One-Minute Communications Tips Archive
- 2008
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include the resource box that follows each Communication Tip.
January 2008: Should You Be Direct or Indirect?
February 2008: Marketing With a Central Theme
March 2008: Criticize Without Leaving Scars
April 2008: Giving Effective Compliments
May 2008: Emphasizing an Idea
June 2008: Web Colors: What Do They Mean?
July 2008: Dealing With "The Loudest Voice"
August 2008: The Power of Repetition
September 2008: How to Blow Your Own Horn
October 2008: Goodwill, With No Strings Attached
November 2008: "What's in It for Me?"
December 2008: Foolproof Proofreading
Archives:
2007
2008
2009
2010
Should You Be Direct or Indirect?
There are times when
business communicators should get to the point quickly, and times when they
should not. Here's a short guide to deciding when to say your main idea first,
and when to start with supporting points.
Begin with the main idea when:
- You're writing to a boss
- You're making a routine request or announcement
- Your idea will be favorably received
- Your audience is well informed about the subject
Begin with reasons, and state your main idea later, when:
- You expect resistance to your idea
- You're trying to persuade the reader to change an attitude or take some action
- Your audience has little or no knowledge of the subject
- Your audience prefers this format
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.
Marketing With a Central
Theme
The typical consumer
is besieged by sales messages throughout the day. Make yours easy to remember by
giving your ad, brochure or web site a single theme that customers can focus on.
This theme
constitutes your central selling message.
What if your
product has several benefits, each of which is valuable to your customer? Try to
wrap these benefits around your main theme. You can communicate a single theme
more effectively and economically than a range of benefits.
If it's not
possible to develop a central theme, consider creating separate marketing
communications for each benefit.
The principle of
theme applies to the entire brand, not just to one marketing communications
piece. Constantly repeating the brand's theme will implant it firmly in the
customer's memory.
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.
Criticize Without Leaving Scars
A colleague asks your
opinion of his or her work. You hate most of it. How can you be brutally honest
without being brutish?
Begin by saying that you liked some things and disliked others. Most people will
find this reasonable and will mentally prep themselves for the coming criticism.
Then talk about the positive aspects of the person's work.
When you get to the negatives, preface your comments with "Now here's where I
think it has some problems," or words to that effect.
Be objective in your criticism. Make it about the task, not the worker. Explain
your position with specific examples. With every critique, offer a constructive
suggestion. Compare the job to something the coworker did well in the past.
Another approach is to speak about your reactions: "I didn't understand this
part" or "I had trouble reaching the toggle switch."
Make your points; strengthen the relationship.
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.
Giving Effective
Compliments
When a coworker does
a good job, it's natural to give him or her a pat on the back. If you're too
lavish or frequent in your praise, you risk diluting its effect or sounding
insincere. Delivered right, a compliment recognizes achievement, conveys your
appreciation and motivates the recipient to repeat the behavior.
An effective way to compliment someone is to say two or three sentences about
the person's action, effort or accomplishment. Be specific and sincere. Such
compliments are more meaningful than exclamations like "That was a great
presentation" or "You really know your contracts."
Add an emotional component to your praise by describing your feelings about the
performance: appreciative, glad, relieved, pleasantly surprised, and so on.
Then add a rational element: mention the results of the person's work, and how
they helped the company, team or project.
And whenever possible, praise in public.
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.
Emphasizing an Idea
When you want to
convey to your audience that something in your document or speech is important,
you can do it in a number of ways. You can:
- Repeat the idea, in different ways in different places. You may want to remind
people of the repetition. "As I said before, open communication is the key." But
don't overdo it, or the assertion loses its punch.
- Say it is important.
- Describe it at
greater length.
- Format it differently. Put it in graphics, boldface, italics or even — if it’s
a word or two — capitals. In a presentation, try raising your voice slightly.
- Write the idea in a short sentence: "Sales grew 23% in the second quarter."
For added emphasis, make it a one-sentence paragraph. When speaking, pause before
and after the statement.
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.
Web Colors: What Do They Mean?
Blues, grays, reds
and greens dominate the color palettes of the most popular U.S. web sites as
ranked by Alexa.com. Aesthetics and design principles aside, what do these
colors symbolize?
Here's a brief overview of the colors' hidden meanings. It may provide insights
about what kind of image your site projects.
Blue denotes wisdom, authority and sincerity. Bright blues convey purity and
dynamism. It's no surprise that blue is corporate America's favorite color.
Gray is associated with the financial industry for good reason: it signals
security, stability and reliability.
Red connotes confidence, energy, excitement and vitality. It is the color of
choice when a company wants to project an active image.
