How Should I Address a Recruit's Poor Grammar and Spelling?

[chefmelody]

I have a show next weekend where the host is interested in signing. She seemed very enthusiastic about it on the phone and when I talked to her in person at the show she booked from! She appears to be a nice, outgoing girl, and I think she'd make a good consultant.

There is one problem, however. In the emails I've exchanged with her, it's becoming apparent that she cannot put together a proper sentence. Her grammar and spelling is worse than my seven-year-old niece.

With all the emails and letters I send to every host, I wonder how she's going to make it. I'm not sure how to bring it up with her, either. Receiving an email that says "i sented the invties" makes me cringe and wonder at her level of education. I don't want her potential hosts to be turned off by her writing!

Any advice?

 

[luvs2sellit]

Maybe she had other things on her mind or since she new you she wasn't that concerned about her emails. I know I go back and read my posts on here sometimes and cringe when I read my own. lol. I am usually just stopping to check posts and in a hurry when I respond. I have read alot of posts on here from other consultants with errrors and typos and just glaze right over it knowing we are all so busy.

 

[stephanieboyd]

I assume she speaks grammatically correct English? I would think that is all that matters!! After all, that is what we do the most of, Cooking Shows! I know we sometimes communicate with our hosts and guests via email, but this should be fairly limited in relationship to verbal communications.

I would suggest after she signs up, that in any written communication, she use a program similar to Microsoft Word. There is a setting in Word that corrects grammatical and spelling errors. The best way to suggest it is to say that this is what you use to avoid embarrassment. We all get in a hurry and make mistakes. It's hard to say what is a typo and what is poor spelling.

The wonderful thing about PC is that anyone can do it!!! Some of us have PhD's, bachelor's degrees, associate's degrees, high school diplomas, and some of us don't have any of the above. This is a company that anyone can work for!! Try to keep that in mind when dealing with this recruit!!

 

[chefmelody]

Thanks for the encouragement. She speaks well enough, so she should be fine in her cooking shows. I didn't mean to sound like a language snob, but I was just concerned.

 

[pamperedbecky]

I assume she speaks grammatically correct English? I would think that is all that matters!! After all, that is what we do the most of, Cooking Shows! I know we sometimes communicate with our hosts and guests via email, but this should be fairly limited in relationship to verbal communications.

I would suggest after she signs up, that in any written communication, she use a program similar to Microsoft Word. There is a setting in Word that corrects grammatical and spelling errors. The best way to suggest it is to say that this is what you use to avoid embarrassment. We all get in a hurry and make mistakes. It's hard to say what is a typo and what is poor spelling.

The wonderful thing about PC is that anyone can do it!!! Some of us have PhD's, bachelor's degrees, associate's degrees, high school diplomas, and some of us don't have any of the above. This is a company that anyone can work for!! Try to keep that in mind when dealing with this recruit!!

Exactly! I agree. I think the suggestion of using a spell check or something is great (not that it catches everything, but most things) and if she gets ready to send out a newsletter of some kind, offer to review it for her and tell her you liked having input on yours when you first started yours or something. OTher than that, it would be a really sticky situation to bring up.

Good luck with the potential recruit!

 

[pampered1224]

Never judge.It may sound funny but even the worstest of spekers and grammerly poor sentence makers can turn out to be really great consultants. Never let your own standards get in the way of recruiting someone. You never know who may be under there. It could be another Tom or Dave or Rita or Debbie.
If they want to sign, let them. They will sink or soar on their own. Then you can honestly say, I never discouraged ANYONE from becoming a consultant.

 

[beepampered]

offer helpPerhaps after she signs up you could ask her what she sees as her weaknesses and help her with those. Maybe she knows that typing/writing is a weakness and that will give you the chance to suggest the spell check or offer to proofread some of her stuff. You could also prepare a lot of files that you use regularly (host coaching letter, booking binder items, etc.) and give them to her as a "gift." She'll at least have the basics done. I think our world is full of the written word and agree that it might turn some people off. However, there are a lot of people who won't even notice...BEE

 

[Jennie4PC]

If it wasnt for my director sending me monthly newsletters to forward to my list of contacts they would not get one because I have the worst grammer and I would not want them seeing they way it looks.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Jennie,

Please don't take this as an attack on you personally. It's just an observation and comment. I have noticed several people on this site who don't use capital letters in their posts. It really makes it much harder to read them and is not professional.

I sent an email to my son (who is not in a professional postition, by the way) and didn't capitalize "Mom". He asked me "Why don't you capitalize your name? Don't you value yourself?"

You ARE an important person. Capitalize "I".

PS: FYI Often you will see my posts edited. That's because when I re-read them I see spelling or other errors and I am correcting them. Just hit "edit" under your post if you see something minor you want to change.

 

[kristenskitchen]

My HusbandOk, first of all, I grew up in a family full of English teachers. If I said "me and so-and-so are going the playground" I got a frown and was told to repeat myself "correctly".

When I met my husband, he spoke very well minus a few "don'ts" in the wrong places and he often used (and still does when he wants to see me shiver) the un-word "ain't". His emails on the other hand were terrible. No capitalization, spelling errors and typos everywhere...basically an English teachers nightmare.

My husband to this day types terribly. BUT, that's just my opinion. Here's how it has affected his career in the military:

-He received the Airman of the YEAR award for his entire squadron.
-He has received the highest evaluation possible every year the entire time he's been in the military.
-He emails generals, colonels and officers everyday the same way he emails me. They have nothing but respect for him, not because his typing isn't so great, but because he respects them in what he says in those emails.

My point being: its not how the words are conveyed, its what they mean.

She will do fine as long as she is sincere. I would encourage her and do whatever you can to help her. However, as long as she is enthusiastic and energetic, don't pop her party balloon over a few mis-spelled words.

Just my opinion.

~Kristen

 

[n8vtxn]

I understandwhere you are coming from. One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is people who don't run spell check before they send an email or letter. Drives me NUTS! But I also know, for instance, my cousin is dyslexic and typing is very difficult for her. Or perhaps, this host is just in such a hurry she isn’t paying attention. Who knows? But I would say that a) you should give her as much support and encouragement you can – including possibly offering to give her some of your letters and emails as a guide for communicating with hosts if she signs and b) realize that this is HER issue. I don’t mean that cruelly, but that there could be any number of reasons for this issue, and none of it excludes her from becoming an awesome consultant. Encourage her and support her and maybe she will be one of the best consultants ever! Just don't judge her.