Preserving English Text While Texting

Tush tush! A pox upon the texting
habits of our posterity!

As I have traveled around the English speaking world teaching grammar and business writing courses, I am sometimes confronted with various forms of the following question: “Is the future of the English language doomed because of the text messaging habits of today’s teenagers and young professionals?” This question always makes me smile (at least on the inside), partly because I know from whence the questioner’s distress arises, and partly because I possess sufficient optimism to provide a hopeful answer to such queries.

The simple answer to this question is “No”; contemporary young people (and their older adult counterparts who routinely butcher English virtually) are not going to ruin our language – at least not entirely – with their lazy acronyms, painfully poor spelling, and lack of any penchant for proofreading. In the end, the real cost is not to the language itself as much as it is to their own personal and professional credibility. To the extent that they persist in these habits, they tarnish their personal image and minimize their potential for professional advancement in the modern workplace.

Pope wrote that hope springs eternal;
May it be so for your texting diurnal.

It is true that the English language is evolving, and in some ways more quickly than ever before throughout its storied history. But language has always evolved. Such evolution began long before the invention of computers or cell phones, and will continue long after the Millennial Generation has matured. As an optimist in the face of this ongoing evolution, I hold that a vestige of quality language will always remain in tact in Western Civilization and beyond.

If I am to be proven right in purporting the perpetual maintenance of what one might call “High Language,” or at very least, “Professional Speak,” then trainers and other educators must play a vital role. Moreover, if the rising generation is to effectively make the vital transition from “Teenage Texter to Polished Professional Communicator,” a very real “Evolution in the Classroom” must occur to match the seeming language evolution that mirrors the troubled text and instant messaging quagmire in which many young professionals (and others) find themselves mired.

I suggest that this educational evolution ought to be based on the view that ALL language is vital, and therefore worthy of thoughtful composition followed by careful and consistent editing and proofreading. This belief corrects the misnomer held by so many that a text or instant message somehow possesses less literary value than an email, letter, report, etc. It also eliminates the mistaken notion that emails are essentially just a grandiose text message and therefore not worthy of careful construction, eager editing, or precise proofreading.

You would think the importance of CLARITY, CONCISION, and COGENCY in all forms of communication would be a self-evident reality for all writers. Not so! In reality, even the best writers struggle at times to effectively cast their thoughts into the finest molds possible – even after expending good-faith efforts and ample time in the process. As such, is it any wonder that less experienced, and more careless composers commonly craft professional prose that would barely qualify as doggerel were it to morph into verse or suddenly burst forth into song?

In truth, the only thing that is self-evident is that much of the communicating public could use a LOT of training when it comes to communication of all kinds, and perhaps especially so when it comes to the compositions that many create most often: text and instant messages. To remedy this self-evident societal sickness and persistent professional problem, I suggest three primary premises serve as a pedagogical foundation to any effective text or instant messaging educational initiative. And the good news is that these same premises apply to other, longer forms of written communication.

Premise 1: Inscrutable text has no value

ALL communication designed to inform, instruct, or persuade (as opposed to poetry, drama, and fictional prose, which is designed to entertain) only has value if it can be quickly read and readily understood. If your readers are confused by whatever convoluted thoughts and disorganized material you have haphazardly strung together on a screen or page, they will likely find themselves frustrated – perhaps even a little angry – and in many cases may stop reading and give up trying to understand what you are trying to communicate.

I often wonder how many billions of dollars are lost in time and resources every single year in America and beyond for no other reason than that a preventable miscommunication has occurred. All communication counts! Don’t be lazy in carefully organizing and dutifully reviewing each message you decide to craft for another, be it for an individual, small group, or large audience.

Premise 2: Editing and proofreading are paramount—not perfunctory—even for text and instant messages.

No matter how long your composition is, editing and proofreading should not be considered perfunctory tasks, but a paramount part of the process. No matter how good you are at writing, and regardless how much knowledge and experience you bring to your keyboard, everyone makes mistakes. A common misnomer among amateur writers is that great writers get it right on their first draft. Not so! There are times when I will edit and/or proofread a document seven, eight, or even nine times before hitting “send” or otherwise submitting it to its intended audience. And I am typically still making changes on the eighth and ninth revision.

