A GPS for your reader

A recent Harvard Business blogpost ["When Clarity is Not the Same as Brevity"] inspired this tip. David Silverman said if you scatter a dictionary’s words on the floor, it’s useless. But arrange them alphabetically and you’ll find what you want whether there are 10 or 10,000 words. The difference is navigation.

Ditto for anything long that you’re writing. [Newsflash: They won't read every word you write.] So use headers and subheads to help them skip to what they’re most interested in.

Subhead tips

Here are several options for writing subheads that engage and orient your readers:

1. Summarise — Instead of the blind headline, “Recommendation”, try “Recommendation: Hire another salesperson”. Perfect for skim-readers and informational writing.
2. Offer a benefit — Got a busy reader? Try putting a major benefit into a headline/subhead. At least if that’s all they read, they’ll know what you’re offering. E.g. “Half-price brokerage”
3. Arouse curiosity — “Curiosity” subheads get attention, so can be good in persuasive writing. E.g. “Like to work less but achieve more?” They work best when you offer a benefit to readers. The downsides: They can annoy REALLY busy, impatient readers, and they’re a bit informal, so check they’re appropriate.
4. “How to” — These headlines are everywhere, because they work; people want to learn how to do stuff. Instead of “System jobs”, try “How to add a new job to the system” — much clearer.
5. News — People love to learn about new things. Put on your journo hat — what’s newsworthy about your topic? (See “news values“) E.g. “New CFO was educated at Harvard” is better than “Welcome new CFO”.

Of course, there are more. Got one you’d like to share? What’s your favourite? Please tell us in a comment below…

TED Talk: Value creation & perceptions

Relaunching Shreddies as diamond shapes instead of squares

This is a very entertaining and enlightening talk on TED about value creation and perceptions:

http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man.html

Here’s the TED intro:

Advertising adds value to a product by changing our perception, rather than the product itself. Rory Sutherland makes the daring assertion that a change in perceived value can be just as satisfying as what we consider “real” value — and his conclusion has interesting consequences for how we look at life.

Video: Writing to Persuade – 6 steps

This month’s writing tips are even easier to absorb, because they’re via video! Click the image to watch it:

Bnet interview: Persuasive writing - Paul Jones

Paul was interviewed about persuasive writing recently on management portal Bnet.

Invest just seven minutes watching it now and save hours later, getting what you want faster!

Grab some popcorn, sit back, and soak up the six steps to influencing your readers:

Watch the video now.

Would those tips work for you? Would you suggest anything different? Persuade us in your comments below!

A duck for your best writing tip!

Hi,

Here’s a deal you can’t beak!

1. Tell us your best writing tip (it’ll take 2–3 mins).
2. We’ll donate a duck for you through Oxfam.*
3. We’ll send everyone’s writing wisdom back to you!

“Why a duck?” They’re an environmentally sustainable boon to third-world families – they provide eggs, control pests, and help cultivate fields for planting (learn more).

“Why are you doing this?” Normally we give you the writing tips, but now we want to know what tip works best for you. Your writing tip will help people in need — those who need ducks, as well as those who need to write better.

“But I’m no writing guru.” Whether you were ducks of your school, or you find writing a tough nut to quack, we want your writing tip!

Ready? Duck over here to write your tip. (But don’t quack under pressure – tips must be submitted by Wednesday 22 July 2009.) Go!

We’ll share the results with you ASAP, along with proof of your duck donation.

Yours in feathers,

Paul Jones,
Director
Magneto Communications

P.S. Please “pass the duck” and forward this to a colleague or two to share the love!

N.B. You must submit your tip by 22 July 2009 for us to donate on your behalf.

* We’re eggstatically donating up to $2,000.

Distractions make you dumb

Did you know your IQ drops when you’re distracted?

In 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King’s College London University, found the IQ of those who tried to juggle messages and work fell by 10 points — the equivalent to missing a whole night’s sleep, and more than double the 4-point fall seen after smoking pot.

So if you’re constantly interrupted while writing something important, watch out — your end result will be AS IF it was written by someone about 10% dumber. Not a good look.

Here’s how some companies around the world minimise distractions. Some rely on setting up guidelines and getting agreement in advance (including agreeing not to use the method 10 hours a day!).

Technology

• Turn off phones; let callers leave messages. Explain in your voicemail message that you’ll get back to them by X time.
• Turn off email, or at least the audible and visible notifications of new emails. (To do that, do the opposite of what you read here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HP052428161033.aspx)
• Set up an email autoresponder that reassures senders you got their email, and will respond by X time.

People

• Give all staff a sign they can display when they don’t want to be interrupted (e.g. “Please don’t disturb”), or a red “thinking” cap that, if worn, shows they’re trying to focus.
• Tell team members they’re not to interrupt anyone wearing earphones (e.g. iPods).
• Ask your team not to interrupt you for a certain period every day, say, from 8-9 a.m.
• Go into work early, stay late, or work from home or a café.

You

• Unclutter your desk so you’re not tempted to start multitasking.
• Close distracting apps, like Facebook and Twitter.
• Set mini goals and rewards, e.g. to write at least a page before stopping for a coffee.

