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You want to be known for clear writing, but you’re not sure how to go about it.

Jane Rosenzweig, director of the Writing Center at Harvard, presents three tips in her Harvard Business Review article, “3 Ways to Make Your Writing Clearer.”  They’re so beautifully simple that I wish I could take credit for them.

Here they are:

“Cut the ‘Since the dawn of time’ opening and get right to the point.”

I remember a meeting where our manager was at pains to tell another writer that he needed to dive right into his topic and skip the friendly intro. I also remember being glad I wasn’t on the receiving end of those remarks and feeling fortunate because my predilection at that point in my career was to start a piece with a nice, fluffy lead-in.

Ms. Rosenzweig, who presents wonderful examples in her article, says, “In most cases, your readers don’t need to hear every thought anyone has ever had about your topic. They need to know what they should think about the topic right now.”

Focus your reader’s attention by getting to your point in the first sentence and include only important background info as you develop your topic.

“Turn those descriptive topic sentences into topic sentences that make claims.”

A claim sentence tells readers what to expect in the rest of the paragraph and, of course, focuses their attention. A descriptive sentence can offer useful information, but as Ms. Rosenzweig points out, readers don’t know why it matters. A claim sentence helps you as a writer, because you know what you have to deliver. A claim-based topic sentence also means that you’ll need to do less editing.

“Make sure people are doing things in your sentences, unless you don’t want them to be doing things.”

Here, Ms. Rosenzweig is saying that you need to be clear about who is taking action. As an example, she offers these two sentences:

“All managers should approve and submit expense reports by Friday at noon.”

“Expense reports should be approved and submitted by Friday at noon.”

The first sentence makes it clear who should do what, that is, “all managers.” The second sentence, not so much. The active voice clarifies who takes action. The passive voice can be very helpful in obscuring the actor; you may want to consider using it when circumstances warrant. Consider that much-used expression: “Mistakes were made.” Wikipedia notes that it is “an expression that is commonly used as a rhetorical device, whereby a speaker acknowledges that a situation was handled poorly or inappropriately but seeks to evade any direct admission or accusation of responsibility by not specifying the person who made the mistakes.”

The reason I like this article so much is that it calls attention to the tendency of many a writer—myself included—who wastes precious time in our deadline-driven world making minor word- and sentence-level edits instead of clarifying the message from the get-go. This, says Ms. Rosenzweig, is pretty much like “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.”

Iulian Dragomir — 123rf.com

Copywriting is a skill anyone can learn. Concise copywriting is also an art that anyone can learn.

In a recent post, Marcia Yudkin of The Marketing Minute details her journey to conciseness. She notes that an editor and a novelist once looked at her writing and slashed words, sentences, and paragraphs. She says, “These were two of the most valuable and consequential learning experiences for my writing career. In both instances, my ego was forced to admit that the word slashing was brilliantly justified.”

Ms. Yudkin, as all writers should, hunts for elements that can be cut. Even in “low-stakes writing tasks, like tweets.” She’s a huge advocate of cutting what you can—without changing meaning, of course—and always working to tighten your copy.

Here’s what I recommend:

• Give it time: After you’ve finished a piece, take a walk, load the dishwasher, brush the cat. Create distance between your first draft and your second look. 24 hours is ideal, but sometimes you don’t have that luxury. Even a 15-minute break helps.
• Prune: Get rid of expression like “in order to,” as in “You must prune in order to create concise copy.” Doesn’t “You must prune to create concise copy” sound better? Removing two, three, or more words here and there can make a big difference. (Your audience will probably appreciate not having to read so much.)
• Respect editors: I write for a living and confess that I’ve sometimes been miffed when an editor comes up with better wording. Put your ego to the side and rejoice in great edits. They will only make your work stronger.

photochicken — 123rf.com

 

 

Miri Rodriguez, the author of “Brand Storytelling: Put Customers At The Heart Of Your Brand Story” and an award-winning storyteller at Microsoft has written an excellent article about how to structure the story you tell about your brand.

Her article describes eight story structures, of which this post presents my top three favorites. Here they are.

The monomyth

This is probably familiar to you from high school or college English where we referred to it as the hero’s journey and perhaps learned about Joseph Campbell. (Check out the video at the end, a very quick and elegant explanation of the journey.) As Ms. Rodrigues says, “ … this story model is probably the most popular because we simply love heroes and their remarkable journeys.”

