08

May

Write like a Leader

Business writing can be either clear and effective, or not. Once you have the skills to write clearly and effectively, how can you distinguish yourself further? How can you write like a leader?

Take Me to Your Leader (Newsboys album)

Take Me to Your Leader (Newsboys album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No matter your position or title, you can write like a leader–so your emails, reports, speeches, presentations, etc. become appreciated, admired and welcomed by the entire organization. Here are a few tips for writing like a leader:

  1. Address issues proactively and clearly. Never shy away from something that needs to be brought to light–write professionally about it. When writing, it’s easy to limit the conversation to only what you, the writer, wants to discuss. This, however, breeds mistrust and poor engagement. When addressing important (or touchy) issues, you don’t need to be brash or confrontational, simply recognize them, state some possible solutions and ask your readers about their thoughts.
  2. Motivate others with encouragement and appreciation. All employees–no matter their position–want to be recognized for their talents, hard work and the challenges they deal with on a daily basis. Make sure that every piece of writing that comes off your desk includes a note of thanks for a past project and encouragement for the upcoming tasks.
  3. Write sincerely. In a business environment, employees get to know the writer’s personality by their writing’s style and tone. Your writing should represent who you are and what kind of leader you are. To do this, keep your writing professional and organized, and infused with your signature humor, energy, reflectiveness, thoughtfulness, etc.
  4. Articulate your vision. Leadership guides the organization in reaching its goals. Write like a leader by clearly explaining why and how specific tasks fit into the big picture. For example, when giving a presentation on product’s update, explain exactly why the product benefits from the changes, how this helps you reach target markets and reach long-term organizational goals. This can (and often should) be concise, but speaks volumes about your knowledge and drive.

How do you infuse leadership into your writing? Is anything missing from this list?

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19 days ago Short URL Comments

Business Writing

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26

Apr

Correcting Kindly

http://artpetty.com/2010/12/20/smiles-sales-and-leadership/

We all make mistakes when writing. Sometimes these mistakes even make their way into final publications, presentations, blog posts or emails. When you find an error in a colleague’s writing project, treat them the way you would  like to be treated by correcting them kindly. The writing will improve, as will your relationship!

Here are a few simple tips for pointing out mistakes with kindness:

  1. If the writing can be updated (such as with a blog post or powerpoint presentation), tell the writer about the mistake as quickly as possible, so they avoid public embarrassment. If the writing can’t be updated (such as a printed brochure), tell the writer to keep the change in mind for future printings.
  2. Approach the writer privately, either in person or via email, never through a public message board.
  3. Describe everything that the writer got right in detail. For example, describe how the presentation inspired you to do something new or how you appreciate the blog’s creativity.
  4. Be specific when pointing out the error.
  5. Acknowledge their efforts in writing the document.

All of these steps help maintain the writer’s self-esteem, fix an error and–most importantly–bolster your professional relationship with a kind, sincere discussion.

Here’s an example of a kind correction:

Subject: Lone mistake in “Innovating Production” presentation

Hi Chris,

Congratulations on a wonderful presentation! The entire group was impressed by how you organized the issue so intuitively and gave us lots of practical tips for improving–and rewarding–innovative performance. I want to point out a typo I found on slide 10: aberrant is misspelled. “We must encourage abberant thinking and experimentation” should read, “We must encourage aberrant thinking and experimentation.” 

A super small mistake! Congrats, again, on this success–your hard work paid off. We’re looking forward to learning more from you in future presentations.

Cheers,

Kathleen

Do you have any examples of a kind correction? Do you associates correct mistakes kindly? I’d love other examples, so please pass along your experiences!

31 days ago Short URL 1 Comment

Business Writing

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03

Apr

Long or Short Emails? Part 2

In Part 1, I wrote why it’s a good idea to write emails the way the recipient prefers to read them. By doing this, you show tremendous consideration for them and their time and also improve productivity.

