One-Minute Communications Tips Archive - 2007
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March 2007: The Art of Email Subject Lines
April 2007: Competing With the PowerPoint Screen
May 2007: Slowing down the Impatient Web User
June 2007: When to Write Figures, Not Words
July 2007: How to Ask for Feedback
August 2007: How to End Your Speech
September 2007: Do You or Don't You?
October 2007: To Be Effective, Be Specific
November 2007: The Key to Sentence Length
December 2007: Why Disagreements Often Aren't
Archives:
2007
2008
2009
2010
The Art of
Email Subject Lines
Your email is one of scores of messages in your recipient's inbox. If
the recipient does not know you, your subject line determines whether
your email is opened or deleted.
Good subject lines for routine correspondence are specific and tell the
reader what to expect in the message. Lines such as "Product launch
announcement at 10:00 today" or "Complaint from ABC Inc." telegraph the
emails' content and motivate the reader to open them. By contrast,
subjects such as "New Product" or "ABC Inc." say little and prompt no
action.
Subject lines of sales emails are most effective when they're short and
contain a promise. Tell the reader what's in it for him and what action
he might be expected to take. Put key information up front so it isn't
truncated by the email client. And as with all sales messages: test,
test, test.Access
Consulting is a marketing communications and technical writing firm based in
Stamford, Connecticut, USA. Sign up for Access Consulting's One-Minute
Communication Tip at www.AccessConsultingInc.com.
Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of
business communications, distilled into about 150 words.
Competing With the
PowerPoint Screen
In a PowerPoint presentation, you compete with the screen for the audience's
attention. One way to win the contest is to render the screen blank. You can do
this without turning the projector off.
If you're using PowerPoint 2003 in Slide Show mode, press the B or W key.
The entire display turns black or white. And with no text or images to distract
it, the audience focuses on you.
Which makes it a great time for you to interact with the people in the room on a
deeper level. You could, for example, hold up an exhibit, or add an insight, or
lead a discussion. Afterward, you can return to the PowerPoint slide by pressing
any key.
Much of the success of this approach depends on the room's size and lighting.
Used creatively, those blank screens will help you deliver a more memorable
presentation.
Access Consulting is a marketing
communications and technical writing firm based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
Sign up for Access Consulting's One-Minute Communication Tip at www.AccessConsultingInc.com.
Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of
business communications, distilled into about 150 words.
Slowing Down the Impatient Web User
Web users are
typically in a hurry when they first alight on your page. What's more, they're
easily distracted. Their eyes sweep over your words and pictures as they
subconsciously ask, "Is this worth my
time?"
Your copy and layout have to work together to persuade your visitor to linger.
An effective web page uses graphics, headlines and subheads to hold users'
interest and provide an eyepath that helps them navigate the page.
Graphic elements keep the eyes focused on key messages. A well-written headline
provides an anchor by telling users what they can expect from the rest of the
site. Meaningful subheads and tight copy keep up the interest, leading visitors
from one idea to the next.
Consumers are more impatient online than offline. Presenting useful information
in an engaging way helps keep them tethered to your site.
Access Consulting is a marketing communications and technical writing firm based
in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. Sign up for Access Consulting's One-Minute
Communication Tip at www.AccessConsultingInc.com.
Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of
business communications, distilled into about 150 words.
When to Write Figures, Not Words
Most writers spell
out numbers below 10 and use figures for 10 and above, as recommended by the
Associated Press Stylebook. Advertising copywriters and magazine editors,
however, grab attention by using figures as often as possible.
Headlines such as "Try it free for 7 days" or "4 Secrets to a Healthy Marriage"
break the Associated Press rule. But using figures rather than words gives them
at least two advantages.
First, they are quicker to read, even if by only a fraction of a second. And
second, figures imply facts and precision, making the headlines more believable.
Web usability expert Jakob Nielsen advises showing all numbers as figures in
online copy — even at the beginning of sentences and bullets.
So the next time you spell out a number less than 10, consider whether you'd be
better off writing it as a figure instead.
Access Consulting is a marketing communications and technical writing firm based
in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. Sign up for Access Consulting's One-Minute
Communication Tip at www.AccessConsultingInc.com.
Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of
business communications, distilled into about 150 words.
How to Ask for Feedback
You've written that
all-important speech or trade journal article, and you want a trusted colleague
to look it over before you reveal it to the world. How you make your request
determines whether you receive a productive critique.
A blanket "Tell me what you think" often results in polite kudos or a quick
proofread. Neither of which enable you to improve your work meaningfully.
The remedy: Request specific feedback. Ask questions like:
- What was my
overall message?
- Was anything unclear?
- Did I give too much/too little information?
- Any typos?
- Is it persuasive enough?
You'll get a more
accurate and actionable analysis. Your coworker's answers will guide you to the
document's problem areas, and you'll know precisely what to fix.