Carl Sederholm, a college professor of mine at Brigham Young University, once told my English class: “You never finish a document; you stop writing.” Dr. Sederholm is correct. Unlike math equations and science questions, there is rarely just one right answer when you are writing. Furthermore, you could theoretically continue making adjustments to any document forever! As such, there is usually a point in time where you must “stop writing” and choose to turn your document in. In the meantime, it is wise to spend as much time editing and proofreading as would be both practical and prudent. It will take more time up front on your part to do this; but oh the time it can save you—and others—down the road if you will do it!

Premise 3: Short messages can be just as important as lengthy communications.

Regardless whether your composition is a text message, a full-page letter, a 20-page report, proposal, grant, etc., or a full-length thesis, manual, or book, every communication matters. If it didn’t, you (or anyone else) wouldn’t bother to take time to craft the message in the first place. While some communications are clearly more important than others (e.g., a supervisor’s formal reprimand or financial statement may carry more weight with you than an email or text message wishing you Happy Birthday), any communication that fails to achieve its intended purpose has failed indeed. I don’t like to fail at anything I seriously attempt. As such, regardless of the medium, whenever I communicate, I greatly value the way in which that piece of information is composed. My goal is to maximize the clarity, concision, and cogency of every message I send. Whether a message is a 20-page report or a 2-line text message makes little difference to me.

It is true that it will take more time to effectively edit and properly proofread a 20-page proposal or a 200-page book than a 2-page email or 2-paragraph text message. In addition, the time I devote to editing and proofreading is typically commensurate to the importance of the document (in consideration of all the stakes involved). Nevertheless, I rarely, if ever, hit my “Send” button until I have done at least one or two editing and proofreading reviews—no matter how long or short the document.

I encourage ALL educators to apply these premises in your own communication practices until they become an unconscious habit on your part. By so doing, you will become a good example to your students, thus empowering you to better teach and model the cultivation of the same premises in their communication habits—and especially with regards to text and instant messaging. As you – and they – so do, the maintenance and perpetuation of the beautiful, elegant, and rich English language will be preserved for generations to come. And in the short run, everyone will save time and money while avoiding unnecessary confusion, stress, and heartache as we send and receive messages that are clear, concise, cogent, and let us not forget—kind—a topic for another day.

In closing, there are some fantastic articles online that provide additional, concrete tips for improving your text and/or instant messaging practices. Here are four I would recommend:

Frankola, K. (2015). Has Instant Messaging Become More Annoying Than Email? 5 Steps for More Productive Pinging. HuffPost Business. Posted 10 May 2015. URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-frankola/has-instant-messaging-become-more-annoying-than-email-5-steps-for-more-productive-pinging_b_6815700.html

Maher, K. (2004). The Dangers of Using Instant Messaging at Work. The Wall Street Journal (Online). Posted 5 October 2004. URL: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB109692934259135827

Simpson, M. (2013). 12 Tips for Using Instant Messaging. Matt Simpson Blog. 10 April 2013. URL: https://matthewsimpson.com/12-helpful-tips-for-using-instant-messaging-in-workplace/

Twelve Tips for Instant Messaging in the Workplace. Training and Consulting in International Business Protocol and Social Etiquette. Posted 1 June 2014. URL: http://www.advancedetiquette.com/2014/06/12-tips-for-instant-messaging-in-the-workplace/

Post Scripts:

What is the Difference Between Editing and Proofreading?

The terms “Editing” and “Proofreading” are often used together or interchangeably. This practice perpetuates the mistaken notion that they are synonyms. In fact, they are different pursuits that are both very important. The difference is that editing involves content while proofreading in concerned with mechanics. In shorthand, we can write:

Editing = Content  and  Proofreading = Mechanics

Editing involves checking a document for completeness and accuracy. It also includes examining a sentence, paragraph, section, chapter, or document’s organization, syntax (word ordering), tone, and flow. Proofreading, on the other hand, involves checking for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.


The 3 (Three) C's of Good Writing: Clarity, Concision, and Cogency

All effective written compositions possess two or three fundamental elements. These elements are clarity and concision, and in cases where persuasion is a priority, cogency as well. Clarity begs the question: “Is my writing clear and easy to understand?” Concision begs the question: “Have I stated my message as briefly as possible without using any unnecessary words?” Cogency begs the question: “Will my writing be compelling and/or persuasive to my audience?” After finishing any piece of writing, regardless of the length, if you can honestly look it over and say with confidence: “This composition is clear, concise, and cogent,” then you are ready to turn your work in.