Yet, the are many times when you need to write an email to a group of people with different preferences. In this case, it’s very useful to tailor your email message to accommodate all types of readers — including those that prefer in-depth and brief descriptions. I believe this should be standard practice when writing emails to a large group — all of whom read and absorb information in very different ways.

To do this, begin the email with your central message and expectations. Consider this your “blurb” that effectively addresses the issue quickly and concisely. Make sure this addresses any specifics, such as deadlines. Next, write the details of the project indicating that these can be read at their leisure or used as reference. It’s that simple. You may want to give these sections titles or bold the “blurb” section, but this completely up to your preference.

Take a look at this example:

Hi team,

PRESSING INFORMATION: Submit your numbers from last quarter to me on Friday, no later than 2 pm.

I’ll review how well our team performed. Next week, I’ll ask for your input on the new script’s effectiveness. Then, we’ll make any needed revisions and finalize a killer script.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Corporate created this new script to appeal to a wider market, especially younger technicians in medical device industries. Pay close attention to how effective your sales calls have been using the new script. For example, does the conversation feel forced? Do you wish you could change a few phrases? How could the conversations’ tone be improved, especially when dealing with medical device companies?

As a team, we’ll submit our feedback and ideas for improvement to corporate by the end of next quarter. It’s important that we discuss our ideas with one another and learn how everyone feels. We will hold a few brain-storming sessions and I welcome individual feedback via email as well. Watch out for invitations to the brain-storming sessions.

Your input is vital to improving the way we talk to potential clients — and improving our performance.

Thanks,

Carol 

Readers who prefer short, deadline-orientated messages will only read the “pressing information” section, then read the “background information” section when they have more time. Readers who like to know the details surrounding the tasks you’re asking them to do will read both sections. All of your readers will be able to quickly read and absorb the information, and quickly get things done.

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54 days ago Short URL Comments

Writing/Business Writing

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27

Mar

Long or Short Emails? Part 1

Last week, I posted a poll asking if you prefer long, detailed emails or short, easy-to-read ones. As you would expect, the results were widely varied, with only one more person preferring to receive long, detailed emails over more concise ones.

email envelope

What does this mean? First of all, everyone reads and absorbs information differently, so it makes sense that we all prefer to receive different types of emails.

In essence, you should write with the recipient’s preferences in mind. When you tailor messages for them, they will understand your messages more quickly and, therefore, are more likely to act on them and contribute more effectively.

The first step in doing this is learning your audience, or learning what kind of email they like receiving. If you communicate with certain people people regularly via email simply ask them what’s most convenient for them — a thorough description of all information or simply the “gist” of the project?

When you receive feedback from your colleagues, keep a running list of their preferences. For example, I keep a small note on my computer’s dashboard with clients and co-workers’ preferences, such as:

  • Katherine — Big picture only
  • Jay — Bullet points of all information
  • Meg — Detailed description of all aspects of project
  • Max — Big picture only; set up time to talk on phone to discuss more in-depth information

When I start an email, I simply check to see if the recipient’s name is on the list. If it is, I tailor my message to them accordingly. If not, I write a clear message that accommodates all preferences and, if I know I’ll be communicating via email frequently, I ask them what kind of emails they prefer to receive in the “P.S.”

This may seem like lots of work at first, but by writing emails the way that they prefer to read them shows tremendous consideration and respect for their time. Not only that, it helps get things done faster.

Look out for Part 2 of “Long or Short Emails?” where I share how to write an email that accommodates all preferences — a skill that will help you get things done more quickly when collaborating with lots of people, all of whom read email differently.

61 days ago Short URL 2 Comments

Business Writing

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14

Feb

Working with Critiques & Suggestions

"WE'RE LOOKING FOR SUGGESTIONS. WRITE ONE...

Image via Wikipedia

After finishing the first draft of any project, it’s common to ask others for their suggestions. This can be as formal as a critique session or as informal as asking a trusted colleague to glance through your work. Receiving feedback is a great way to get an outside perspective — and see if your project reaches the intended audience.

