Business Writing
Why Attending Harvard is More Important Than Graduating
Feb
You can influence others in very subtle ways. Adjust one or two key phrases in your business documents, for example, in Business Proposals, and the interpretation may be very different.
Download Now for only $19.99 – Buy Here!
Learn more about this Business Plan Template: Blue Theme
For instance, saying you ‘attended’ a prestigious university, implies that you went there. Even if you didn’t graduate, the suggestion is that you got the degree.
If you’re involved in writing business plans, proposals, or marketing literature, you’re ability to manipulate information enables you to influence readers and ‘encourage’ them into specific modes of thinking.
Why Attending Harvard is More Important Than Graduating
Here’s one example. Why do people send their kids to expensive colleges?
The syllabus is much the same, the facilities may be better, but there is another reason. When you send your kids to Harvard, for example, it’s not the education that counts but the connections you make.
You pay for connections and the benefits that flow from this, such as social status.
Graduating is the end goal for all students. It’s what makes the four years of efforts count. At least with most universities.
But, if you send your kids to a more prestigious school, the prize it slightly different.
For example, you go to an interview…
“Can you tell us about your education?”
“Sure, I went to Harvard and….”
What Attending Harvard Implies
This opening sentence changes the relationship between you and in the interviewer very quickly.
“I went to Harvard….” implies many things.
It suggests you’re
- Successful
- Connected
- Trustworthy and
- Elite
Note that I said ‘implies’. It doesn’t mean you are any of these things but it influences how others relate to you.
- Maybe they lean forward a little more when you speak or
- Nod their head when you make a point or
- Withhold judgment whereas with others they’d be more severe
Why is this so important?
Plant Seeds When Writing
A good HR friend one said, ‘If you say you attended a prestigious college, it is usually interpreted that you graduated from the college – which may or may not be true.’
In the listener’s mind, the fact that you ‘attended’ influences how you are respected, trusted, and paid.
What does this mean for Business Writers?
When writing the Executive Summary and sections of the document that refer to your team, introduce their education, qualifications, and connections in ways that encourage the reader to have a little more respect from your colleagues.
Look for ways to suggest that your team, especially at an Executive level, is well connected.
Remember: perception is reality.
Your job is to plant seeds.
You can influence others in very subtle ways. Adjust one or two key phrases in your business documents, for example, in Business Proposals, and the interpretation may be very different.
For instance, saying you ‘attended’ a prestigious university, implies that you went there. Even if you didn’t graduate, the suggestion is that you got the degree.
If you’re involved in writing business plans, proposals, or marketing literature, you’re ability to manipulate information enables you to influence readers and ‘encourage’ them into specific modes of thinking.
Why Attending Harvard is More Important Than Graduating
Here’s one example. Why do people send their kids to expensive colleges?
The syllabus is much the same, the facilities may be better, but there is another reason. When you send your kids to Harvard, for example, it’s not the education that counts but the connections you make.
You pay for connections and the benefits that flow from this, such as social status.
Graduating is the end goal for all students. It’s what makes the four years of efforts count. At least with most universities.
But, if you send your kids to a more prestigious school, the prize it slightly different.
For example, you go to an interview…
“Can you tell us about your education?”
“Sure, I went to Harvard and….”
What Attending Harvard Implies
This opening sentence changes the relationship between you and in the interviewer very quickly.
“I went to Harvard….” implies many things.
It suggests you’re
- Successful
- Connected
- Trustworthy and
- Elite
Note that I said ‘implies’. It doesn’t mean you are any of these things but it influences how others relate to you.
- Maybe they lean forward a little more when you speak or
- Nod their head when you make a point or
- Withhold judgment whereas with others they’d be more severe
Why is this so important?
Plant Seeds When Writing
A good HR friend one said, ‘If you say you attended a prestigious college, it is usually interpreted that you graduated from the college – which may or may not be true.’
In the listener’s mind, the fact that you ‘attended’ influences how you are respected, trusted, and paid.
What does this mean for Business Writers?
When writing the Executive Summary and sections of the document that refer to your team, introduce their education, qualifications, and connections in ways that encourage the reader to have a little more respect from your colleagues.
Look for ways to suggest that your team, especially at an Executive level, is well connected.
Remember: perception is reality.
Your job is to plant seeds.
