Why Clear Numbers Beat Vague Words in Business Communication

A note to young professionals.

Be wary of words like “positive”, “strong” and “prospective” – because labels often mean different things to different people.

This is a lesson I learned from the late, great John Caldon – former Deputy MD of Macquarie Group.

Recently, I received an update by text: “Positive chat with XYZ investor, they are still very interested to move forward.”

Unsure what it meant, I asked: “On a scale of 1-10, what’s your confidence level that they will invest?”

To my surprise, “5” came the reply.

Ambiguous communication is no big deal in social interactions, but can prove costly in business.

For brevity and clarity, numbers are best.