So you send along your project, listen and take notes as others comment on your work and offer suggestions. But now what? How do you incorporate their suggestions to improve the final project?

  1. Pat yourself on the back for all the compliments and successes. It’s easy to fixate on what others thought was “wrong,” so make an effort to think about all that they thought was successful. Create a list of your writing strengths so you can build upon them in future projects.
  2. Revisit the project’s central goals. Now that you’ve received feedback from others, take some time to revisit your central goal. This is your objective — not writing something that will please everyone (which is impossible, by the way).
  3. Consider ALL suggestions. Analyze each and every suggestion through the lens of the central goal. Most comments and suggestions will be ideal for improving the project and helping reach the goal more effectively. Others, however, simply need to be adjusted to help achieve the central goal.
  4. Tackle simple improvements first. Incorporate small changes, such as changing titles, reordering content or improving the syntax.
  5. Determine which large suggestions you’ll incorporate. Many suggestions will go a long way to complete a stellar project. Take those suggestions and incorporate them as best as you can.
  6. Think of creative ways to carry out other suggestions. Not all of the feedback you receive will be appropriate or even applicable. In these cases, consider creative ways to pursue their idea. For example, if someone suggests that your presentation should include in-depth research on a specific topic — but this is not possible with the time constraints — consider creating a separate handout with the research to supplement the presentation.
  7. Show your final work to those who helped you — and remember to thank them. By giving you feedback, your colleagues invested their time and energy into your project. Show them that you value their help by sending along your final project with a note of thanks.

Remember that this is your project. As the writer, you are most aware of the goals and parameters. Take the time to incorporate suggestions while staying true to your goals and writing style.

103 days ago Short URL 1 Comment

Writing

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02

Feb

How to Understand your Audience Better

Business writing projects often fail because they are notAudience written for the intended audience. When writers only consider their perspective, the final product confuses the readers and falls flat.

When writers do take the time to understand their audience, the final product informs, persuades and engages with great impact.

All business writers should take the time to examine who exactly they are writing to in order to be effective. This is especially true when writing web copy, reports, training materials, speeches and presentations. Consider these simple steps to understand your audiences better — and get the results you want out of your writing:

1. Articulate the audience’s major characteristics

Write down this group’s general perspective and responsibilities. If you are writing a speech to your business’ human resources team, clearly explain how their work fits in with the speech’s topic and why it is valued. Also, consider their basic assumptions that they have that will influence how they read your writing. For example, if you are writing a brochure to promote employee engagement and development, you’ll want to directly address – and overturn – the assumption that lateral career moves are not helpful for progression.

2. Articulate the central things that the audience wants

What does the audience hope to receive from the project? How would the project best help them achieve their long-term goals? Seriously consider how your writing can help them achieve something they want.  For example if you are writing a presentation that details how the business can sell more effectively to Asian markets, clearly explain why this group benefits from this, and how it will help them reach their larger goal of success.

When you take the time to consider these questions, you’ll learn more about your audience and write to them more effectively. You’ll prevent confusion and unclear messages, while also making a direct impact. In the end, you’ll get the biggest “bang” out of your hard work.

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115 days ago Short URL 1 Comment

Business Writing/Writing

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26

Jan

What Makes Your Writing Professional?

In business writing, I find that “formal” and “professional” styles often become confused, or even believed to be interchangeable. Often, people feel they need to write with a large vocabulary and formal phrases so that they “sound” professional.

Journalists must follow the Associated Press‘ rules and academics rely on The Modern Language Association or The Chicago Manual of Style. Business writers, however, have no set standard to follow. Perhaps this is because all organizations do business a little differently.

So let’s take a moment to consider what professionalism means, regardless of the type of business you work for:

  1. Responding to situations in a timely, skillful and respectful manner
  2. Acting with integrity, honesty and transparency
  3. Making decisions with sensitivity to the context and audience
  4. Shaping actions and decisions to support the organization’s larger objectives

The last two elements really speak to writing style; the organization’s unique objectives, context and audience should sculpt your writing style. Many organizations today want to be perceived as contemporary, personable and moving with the times, so a straightforward and conversational writing style makes sense. Many formal phrases — that came about when business was conducted via telegrams and letters — are no longer needed.