The hero’s journey introduces someone living an ordinary life, but after going through unexpected circumstances or conflicts, experience a deep personal transformation. In brand storytelling, the customer is often the hero, but a company’s employees can also show up as a hero—which is a great way to drive employee advocacy. Hero’s journey stories tend to be inspirational, and Ms. Rodriguez recommends that “taking the time to assess what the journey will look like is a critical part of building the brand story.”

 In media res

This is a fancy way to say “into the middle of things.” In brand storytelling, your narrative begins in the middle of the action. Then it loops around to give the story some context. Ms. Rodriguez points out that you need to be skilled at grabbing and keeping the audience’s attention “by creatively bringing the beginning and conclusion together.”

Consider the story of the guy in the dungeon, in a pretty hopeless situation, and how it loops back to reveal how he got there and how he’s going to get out.

Nested loops

Sounds like programming or database management, doesn’t it? Ms. Rodriguez explains that, with nested loops, “you build a number of narratives (loops) to finally arrive at the central story. Large corporations, such as Microsoft uses this technique to eventually reach general audiences. Her team used it to create a technical story and match it with one that showcased a personal angle to expand the audience base.

The team knew that the core audience of IT professionals, developers, and business decision makers wanted heavy-duty content such as white papers and case studies, but that consumer audiences wanted something lighter. The nested loop technique allowed the team to communicate with both groups.

Brand storytelling is something business communicators should live for. It’s rich, powerful, and just fun enough to make writing a pleasurable experience.

Check out the video, which is Matthew Winkler and Kirill Yeretsky’s look at the hero’s story

microone — 123rf.com

When you think about brand innovation, what do you think of? If you’re John Rossman, a former Amazon executive, you think of Amazon. For good reason.

Back in March, which seems so very long ago these days, Mr. Rossman wrote a wonderful article for Branding Strategy Insider, “How Amazon Thrives on Being Misunderstood.” (By the way, Mr. Rossman has also written a well-reviewed book, “Think like Amazon: 50 ½ Ideas to Become a Digital Leader.”)

He starts by asking about Amazon’s greatest innovations. Some, such as drones, cloud computing, and Alexa, are impressive, but the real chart-toppers are Free Everyday Shipping, Prime Loyalty, and Item Authority. (It was Item Authority that led to Amazon breezing past eBay as the “destination site for third-party sellers.” ) The common trait each of these features share is that they are customer experience and business model innovations. And, as Mr. Rossman puts it, “What they also have in common is the fact that incumbents are industry pundits woefully underestimated their impact on the industry and the bottom line.”

Some otherwise bright people—Larry Ellison, Mike Glenn of FedEx, and Mark Johnson of Foot Locker—thoroughly debunked what Amazon was up to, in quotes that probably embarrass them now. (Check out the article, whose link appears earlier if you want to be amused and educated.)

According to Mr. Rossman challenging assumptions about how things work or “should” work will bring the doubters swarming. But over the years, Amazon has kept its head down and moved ahead, impervious to criticism and taking the longer view. A quote from Jeff Bezos: “ … inventing and pioneering involve a willingness to be misunderstood for long periods of time … we don’t make money when we sell things. We make money when we help customers make purchase decisions.” Yeah. Mr. Rossman points to “Look Inside the Book” as a feature that initially called forth skepticism and alarm from publishers and required a huge investment in technology—but proved to be a huge success. Think about it. If you’ve bought a book on Amazon, haven’t you checked it out first by looking inside?

Two sides to innovation

There are two sides to brand innovation, or being misunderstood, to consider says Mr. Rossman. The first is that if the usual suspects are not being negative, you should worry. And the second side is how you prepare stakeholders such as investors and partners for the changes you plan. Amazon, he notes, consistently reminds shareholders in its annual letter that it will “not sacrifice long-term value for short-term results, and it will be misunderstood.”

In assessing your brand innovation and potential disruptiveness, Mr. Rossman suggests that you ask yourself several questions: When have you done something that helped customers but disrupted cherished business tradition? How would the customer experience change if you started fresh? What brand innovations/business model changes might work for your industry?

Like some folks, I guess, I’ve cheered Amazon’s speediness and convenience. At the same time, I’ve been disquieted by reports of its poor treatment of employees and its tentacle-like movement into so many aspects of daily life. In pointing out the courage and single-mindedness it requires to be truly disruptive, this article has helped me balance my view of what Amazon is about. Probably not enough to sign up for Prime again, though.

