People will judge you
That’s it in a nutshell. Sure we don’t need to spell accurately or write clear coherent sentences to pass courses or even to survive in the world these days.
We have tools that enable us to get on with life with poor spelling and bad grammar. That’s fine most of the time. However…
Don’t try and apply for a job or a promotion with a letter or CV containing spelling mistakes or poor grammar. You won’t get hired. And forget about any kind of credibility in a business writing context.
Also, just in general:
- In situations where your writing is highly visible (such as on the internet), people will judge you based on your ability to spell and write well.
Poor spelling and crappy writing don’t indicate low intelligence so don’t get me wrong. However, I do think that clear, coherent writing of any kind does reflect good thinking skills.
And it’s something you can learn and teach. Now… any spelling mistakes here? let me know in the comments.
Oh no, you have invited the critics to analyse your post. It looks good to me but some will take this as a challenge.
I used to make this arguement with my students regarding speaking. I would say something like, “I know this isn’t fair but people judge you by the way you speak. What impression do you want to make?” The idea is to use the stereotype to your advantage. Speak well and write well and people will think (or form an impression) that you are competent and intelligent (even if you are a moron!).
I read an atricle about wearing ties. Young men have stopped weraing them because they are considered pretentious, but well tied ties still send a visual message that you are important and authoritive in most of the population. So make the most of social memes, use them to your advantage.
By the way, that guy is awsome.
Oh oh! Spelt ‘article’ wrong. Doh!
Thanks Damon… Far be it from me to judge: I could correct your other typo for you, but…
Ha, I left that one especially… It makes people feel good to spot these things. I’m a giver.
I see what you did now… Very clever…