About the Author 

Dr. Jordan R. Jensen

Dr. Jordan Jensen is the Founder & CEO of Freedom Focused and the author of the groundbreaking new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.  He has trained business professionals in 47 U.S. States and Territories, 5 Provinces of Canada, and 9 Counties of Great Britain on a wide variety of soft-skill topics including leadership, self-leadership, management, time management, goal setting, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and a variety of communication skills. To learn more about Dr. Jensen and how his company, Freedom Focused, can assist you in achieving your organizational potential, visit www.freedomfocused.com

To buy Jordan's new book, click HERE.

Press Release

A Personal Leadership Handbook for Millennials 

(And the rest of us)

A new, critically-acclaimed Handbook for Millennials (and the rest of us) was recently published to meet the growing needs of generations past and present plagued by pedagogies of postmodernism that have left the rising generation (and many others) bemused about History, confused about basic definitions of Right and Wrong, and negligent in attending to personal, familial, and civic duties.

Dr. Jordan R. Jensen has dedicated the past 12 years of his life to researching, compiling, and composing this holistic Handbook for the express purpose of closing the profound educational gaps that exist between what needs to be taught and done and what actually is being taught and done in American homes, schools, communities, States, and the nation-at-large to protect our collective liberties, expand our personal freedoms, and maximize our potential for productive achievement.

Drawing deeply from the wells of wisdom literature (including history, science, philosophy, psychology, pedagogy, and theology) and his own detailed doctoral research, Dr. Jensen interweaves detailed anecdotes from his own life and the lives of others to present the most comprehensive personal leadership handbook to hit the market since Dr. Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

According to Dr. David G. Anthony, CEO of Raise Your Hand Texas, "Reading this book may be the most important thing you do this year (or next).  It's presence in the literature is a service to our Country."

Media Contact: Call 832-618-5451 today to set up a live interview with Dr. Jensen

Click HERE to buy a copy of Self-Action Leadership



Read what the experts are saying about this Groundbreaking NEW BOOK...

According to a career Air Force officer and pilot, who served as a POW in the infamous Hanoi Hilton for five excruciating years...

“In Self Action Leadership, Jordan Jensen has assembled a leadership masterpiece anchored steadfastly in true principles of philosophy and human behavior. In wonderfully written prose, Jordan reminds us of who we are and what it takes to live and lead with honor. Moreover, he challenges us to live up to the high calling of being human beings with a special mission on this Earth. To accomplish our mission, we must do two major things: grow in our sense of personal responsibility, and in turn, care for others and help them to do the same. I grappled with these two areas in a primal way during more than five years as a POW in Vietnam. Now I’m thrilled to see how Jordan has laid out SAL by using the vehicle of story to illuminate his own, unique journey of transcending adversity. In so doing, he has inspired us all to become who we are capable of becoming. Bravo!”

~ Colonel Lee Ellis (retired)  CEO of Leadership Freedom and FreedomStar Media, and author of Leading With Honor

And according to a career academic, and the Father of the self-leadership field in the Academe:

“There is no more important contributor to your own effectiveness than how you lead yourself. If you want to learn a great deal about the latest thinking on self- leadership, read this book.”

~ Charles C. Manz, Ph.D.
Nirenberg Professor of Leadership, The University of Massachussetts

Self-Action Leadership uniquely provides a "Metaphysical Theory of Everything" that serves as a comprehensive guide to one's own self-leadership -- a subject sorely lacking throughout our troubled nation and world, and perhaps especially among Millennials.

Click HERE to buy Self-Action Leadership today. There could be no better Christmas gift for the Millennials you know and care about -- as well as anyone (educator or otherwise) who is interested in helping oneself improve while assisting the Millennial generation live up to its potential.

Dr. Jordan R. Jensen

About the Author: Dr. Jordan Jensen is the founder and CEO of Freedom Focused. He was born at the tail end of Generation X.  He holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Doctoral Degree in Education.  His wife, Lina, is a Millennial who graduated from The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  She works for a Fortune 100 energy company in the Houston, Texas area, where the couple reside with their two children.

Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jordan Jensen and Freedom Focused

What are We Going to Do With the Troubled Millennial Generation?

Capable, yet troubled Millennials
& their Postmodern Professors

The recent wave of anti-free speech rhetoric and anti-authority anarchy and bullying exhibited by college students around the country has many rationally minded citizens wondering, "Has the Millennial Generation gone mad?"

 Or does the blame really belong to the multitude of pedagogical shepherds (professors) who have infected their flock with a viciously vitriolic diet consisting largely of anti-American professorial pap for far too long?

Freedom Focused holds that the teachers, not the students, are where most of the blame belongs, and the solution will likewise begin with educators. In the meantime, and on a side note, isn't it ironic how the millennial fold has begun to turn on the same intellectual hands that have been feeding their minds full of the very ideology with which their protege's are, in turn, presently condemning them with? It never ceases to amaze me how individuals and organizations really do reap what they sow in the long run.

The good news is that the game is not yet over for Millennials. Despite being labeled (and sometimes appropriately so) as a generation full of overly entitled, technology-addicted, excessively PC, whiny little brats, I hold out great hope for this generation -- the largest, and most diverse and dynamic in American history.

Millennials are an entitled generation filled with
individuals who can be as ignorant as they are intelligent.

It is true that these young people have collectively been unduly mollycoddled by parents, teachers, coaches, and professors who have raised up a generation that often believes they are too special to fail, too smart to take advice from their elders, too preeminent to take direction or accept discipline from authority figures, and too sophisticated to respect anyone from American history who was not marginalized or underprivileged. Indeed, every Millennial would do well to listen to David McCullough Jr.'s famous speech, You are Not Special. (Click HERE to watch McCullough's speech).

Despite the many real and perceived ills of the Millennial Generation, I remain optimistic about their future.  Indeed, I share in the sunny outlook of generational scholars William Strauss and Neil Howe, who have written extensively on the Millennial Generation and their potential for limiting their liabilities and shoring up their strengths in preparation for the national and international crucibles that they and we as a nation will face in the future.

 

Troubled Times likely lie ahead
for the Millennial Generation

Millennials presently have an ever-increasingly challenging world to navigate -- and it's likely to get a lot more dangerous and complex before it gets simpler and safer. According to Strauss and Howe, world history travels in predictable cycles, with the next great challenge, dubbed "The Crisis of 2020," right around the corner. This impending disaster will not be a minor national incident or difficulty, but an international calamity on part with the Great Depression and the two World Wars of the last century.

The good news is that Strauss and Howe (and I) are actually optimistic about how the Millennial generation will navigate this calamity -- so much so that they have written several books on the subject, including: Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation and Millennials: A Profile of the Next Great Generation (Click on red links above to view/buy books).   

While ALL generations will play a vital role in successfully maneuvering this global trial, the Millennial Generation will primarily provide the foot soldiers (literally and figuratively) that will, like the Greatest Generation, ultimately win the conflict. In Strauss and Howe's words, this coming crisis:

Will be a major turning point in American history and an adrenaline-filled moment of trial. At its climax, Americans will feel that the fate of posterity—for generations to come—hangs in the balance. This crisis will be a pivotal moment in the lifecycles of all generations alive at the time. The sense of community will be omnipresent. Moral order will be unquestioned with “rights” and “wrongs” crisply defined and obeyed. Sacrifices will be asked, and given. America will be implacably resolved to do what needs doing, and fix what needs fixing (From Strauss W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584-2069. New York, NY: Quill [William Morrow]. Page 382.)

How will this often troubled, yet potential-laden generation rise to the occasion of successfully meeting and defeating their (and our) destined challenges? The answer is through education, or in the case of many, re-education.

The Ultimate Handbook for
Reorienting the poisoned education
of Millennials in the United States

The good news is that the handbook for turning the tide of postmodern pedagogy and revisionist history into an authentic curriculum borne of Kantian Universal Laws and patriotic truth-telling has NOW been written.  It is called, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom -- a comprehensive personal leadership guide for civic leaders, businesses, schools, families, individuals, and YES -- Millennials!