Access Consulting is a marketing
communications and technical writing firm based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
Sign up for Access Consulting's One-Minute Communication Tip at www.AccessConsultingInc.com.
Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of
business communications, distilled into about 150 words.
How to End Your
Speech
"Tell them what
you're going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them."
Time-honored advice for public speakers, but if you follow it to the letter, you
may be robbing your speech of its impact.
The first two parts
of this rule are sound. The third, however, needs to be handled with care.
"Telling them what
you told them" has the effect of giving the audience a summary of your speech.
It takes them back to the state of mind they were in at the beginning. Any
passion and momentum you built during the speech fizzles.
An alternative
approach is to build up your "tell them" stage to a strong, logical conclusion.
Then end the speech with a call to action or a vision of the future. Your
presentation will end on a high note and leave the audience with uplifted
spirits.
Access Consulting is a marketing
communications and technical writing firm based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
Sign up for Access Consulting's One-Minute Communication Tip at www.AccessConsultingInc.com.
Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of
business communications, distilled into about 150 words.
Do You or Don't You?
Business
communicators are usually advised to send positive messages to generate positive
reactions. But a negative question can sometimes induce agreement too.
Consider the difference between:
- Do you want to help with the project?
- Don't you want to help with the project?
The first question is neutral, but the second suggests a "yes" answer.
And that's what some negative questions do. They nudge the recipient into
accepting your point of view.
Other similar constructions that begin with, say, won't you, can't you,
aren't you or shouldn't you, have similar effects.
Depending on how such questions are worded, their tones can range from
aggressive to pleading. It's important that the question fit in with the tone of
the communication, or the result may be the opposite of what was intended.
Access Consulting is a marketing communications and technical writing firm based
in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. Sign up for Access Consulting's One-Minute
Communication Tip at www.AccessConsultingInc.com.
Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of
business communications, distilled into about 150 words.
To Be Effective, Be Specific
"Excuse me, do you
have 17 cents that I could have?"
This request from a panhandler prompted two social psychologists to conduct an
experiment on the streets in which passersby were asked to donate to a charity.
They found that nearly 60 percent more people contributed when the request was
for a specific — and unusual — sum than for whatever they could spare.
Which illustrates a key fact about persuasion: Specifics yield better results
than generalities. Asking for a specific action makes the audience's mind focus
on the action. One can visualize 17 cents; it's hard to picture "whatever you
can spare." And if the audience can't see it, they won't be motivated to do it.
Specific requests and statements are effective in almost any interpersonal
exchange. For example, try being exact when you:
- Set a deadline
- Ask for a raise
- Report on progress.Access
Consulting is a marketing communications and technical writing firm based in
Stamford, Connecticut, USA. Sign up for Access Consulting's One-Minute
Communication Tip at www.AccessConsultingInc.com.
Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of
business communications, distilled into about 150 words.
The
Key to Sentence Length
An average sentence
length of 16 words is considered ideal for most written matter. While this
number is a good one to shoot for, it's not always the best for all types of
audiences.
In scientific and technical literature, it's not unusual to find sentences that
run to 50 or 60 words. Why? Because sometimes you need a long sentence to
explain a complex thought — especially one that has a number of sub-parts.
Bullets can't always do the job. And breaking the sentence up with a period
breaks up the thought. Worse, doing so may appear condescending to readers.
Marketing copywriting, meanwhile, calls for really short sentences of about 12
words or fewer. They're punchier and more conversational.
Choosing sentence length boils down to your understanding the audience's needs
and expectations. A good general rule is: Write the shortest sentence possible
in every situation.Access
Consulting is a marketing communications and technical writing firm based in
Stamford, Connecticut, USA. Sign up for Access Consulting's One-Minute
Communication Tip at www.AccessConsultingInc.com.
Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of
business communications, distilled into about 150 words.
Why
Disagreements Often Aren't
Many disagreements
between coworkers are caused not by differences in logic but by differences in
framing. Framing refers to the way a person presents a subject, which affects
how an observer views the subject. When two people look at disparate parts of
the same situation, from differing points of view, disagreements result.
A good way to end a conflict based on a framing issue is to pay careful heed to
your colleague's words and nonverbal communication. Focusing on what someone
includes and excludes from his or her frame will help you align both your
frames.
Making your own frame clear will speed understanding and help you and your
coworkers make decisions faster.
Consciously aligning frames avoids the extended discussions that often occur in
meetings, when two people talk at length about seemingly opposite solutions to a
problem, only to realize eventually that they are both saying the same thing.
Access Consulting is a marketing
communications and technical writing firm based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
Sign up for Access Consulting's One-Minute Communication Tip at www.AccessConsultingInc.com.
Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of
business communications, distilled into about 150 words.
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