Did the, I works, in the headline make you pause? Especially on the heels of a grammar post. But the use of the phrase was intentional.

It’s a warning about the Evil I in business communication, lurking amid good intentions. What is the Evil I? And how do you overcome it?

I Believe in You

You have probably met the Evil I. Think about various business sites you visited. How did you decide which to follow?

• Were you searching for a specific topic and the blog spoke to you?
• Perhaps someone referred you to the site.
• What made you sign up for its newsletters?

Signing up is a big deal. You must have felt the information would be helpful to you. Now think about the blogs you clicked away from as fast as you could hit enter.

• Was the content too focused on its own business?
• Do you feel it had little value to offer you?
• You just met the Evil I.

The Evil I is self-serving. Its business communication rolls over you and your needs to showcase I.

The Word I in Business Communication

Let’s look at fictitious marketing ad featuring the Evil I. In the following example, Evil wears a disguise. See if you can uncloak it.

Business content peppered with an overuse of the word ‘I’ is easy to detect. However, the Evil I may slip into a disguise.

• Using ‘we’ or ‘us’ to refer to the business (instead of the business and the customer)
• Or hiding behind repeated use of the company name

One shared characteristic of the above business content is how self-focused it is. Phrases like, Let Us Prove, and Why Choose Us, come off more arrogant than confident.

But there is a good side to I. Sharing personal stories can be relatable to customers when you demonstrate you know how they feel.

• So, no need to frantically delete every use of the word I.
• Focus on your customer and I will know when to appear. 😉

The I’s Have It

But before we totally reject the letter I, let’s see if we can find better alternatives. The video below offers three ideas (another good I word).

For those who do not have the patience for videos, the three alternatives were:

1. Interest your customers with your business communication. Grab their attention. Don’t lose steam in the middle. And finish strong.
2. Invest in your customers and their needs. Deliver something special. You will gain even more.
3. Invite loyal customers by respecting their business (personal or otherwise) and sharing their success.

See? I can be a great letter. How about a few more alternate I-words for better business communication?

Invent

If all business customers were the same, we would need only one business communication solution. Imagine (another great I word) how boring life would be if we were all the same.

The simple idea of communicating has led to revolutionary invention that continue to change.

• Paper to 3-D printing
• Telephones to smartphones
• Computers to laptops to tablets
• The internet, government to global
• Social media, the telegraph to TikTok

While you may not invent the next disruptive technology, you can invent alternatives to your business communication. Something as simple as offering multiple ways to connect is its own invention.

• Do you hate LiveChat? Do Not Reply emails?
• Not a podcast lover?
• What if you had a choice?

Eliminate mediocrity. View each business customer as unique.

Instruct

Are you sometimes frustrated by the lack of simple instructions?

• Online forms with poor navigation
• Software downloads that lack help resources
• Calls to action with missing contact information

Familiarity with your own product or service may blind you to the needs of your customer.

• Not everyone is as technologically advanced.
• Customers do not universally understand acronyms and buzz words.
• Do not assume customers know what to do “Next.”

Remember basic instructions. Even doors have push/pull options.

Inform

I had a work colleague who used to tell me she did not like to gossip. However, she admitted, she did love to listen.

• Don’t we all want to be in the know?
• Most of us hate discovering something after the fact.

For example, a large business recently took over a college bookstore I visit. I have been ordering merchandise from them for decades. Although I knew about the takeover, there had been no communication advising new accounts would need to be set up and the new company wiped out all order history and information. I was not happy.

Although knowing ahead of time would not have changed the process, it would have set my expectation before I initiated a post-takeover order.

Keep your business customers informed. 

• If you have a glitch in a product, inform customers.
• Keep them updated and instruct them on what to do.
• If there is a delay in a rollout, inform customers. Provide regular updates.

Most customers are reasonable people. A little bit of communication goes a long way.

Keep customers in the loop. Inform regularly.

Good Use of I

Slip on those customer shoes. Walk around your products and services in those shoes.

• Interest your business customers
• Invest in your business customers
• Invite loyal business customers
• Invent, instruct, and inform with your business communication

Isn’t that a much better use of the word I?

What alternate I-words do you use?

BigStock Photo Credit

Canva credit

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Note: In 2015, SSB took a year-long alphabetic journey for better business communication. Each post contained an A-to-Z topic for creating better business communication. This ‘I’ post originally published on May 4, 2015, and this April 19, 2022, version updates it. It also replaces the SlideShare presentation with a video version. The plan is to update each alphabetic post. Hopefully, it will not take a year to complete. 😊

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