Some people know I’m in college now, and just are thrilled for me.

I didn’t think I’d change much as a person, but here it is the end of my first semester (nearly), and I am changing. I can list all the various things that have changed, but there is one thing that I never realized meant so much even though I had such a natural knack at doing it.

Communication. Business communication. From a customer writing a letter to customer service, to a customer service agent writing a letter. I’ve learned so much, even more from using Purdue’s OWL , that I can say I see the business world from a different view now.

I’m only in college for an IT degree, but it seems from the course schedules that almost every student that gets an Associates or a Bachelor’s degree must take at least one Business Communication class. I did very well in school at English, and was good at getting my ideas across.

So imagine my surprise when I find out there is a way to write persuasive letters? Imagine my utter disbelief that there was a concrete and time taught way to write a negative letter!

I’m thinking back to all the ill fated emails I’ve sent over the years that were just plain wrong. I didn’t follow simple rules that would have made my message more effective. I never once thought about audience when I was writing, nor did I even try to build rapport with a person. I always assumed there was rapport there automatically, never remembering that rapport must be rebuilt in most cases. If I didn’t have rapport, the person isn’t going to get your message.

So today, I saw my first mistake due to my first class: I forgot to write the goal setting third part to my business letter back to a client. I was not able to speak to this client and apologize, taking complete responsibly for her feeling like she wasn’t being helped. Someone else handled it that I feel still didn’t realize the well organized (and thought out in college courses) play that was ensuing.

I also learned something else highly important: the customer had made a major mistake as well. While the client might have made more errors than me in the written communication, it was the best feeling in the world. In the past, I would have been upset at the client, possibly angered.

Why was I not angered? How could a client cancel my personal services and I beat myself up? The customer had written a slightly angry email, and from what I’ve learned, had shot them self in the foot. If she had taken the time to consider how to write an email, a business email, the entire situation could have been more easily handled.

So take heed as I’ve learned well: that paper you get is worth every cent.
It doesn’t take much past the first semester for most college students to realize why college exists. I suppose those that don’t…. they just didn’t learn or have way too much ego to realize they truly, really need help.

In the end, I know I could’ve kept the client by simply apologizing, that I hadn’t noted in my last email that if she needed anything further to contact me. No free service to the customer was available, the manager had made it clear his family needed to eat. (Have any of you first years learned that emotional persuasion is a big no no?)