One-Minute Communications Tips Archive
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January 2010: Wake Up the Post-Lunch Crowd
February 2010: How to Adapt Content to the Web
March 2010: Why Active Voice Is Better
April 2010: How to Establish Your Credibility
Archives:
2007
2008
2009
2010
Wake Up the Post-Lunch Crowd
Wouldn't you know it, they've slotted your presentation into the first spot after lunch. Not only will your audience be numbed from a morning full of PowerPoints, they'll also be nodding off in a post-prandial haze.
Short of spraying everyone with a water gun, how do you keep them awake during your talk?
Get the audience involved. Make them think. Ask questions. Call on an audience member by name. Request a volunteer for a demonstration.
If you're conducting a training session, lead the participants through an exercise that will make them get up and move around.
Modify your presentation style. Move around the stage or the front of the room. Vary the pitch and volume of your voice.
Instead of relying only on slides, add in a few relevant audio and video clips. If appropriate, use props.
Don't dim the lights. If you must, try to lower only the lights nearest the screen.
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 http://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 Adapt Content to the Web
It's tempting to
take text-based content from an offline source, such as a report, and load it
onto a web page unaltered. But if you rework the material a little, as outlined
below, you'll take better advantage of the web's capabilities and make the
information easier to comprehend online.
Reduce your word count. Use graphics to illustrate complex ideas. Instead
of defining a term, provide a link to a glossary on another page.
Add internal links. These help viewers quickly navigate between sections
on the same page or on different pages.
Use more subheads than you would in a paper report. The reader should get
the gist of the content by reading the subheads.
Ask yourself, "Where can I add white space?" Try to break up long
paragraphs into one- or two-sentence chunks, or split long sentences into
bullets. Increasing the page's length is fine, as web users don't mind scrolling
down (they dislike scrolling side to side).
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 http://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 Active Voice Is Better
When you hear "Michelle Jones and Tony Myers made the presentation,"
what picture pops into your mind?
Probably a picture of Michelle and Tony standing up and presenting.
That's what a sentence in the active voice does. It plants an image directly in your mind.
Now consider the same sentence, rendered in the passive voice: "The presentation was made by
Michelle Jones and Tony Myers." What image does that sentence create?
The image doesn't materialize as readily. There's a bit of a fog for a fraction of a second,
then the fog clears and the same picture as above emerges.
That's why the mind prefers receiving information in the active voice.
It has an easier time processing the information.
Whenever possible, write and speak in the active voice in your business communications. Unless, of course,
you need to hide the perpetrator: "The laser printer was accidentally broken during the office party."
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 http://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 Establish Your Credibility
"Why should I believe you?" is your audience's unspoken question when you make
a presentation or sales call. Here are some ways to put your listeners' minds at ease.
State your credentials. Describe your qualifications, experience and record.
Know your subject inside out, backward and forward. At the least, you should know more about the topic than your audience does.
Present the evidence. Cite figures, research, examples and opinions from other
experts or customers. Make sure they're relevant and easy to grasp.
Use objective language and shun hyperbole. Be specific in your terminology. Let the data tell the story.
Use effective testimonials that show how you helped others in similar situations.
Don't sweep the bad news under the rug. Bring up any negative information before
your audience does, and deal with it in a forthright manner.
Finally, repeat yourself. When someone hears a statement made repeatedly with conviction, they tend to believe it.
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 http://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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