[TheSpiceIsLife]

Yep.

I’ve asked people to not give me dimensions for a work request over the phone because it leads to potential for transcription errors and mis-hearing...

If you type it out and send it to me, or write it down and send a photo / scan, and it’s wrong... that’s your fault.

And they seem genuinely put out by me not wanting to be responsible for a mistake.

[bredren]

If them being put out causes you trouble, may be best to take them, then send the follow up email requiring the confirmation.

Humans need handling.

[SamuelAdams]

One thing I've learned is that many coworkers really struggle with writing. They are amazing talkers - they work in sales most of the time. But they rarely write anything more than bullet points in a powerpoint deck.

It's a bit sad, but understand that people have different backgrounds and education. Perhaps their schooling, back in the 1960's / 70's, did not prioritize writing skills? It's just really odd to me because every single job I've ever applied for always said "must be able to excel in written communication", so why should the standard for my colleagues be different?

[TheSpiceIsLife]

This raises an interesting point.

Maybe excels at written communication is how everyone else is doing it (bullet points, spelling and grammar mistakes) and we are the aberration.

[petra]

I usually to write in short sentences instead of long paragraphs.

I find that it improves clarity. It also seems the readers respond well to that.

With that in mind, why are bullet points so bad ? they seem like a simple technique to simplify writing.

[mallow]

I've written a bullet point message to a client once. He was pieved because it sounded like I was enumerating his failures instead of genuinely asking questions. I find that bullet points are only good if you enumerate what you've done, or something neutral. But nothing in regards to what somebody else needs. It's really aggressive.

I've found that bullet points come off as really aggressive in communication.