Marina Putilova — 123rf.com

We live in an attention economy—human attention is a scarce commodity—so your brand story must captivate prospects from the very beginning. Jerome Conlon, former director of brand planning and marketing insights at Nike (among other prestigious positions) says, “More and more, brands are finding their way to the intersection of brand and entertainment, adopting Hollywood’s tools and techniques that lead to blockbuster story brands. Rightfully so in an attention economy that rewards brands that are both meaningful and interesting.”

In a recent article, Mr. Conlon discusses the role of a brand “brain trust” in building a brand story. Pixar Studios has used this concept to great effect to create one winning film after another.

A brand brain trust brings a team together to discuss how products, advertising, branded content, and social media can be fashioned into an integrated, multifaceted brand story. And, of course it can also be used to take a serious look at brand campaigns that have succeeded or failed.

A brand brain trust sounds academic and perhaps intimidating, but the basic idea behind it is pretty simple. Pixar learned that “the brain trust process involved relying on the combined intelligence and instincts (thoughts + feelings) of a cross-functional team to fully understand how key scenes played and to explore with each other how the entire story was playing.” Intellectual and emotional honesty were required of the trust, and its members wrote notes that described how they felt about a story or character.

What else is required for success? Detail is critical. Notes must lay out what is wrong, what is unclear, what makes no sense, what is missing. A good note may not propose a solution but is offered before it is too late to fix a problem. Candor is important, which means the team must have open discussions, without a single personality dominating. In my opinion, this last point is particularly important. I’ve been in meetings where one person with an insistent personality overshadowed colleagues. The result was that good ideas often weren’t heard, to the detriment of all.

What were the key benefits of Pixar’s brain trust?

• It fostered an environment where team members could air their thoughts and emotions.
• It defined what were good—that is, useful—notes.
• It established rules for polishing rough ideas.
• It focused on a single goal—delivering the highest quality entertainment.
• It reduced project risk and improved project quality.

I have certainly done my share of groaning about meetings and the outworking of herd mentality. But here is a technique and the leadership to back it up that has produced good work and has allowed all voices to be heard.

tumsasedgars — 123rf.com

Actually, this post about sales conversations discusses one of Jill Konrath’s wonderful posts about value propositions.

Ms. Konrath starts her post logically enough by asking how you can tell if you have a weak value proposition. Well, prospects don’t respond when you contact them or they brush you off with a phrase like “We’ve already got that handled.”

“You can’t sell if you can’t get in the door. You can’t inspire buyers to take action if you don’t focus on what matters to them,” says Ms. Konrath. And she continues by commenting that a great way to discover your value proposition is to ask your customers. But not just any customers. You don’t want to talk to happy customers, because they’ve probably forgotten the issues and challenges they faced before adopting your product or service.

Instead, talk to those who have recently made the switch. Their pain points are still fresh in their minds, and they can likely articulate how you helped them out. Even if they don’t have precise figures, their anecdotal information will be helpful.

That said, what kind of questions do you want to ask? Ms. Konrath lists 11, of which I show five. (This is an inducement to read the article, because not only is she a sales guru, she’s also a pretty darn good writer.)

My top five faves

Of course, you’ll want to put these questions in your own words, so they sound like you. And you notice they’re all open-ended to overcome peoples’ tendency to cut you off and play to their desire to talk.

1. What did you do before you adopted our product/service?
2. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the effectiveness of our product in helping you reach the results you wanted?
3. What were the three most important benefits your received from our product (our work together)?
4. What was that worth to you?
5. Can you help me quantify the payoff your organization realized from using our product/service?

Ms. Konrath reminds us to ask the same questions to more than one person in your customer’s organization and to talk to more than one client. Some people will give you better insights and information.

What have you done for me lately?

These are great questions. (Because we’re all selling in one way or the other, I think you can adapt them to your everyday life of work and relationships.) And I love Ms. Konrath’s parting comment: “Remember, no one wants to buy your product or service. They only want what it can do for them.”

And now, the inimitable Ms. Konrath in her own words.

Aleksandr Davydov — 123rf.com

If your team is working at home, as most are these days, you may be interested in how to avoid the pitfalls of remote management.

Robert Chen, who coaches Fortune 100 business leaders, reviews three major sins of remote management and suggests fixes. I’ve worked from home as an employee and also as a self-employed content creator, and his article  “3 things you do that drive your people crazy” certainly resonated with me.

