When Miscommunications Happen
We writers are communicators, so misunderstandings should never happen — right?
Wrong!
No matter how clearly you write, sooner or later someone is going to misunderstand something that you’ve written. It’s bound to happen.
In fact, it might be fair to say that it’s not a matter of IF you, the freelance writer, will miscommunicate to somebody. It’s a matter of WHEN.
The miscommunication could happen in a number of ways:
- It could occur in a an email that you’ve written to a client
- It could occur in a post or article that you’ve published
What should you, as a writer, do when faced with a miscommunication?
Rule Number One — Don’t Panic. Recognize that miscommunication happens to everyone. A miscommunication doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re a bad writer. It just means that you’re human.
Don’t beat yourself up over this and try not to get too stressed. These negative emotions will not help the situation.
Rule Number Two — Assess the Damage. Is the client still talking with you? Do people still read your blog? If you’re still talking to the other party(ies), there’s hope for the relationship. You can move on to Rule Number Three.
(If the miscommunication has irrevocably ended the relationship, well, I guess you can stop here. Be more careful next time…)
Rule Number Three — Make it Right. Too many freelance writers waste time trying to find out exactly what went wrong and/or who was the cause of the miscommunication. While that analysis may be valuable later, the best thing right now is whatever will make it right between you and the other party.
This could mean renegotiating a contract. Or, it could mean publishing an apology or a clarification. The bottom line is that it means fixing the relationship.
Have you ever miscommunicated with a client, or on your blog?
How did you handle it?
About the Author: I am a successful freelance writer with 20 years of copy writing experience. I am available for consulting, business writing, copy writing, editing, technical writing, and web content writing. In addition, I have written an ebook, 
Matt Keegan | Jan 14, 2010 | Reply
Yeah! Laura is back!
The more you write, the more likely you will say something you did not mean or your point will flop like a lead balloon.
Yes, it does happen to me and I cannot blame this on being tired too, at least some of that time.
I find that when it happens, all I need to recall is whether I proofed what I wrote more than once or if I rushed what I wrote into publication. Usually, it is those quickie proofs which get me, which means that I need to remind myself to write, edit, take a break, and then edit again.
Laura Spencer | Jan 14, 2010 | Reply
Thanks Matt!
Well, being tired doesn’t help much.
Proofing is very, very (did I say very?)important. Like you said, if you rush through this step you may regret it later.
Scooter | Jan 15, 2010 | Reply
On my blog I once wrote “We offer services like….”. I meant to say - we takeup job and complete them for you but many mistook and started asking for job from me. The best way is to look into your writing a couple of times before posting them anywhere. The clients never moved out of me for miscommunications but I do for football season.
Carla Acheson | Jan 22, 2010 | Reply
Glad I came across your site Laura, as an author/freelancer I truly back many of the suggestions and advice you offer here. Some great points you’ve made there on ‘miscommunication’ and yes sometimes apologies will have to be made, albeit through ‘gritted teeth’ just like in other aspects of life.
Great advice.
Best,
Carla Acheson
Laura Spencer | Jan 23, 2010 | Reply
Thanks for coming by Carla!
I wish you luck in your writing career.
sernan | Feb 28, 2010 | Reply
i have not experienced this with my blog but personally yes, especially at work, its so hard to explain things to customers whenever you screwed something up due to miscommunication.
A least now i know what to do, Thanks for the tips…
Laura Spencer | Mar 3, 2010 | Reply
Thanks Sernan!
Everyone miscommunicates once in a while. The important thing is to correct your mistake when it happens.
Ching Ya | Apr 6, 2010 | Reply
I like the point you shared about ‘Make It Right’ - it may be good to find out what caused the miscommunications, but the foremost is to deal with the problem asap. Even now I tend to proof read more than twice prior sending out an email, making sure the ‘undo’ button is visible at all times just in case. It’s a scary experience and hopefully we’ll be more careful about it. ^^
Well shared, Laura. Glad I found your site from FreelanceFolder. Good job on the article by the way.
@wchingya
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Laura Spencer | Apr 6, 2010 | Reply
Ching Ya–Thanks for the encouragement.
Ricardo Bueno | May 13, 2010 | Reply
I’ve come to find that the faster you make it right, the easier the issue is to resolve. Everything has a solution and the quicker it’s addressed, the quicker it’s resolved.
Laura Spencer | May 14, 2010 | Reply
Ricardo Bueno, I think you’re right about that. Take care of mistakes quickly. Sadly, the natural tendency of most people is to put off dealing with it.
Ralph Fleming | Jun 15, 2010 | Reply
“the freelance writer, will miscommunicate to somebody”, I totally agree with that affirmation, however, in my opinion it is important to say that most of the times there is a miscommunication of any kind, the reader is not willing to understand what the writer is saying, maybe not on purpose or knowing what he/she is doing, but it happens and a lot.
Laura Spencer | Jun 17, 2010 | Reply
Thanks Ralph,
The reader not reading the post correctly or not wanting to understand DOES happen. It sure can be frustrating when that occurs.
To some extent, though, we need to remember that we are the communications professionals. It’s up to us to always try to reach the audience the best way that we can. We may not be able to reach everyone, but we should strive to reach as many as possible.
Sometimes, though, even the best writers fall short. Sometimes that shortfall doesn’t matter. Other times, it affects relationships and needs to be worked through.
Mylène | Jun 22, 2010 | Reply
Thanks for this perspectives.
Misunderstanding can happen to everyone… Even in your day job. That’s what happened to me a few weeks ago with my boss, and it didn’t end well, sadly. I know my mistakes, now, but wen you try to explain the misunderstanding, and you just get an agressive answer and someone who shrugs off, don’t blame yourself and try to move on. It’s bothering, but you can’t really make anything to make it better.
Anyway, thanks for your great blog, and sorry for my english, I’m french !