Green symbolizes peace, harmony and tranquility. If you want to suggest growth,
add a dash of green.
Other colors often appearing in the top sites include brown, which indicates
order and wholesomeness, and orange, which stimulates creativity and
socialization.
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.
Dealing With "The
Loudest Voice"
If you've ever been
part of a work group, you've probably come across the phenomenon of "the loudest
voice."
As the term implies, the loudest voice is the person who dominates the group
through speaking volume or force of personality. Decisions made by this group
may not be the result of true consensus, but may reflect the position taken by
the loudest voice.
Remember that in a group, silence equals consent. If you disagree with the
loudest voice but say nothing, others in the group will think you approve.
To make your opinion heard, speak up, persistently, in calm and even tones.
State your views and explain your reasons. Gain support by asking each member of
the group, one by one, for his or her thoughts.
If you don't take the floor, the loudest voice is the only one that will be
heard.
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
Power of Repetition
"What I tell you
three times is true," said the Bellman in Lewis Carroll's poem "The Hunting of
the Snark." Intentionally or not, he was expressing one of the truths of
communication. When people hear something repeatedly, they take it to be true.
In business, we know
that if we want people to see the truth in a story, we must say it again and
again. "You have to repeat yourself until you almost want to gag," says Jack
Welch, GE's former CEO.
Consumers
instinctively discount commercial messages' claims to some extent. Repeating ads
can help reduce this skepticism, and lead to something else advertisers crave —
higher recall.
Some ideas need
fewer reiterations before they "take." But these are hard to predict.
The upshot is: if
it's worth saying, it's worth saying over and over. Even a mediocre message will
have more impact than a great one if it is stated more often.
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 Blow Your Own Horn
Tooting your own horn
successfully calls for sensitivity and balance. It's important to strike the
right note between being too timid and too aggressive.
Here are ways to
extol your accomplishments effectively and tactfully:
- Make it a habit.
Give regular updates to your bosses and team members.
- Weave your subject matter into a short story with a beginning, middle and end.
Everyone loves a tale with a happy ending.
- Stick to the
facts. The less drama, the better. Cut out embellishments; go easy on the
adjectives.
- Be on the alert
for opportunities to brag. But don't force the issue.
- Add the
occasional bit of self-deprecatory humor. It goes a long way.
- Be prepared.
Every few days, rehearse a 30-second update of your activities and achievements.
Then, when you bump into your CEO in the elevator at 7 p.m., you'll sound like
someone on top of things.
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.
Goodwill, With No Strings Attached
A note of thanks, a
compliment, a simple "Congratulations" — such social niceties help fortify many
a business relationship. They do so precisely because they have no overt
business purpose.
Inserting a sales message into a "goodwill" note is self-defeating. It reduces
or even negates any warmth your friendly communication has generated.
Of course, business relationships vary. You may feel comfortable mixing
commercial and personal content in the same message.
But a goodwill message has the most impact when it stands alone, and is specific
and personal. Why not take a little extra time to send it in a separate email or
letter?
Resist the urge to drop your business card into the envelope containing your
greeting, or to write a sentence about a sales matter at the end of a "thank
you" email. You're better off taking care of business in a separate communique.
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.
"What's in It for Me?"
That is the question
we ask ourselves — overtly or subconsciously — on receiving any communication.
And that's what your reader is doing when he gets your email, text message or
report — or when he lands on your website.
He wants to know how your document affects his life. He wants to know if it
requires any action on his part. He wants to know how it benefits him.
If you want the reader to act upon your request, let him know how doing so will
help him. Appeal to his self-interest.
You'll be most effective if you point out professional and personal benefits.
Much as we'd like to think people's decision-making is driven by their business
priorities, personal advancement also affects their choices.
Address your reader's needs, and you'll be more persuasive.
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.
Foolproof Proofreading
Typos seem to have a
way of getting through, no matter how many eyes check a document. Perpetual
vigilance is necessary to root out all errors.
The best way to proofread (or "proof") is to have someone read the source while
you proof the copy. If this method is impracticable, try one or more of these
techniques to make your document error-free:
• Use your spellchecker. It will catch obvious mistakes like misspellings,
doubled words, extra spaces and improper hyphenation.
• Place a ruler or sheet of paper under each line and point at every word as you
read it. Don’t anticipate words.
• Read out loud.
• Read backward. This robs each word of its context, so you can concentrate on
its spelling.
• After proofing words, go back and proof punctuation.
• Proof columns of numbers vertically rather than horizontally.
• Let some time elapse between writing and proofing.
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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