Writing Matters

In 1991, the U.S. Navy identified a single cost-cutting measure that would save the U.S. citizens between $21 and $30 million per year. It didn't involve cutting staff or spending on weapons and security procedures. It didn't require an act of Congress. In fact, all that the navy needed were a few good English teachers. If naval officers would write their memos and reports using clear, correct language and grammar, government reports indicated, the Pentagon would save more than half a million dollars a week in staff time.1

Sadly, the state of business writing has not changed significantly in the past 14 years, and the navy is not alone in its costly dilemma. Public and private businesses in the United States, including many of those represented in NGMA, hemorrhage billions of dollars annually due to the lost productivity, poor quality, mistakes, and lost management time caused by employees' poor written communication skills.