laboratory testing and point of care testing to the consumer through innovation and product development. Connect with Zeynep Ilgaz on LinkedIn and Google+.
Leave a Reply