That’s not to say that formality doesn’t have it’s place, but it’s not always necessary for effective and professional business writing. What matters most is that you are clear, cogent and contribute to your organization’s image and productivity goals.

122 days ago Short URL Comments

Business Writing

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06

Jan

Talk Normal

Check out my review of Tim Phillips’ book, Talk Normal, over at Fuel Your Writing.

Have a wonderful Friday!

142 days ago Short URL Comments

Writing

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06

Dec

Internal Blog Topic Ideas

Whether you just began an internal blog or have been blogging for years, constantly coming up with new ideas for posts can be challenging and time-consuming. This can be painfully true for internal blogs, where it’s very easy to say the same thing over and over (and bore your readers in the process).

I’ve found a simple solution for this problem – organizing topic ideas into categories. Once you’ve mapped out the categories, you can add ideas for specific posts that fall under that category. The categories can be topics, such as “health benefits” or “career development.” There can also be posts that illustrate specific things your company or department offers. Take a look at these examples:

  1.  Resource Showcase: Highlight one resource that your business or department offers so the reader knows exactly how it benefits them and how to access this resource.
  2. Employee or Leader Profile: Interview an employee or leader to share their story, accomplishments and experiences.
  3. Customer or Client Profile: Remind your employees what it’s all about by showcasing a happy customer or client’s experience with your product or services.
  4. Reading Lists: Suggest books, articles or blogs that may interest your readers. You can post a reviews, ask readers for their reactions or promote outside resources for learning.
  5. Motivational Showcase: Challenge and inspire your readers to tackle goals by adding short, impacting posts with quotes, photos or tips.
  6. Event Showcase: Include photos and feedback from important seminars, conferences or classes. This will sustain the energy created at the event, as well as promote more attendance at the next one.

This list has only a few ideas – there are infinite possibilities. By creating these new categories and deciding on how frequently they will be published (I suggest one or two times per month for each category), you’ll be well on your way to a dynamic internal blog.

173 days ago Short URL 1 Comment

Business Writing/Writing

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15

Nov

Engaged Writers = Engaged Employees (Part 2)

To promote and sustain employee engagement, businesses must invest in high-quality writing and communications that captivate, motivate and inspire. Developing engaged writers is a challenging process.

All businesses, no matter their size, should start by making clear writing a top priority. When supervisors demonstrate that they value high-quality writing as vital for success, employees will engage more fully in the writing they complete every day – emails, reports, notes and presentations. Another way to improve writing engagement is to offer classes, seminars and webinars on effective communication for all employees.

The fastest technique for improving engaged writing at your office, business or corporation is to practice what you preach. Use a dynamic and engaging writing style with every single writing task that you complete. You’ll promote engaging writing as your readers learn from your example and emulate your .

Develop a more engaging writing style by:

1. Using conversational style to address the reader directly. Conversational writing is easier to understand,  comprehend and more enjoyable to read. 

2. Keeping it cogent and avoiding business buzzwords, jargon and acronyms. Write only when necessary and always stick to the message’s central purpose. Use sraightforward language that’s fast and easy to comprehend.

3. Using a positive and honest tone. Your readers appreciate your understanding of their problems and concerns; don’t avoid this issues even if they can be touchy or difficult. Instead, address these topics with openness and optimism. Upbeat language goes a long way in increasing morale.

4. Converting problems or complaints into goals. When addressing these problems or concerns, convert them into goals and explain methods for reaching these goals.

5. Anchoring all writing with your high-level communications strategy. Every writing task that you complete is an opportunity to share your business’ or corporation’s communication philosophies. Leverage these opportunities to emphasize and sustain engagement.

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194 days ago Short URL Comments

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