Self-Action Leadership emphasizes the following Pedagogical Points in an effort to reorient the misguided education that has poisoned the minds of so many Millennials and others, leading them to believe America is the problem, rather than the solution, in the world:

• America, albeit not perfect, is still the most Magnanimous, Noble, and Exceptional Nation on Earth.
• The primary solution to all micro and macro problems reside inside the minds and hearts of individuals, not outside in organizational entities.
• Organizations, entities, and nations-at-large are not changed from the outside-in, but from the inside-out.
• It is high-time that ALL individuals begin taking JFK's advice to ask what they can do for their Country, instead of the other way around.  
• Universal Laws exists and govern the natural consequences of all individual and organizational decisions.
• Long-term solutions to problems do not originate in blaming others for what happened in the past; they are found in proactive personal changes made in the present and future.
• A real right (good) and real wrong (evil) exist in the world; truth is therefore not relative, but absolute, and is governed by Universal Laws of physics and metaphysics.
• A clarion call for an Age of Authenticism to eclipse the pernicious, perjurious, and prurient period of postmodernism that has dominated Western culture since the end of World War II.  

Self-Action Leadership uniquely provides a "Metaphysical Theory of Everything" that serves as a comprehensive guide to one's own self-leadership -- a subject sorely lacking throughout our troubled nation and world, and perhaps especially among Millennials and many of their misguided professors.

The SAL Theory & Model represent the most original and robust training material to hit the market since Dr. Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Read what the experts are saying about Self-Action Leadership.

According to one career educator...

"Reading this book may be the most important thing you do this year. It's presence in the literature is a service to our Country."

~ David G. Anthony, Ed.D.
CEO, Raise Your Hand Texas


According to a career Air Force officer and pilot, who served as a POW in the infamous Hanoi Hilton for five excruciating years:

“In Self Action Leadership, Jordan Jensen has assembled a leadership masterpiece anchored steadfastly in true principles of philosophy and human behavior. In wonderfully written prose, Jordan reminds us of who we are and what it takes to live and lead with honor. Moreover, he challenges us to live up to the high calling of being human beings with a special mission on this Earth. To accomplish our mission, we must do two major things: grow in our sense of personal responsibility, and in turn, care for others and help them to do the same. I grappled with these two areas in a primal way during more than five years as a POW in Vietnam. Now I’m thrilled to see how Jordan has laid out SAL by using the vehicle of story to illuminate his own, unique journey of transcending adversity. In so doing, he has inspired us all to become who we are capable of becoming. Bravo!”

~ Colonel Lee Ellis (retired)  CEO of Leadership Freedom and FreedomStar Media, and author of Leading With Honor

And according to a career academic, and the Father of the self-leadership field in the Academe:

“There is no more important contributor to your own effectiveness than how you lead yourself. If you want to learn a great deal about the latest thinking on self- leadership, read this book.”

~ Charles C. Manz, Ph.D.
Nirenberg Professor of Leadership, The University of Massachussetts

Click HERE to buy Self-Action Leadership today. There could be no better Christmas gift for the Millennials you know and care about -- as well as anyone (educator or otherwise) who is interested in helping oneself improve while assisting the Millennial generation live up to its billing and calling.

Dr. Jordan R. Jensen

As someone who is nearly part of the generation myself (I missed the cut by a year or two), and who is married to a Millennial, I care deeply about this generation, but am troubled by many of the negative trends and misguided subcultures that have arisen within this paradoxical generation.

 Rather than sit idly by and watch these disturbing movements continue unabated, I resolved over a decade ago to dedicate my career to helping this -- and ALL generations -- become all they were capable of by focusing their attention inward toward their own self-management and leadership, instead of outward toward other people, entities, and past grievances (real or perceived).  

The time has come for each of us to purify the inner vessel inside ourselves so that we might, in the words of Winston Churchill, "Arm [ourselves] and be ... men [and women] of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict," which is certain to come in coming months and years.  

About the Author: Dr. Jordan Jensen is the founder and CEO of Freedom Focused. He was born at the tail end of Generation X.  He holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Doctoral Degree in Education.  His wife, Lina, is a highly intelligent Millennial who graduated from The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  She works for a Fortune 100 energy company in the Houston, Texas area, where the couple reside with their two children.


Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jordan Jensen and Freedom Focused