More?

What works for you? Please share your wisdom with the rest of us in the comments below. We’d love to be distracted by it…

• Close distracting apps, like Facebook and Twitter.

Using Google to write right

Believe it or not, Google can improve your writing.

A trainee on one of my courses asked me a tricky question recently: Should an apostrophe be used in this phrase or not?

“one night’s accommodation”

i.e. does the night “own” the accommodation?

What if it was plural, as in “five nights accommodation”?

Do you know the answer? If you aren’t sure, and want to do a quick ‘n’ dirty check, try Google.

The trick
Just Google both options, using inverted commas (” “) around your search phrase, to see which gets the highest results. So you’d first search for “one nights accommodation” (26,000 hits), then “one night’s accommodation” (114,000 hits). Clearly the latter is the most used version, and, as it happens, is correct.

But now try the plural version: “five nights accommodation” (8,000 hits) vs. “five night’s accommodation” (112 hits). Again, a resounding win for the former, this time without the apostrophe. And it’s correct. [Source: Aust. Govt Style Manual, 6th edition.]

The exception
The only caveat is that the number of Google hits must be wildly different. If similar, don’t trust them; look it up elsewhere. For example, “two night’s accommodation” yields 64,000 hits, while “two nights accommodation” gets fewer hits, 61,000, yet is correct.

This method isn’t foolproof (because a lot of fools write badly on the Web), but it is a quick way to double check your hunch. And if American vs. British spellings cause problems, use the country-specific version of Google, e.g. www.google.co.uk.

Got any other tips you’d like to share? Comment away!

Better reading = better writing

One of the most powerful ways to improve your writing has nothing to do with writing: Read a lot.

Then when you sit down to write, the right words, rhythm and phrasings will come more easily — as long as you’re reading “quality” information, not just other people’s badly written emails!

(And besides being good brain food, “Readers are leaders.”)

No time to read more? Say hello to Spreeder.

I first heard of this technique years ago. Apparently the military developed it to help their soldiers read thick instruction manuals quickly.

It works by flashing up groups of words. Instead of having to scan lines, you just stare at a spot. Try it: http://www.spreeder.com/index.php

Click on the down-arrow to change the settings. Try reading a long email at 600 words per minute, in groups of three words at a time. Then try increasing the speed and/or the word-group size.

With practice, your reading speed will improve, and so will your writing. And you’ll get more done!

Cnet also reviewed another variation of it: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10004198-2.html

Would this help YOU? Do you get time these days to read more than just your emails? Join the conversation below…

Write or Die

Are you putting off your writing task?

Then this is just the ticket! Consider it your virtual writing coach, standing over you, MAKING you hammer out the words:

http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html

The site explains how it works, but you’ll probably learn more by just playing with it. Type in your word and time goal, and click “Write!”

When finished, just copy/paste your text into your text editor. And say hello to productivity!

(If procrastination’s a problem for you, see also Procrastinator Terminator.)

One rule to rule them all

Apologies to “Lord of the Rings,” but you must know this principle. Use it, and your readers will say “My preciousss…” when reading your emails or letters. Forget it, and you’ll seem like Gollum on a bad day.

Here it is: Inverted Pyramid.

Or, “Big News First.”

The opposite of inverted pyramid is story structure. People love stories. But most business readers are time poor; they just want the main point, and fast. Write in story structure and your main character could be “delete.”

Stories follow “pyramid” structure, going from context, to supporting information, to climax (the “big news”).

But news journalists write with inverted-pyramid structure; they lead with the Big News First, then backfill with progressively less important information.

So if you write to your boss, explaining that your project is going well, don’t say this:

“Since we started XYZ project, we’ve had various financial, logistical and HR problems… [etc.] But we solved them, and the project’s going well and is on track.”

What if she’s too busy to get to the good news? She’ll just read the bad and think you’re struggling. So say the big news first, giving her the option of not reading it all if she’s swamped:

“XYZ project is on track to be completed within budget. We’ve overcome various financial, logistical and HR problems… [etc.]”

Apply Big News First to most things you write, and your readers will love you for saving them time.

Have your say…
…below! And to kick off the conversation: When shouldn’t you use inverted pyramid?

Is your writing “Old Style” or “New Skool”?

The Urban Dictionary defines “New Skool” as anything fresh and new that threatens the established way of thinking or doing. It’s the opposite of “Old School,” and can apply to your writing as much as how you dance, dress, or the music you enjoy.

I’m not talking about gettin’-jiggy-wit-da-homeboys language, but about a fresh style of writing that works best in modern business.

A quick guide to “New Skool”

NO: Long, complex sentences    YES: Simple and concise
NO: “Big word” syndrome    YES: Plain English
NO: It’s all about you (the writer)    YES: It’s all about them (the reader)
NO: Intro to conclusion    YES: Conclusion first, then fill in the the gaps
NO: Write to demonstrate intellect    YES: Write to solve a reader’s problem

Like to change your habits? Consider our public or in-house writing masterclasses.