LET'S COMMUNICATE 
Ag Communication Newsletter 
May 2002, No. 77

CONTENTS 

WRITE THE RIGHT WORD 
WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

WRITE THE RIGHT WORD

"The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty." John Steinbeck

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An interesting (well, maybe not, but bear with me) misuse of words appeared in a local sports writer's profile of a student athlete, in which he wrote, "She is DEVOTE in her religion." The word "devote" just doesn't work here. She might be "devoted to" her religion, or she might "devote herself to" her religion. But I think the writer meant to say the young woman is DEVOUT in her religion.

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The above is yet another case of the spell checker being of no help, because the word was spelled correctly. It was just the wrong word. My Corel grammar checker did flag it, however. I didn't agree with the suggested change, but it did point out the problem. Which, in my not so humble opinion, is the way to use a grammar check program. Use it to identify possible problems, but figure out your own solution. Only rarely will the suggested change really say what you meant. Many times you should leave it just as you wrote it.

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Now a few comments on a subject I know you've been waiting for: compound adjectives! The Gregg Reference Manual (which I highly recommend for office use, by the by) says, "No aspect of style causes greater difficulty than compound adjectives." The difficulty usually involves whether or not to hyphenate. To which you ask, does it really matter? In truth, sometimes it doesn't. But other times failure to hyphenate, to show that two words are being combined to make a single modifier, can be confusing. For example, "long-term project" is quite clear. "Long term project" could mean a long project to be completed during a school term. It's a long project and a term project; the lack of a hyphen blurs the fact that the two belong together, or are a one-thought modifier. (Gregg has much more to say on the subject and says it clearly. You could look it up.)

WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

Whether you're developing a Web site, writing a letter, proposing a grant project or talking to a decision maker, think WIIFM - What's In It For Me?

People are overloaded. They want to know how your research or program or information is relevant. "How will this improve my life or make my business more profitable?"

Ann Wylie of Wylie Communications Inc. suggests four ways to think like a reader or listener.

• Shift focus. Instead of focusing on programs or processes, focus on how the results will help individuals in your target audience.
• Ask the right questions. "What will happen if people use this information? What will happen if they don't?"
• Switch to the second person. Focus on "you," not "we." Leading with "you" focuses on your audience's interests.
• Keep building your skills. Admit that the way you were taught to write and speak may not be appropriate for today's technologies and audiences. Practice and learn more.

Becky Koch