“Sending emails during off hours”

Off hours? What a concept! Mr. Chen remarks, “ … when your people see these emails hit their inbox, they’ll feel compelled to look at them.” Maybe you’re just trying to clean out your inbox, but when  team members realize your messages are not urgent, they will be annoyed by your encroachment on their personal time. They’ll tend to tune you out, which is counterproductive if you really need to communicate something urgent. (Of course, many of us are functioning in a work environment that doesn’t truly recognize off hours, a whole ‘nother problem.)

What to do? Schedule messages for delayed delivery or send them in the morning. This is a great suggestion. And you can resist your artificial sense of urgency, right? Even better, don’t work during off hours. (I have highly productive colleagues who don’t check email after a certain time of day or on weekends.) Mr. Chen adds that it’s OK to send emails during off hours if your team is waiting on  information from you.

 “Following up excessively”

This kind of follow-up is annoying, often unnecessary, and, in my opinion, stress-inducing. Mr. Chen believes that it may occur when management expectations are “unclear or unrealistic.”

What to do?  Be clear about a deadline from the get-go and make sure team members have capacity to take on more work. Negotiate a new deadline if possible. Ask direct reports to suggest a deadline based on their workloads, and get their commitment to deliver on time. If they don’t, then you can follow up.

 “Repeating yourself”

Argh. How annoying is that? You may be repeating yourself because you’re not getting the response you want. Or perhaps you think a team member has forgotten your request.

What to do? Acknowledge that what you’re asking is tough to deliver. Ask questions instead of repeating yourself. (I add: Don’t ask the same question in different ways to try to trip someone up.) Be clear about what will happen if someone consistently fails to meet expectations. That puts the responsibility on your team to request more support. As Mr. Chen says, “The next time you find yourself being repetitive, think ‘nagging parent’ and consider stopping and asking, ‘What’s most helpful to you to complete this deliverable?’”

I hope this post is helpful both for managers and their teams. We all tend to see things from our own perspective, which can muddy communication and cause resentment and impatience. Managers need to think about how those on the receiving end see their behavior. And employees need to take responsibility not only for delivery but also for communicating upward effectively.

Now, for a little comic relief, the hysterical “Did you get the memo?” clip from Office Space. Gary Cole is, as always brilliant.

Alexsandr Davydov — 123rf.com

 

These days, it seems that many of us knowledge workers are dealing with, or at least considering the possibility of, job loss.

Art Markman and Michelle Jack have written a terrific article for Fast Company entitled “Why losing a job deserves its own grieving process.” The opening deck starts out boldly by saying “Unemployment is startlingly similar to the loss of a loved one, including its effect on your sense of identity.”

They recommend recognizing that losing your job triggers grief—this is an event that tears at your life’s fabric—and that you must let the grief process run its course. Remember that, as described by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, grief consists of shock and denial, anger, bargaining, depression and detachment, and acceptance. Some won’t go through all five stages, and some may go through several of the stages several times. A fortunate few may not experience any of them at all.

A quick look at grief stages

With shock, comes the understanding that your future will be different from life as you now know it. Shock brings stress, which makes it difficult to think clearly. Looking back, everything will seem blurry.

Next comes anger. “Why me? I’m undeserving of this.” Markman and Jack suggest acknowledging this feeling and doing something physical to release pent-up energy in a healthy way. (I like brisk walks myself.)

After anger is bargaining. It’s normal, but—in my opinion—a waste of time. (Not that I haven’t done it.) The authors say, “Work to recognize this phase and don’t spend excessive time beating yourself up.” Try journaling; it can benefit your health long term. Many people find journaling helpful. I’ve only found that it makes me feel self-conscious.

Then depression and detachment. Argh. But to get past that helpless feeling, talk to family and friends. Go out into nature. (I love filling up the bird feeder, changing the water, washing out the bird bath, and listening to the little guys singing in the trees.) Realize that everyone you see has gone through hard times and has moved forward. Take positive actions every day, even if you have to force yourself to. I’m guessing that even getting a few small chores done will help.

Finally, finally comes acceptance. “What will it take to help you accept a situation that is out of your control and convince you to move forward?” Maybe refreshing your home office with a new picture or some snappy desk accessories.

So, now you’ve mostly gotten grief out of the way, what next?

A hobby or something you’ve always wanted to do is a good idea, though if you’re cash-strapped, this might not be the best time to whip out your credit card. In any case, this is the time to do something you never had time for. Markman and Jack remark that a hobby or scheduled activity gives you something to look forward to and can offer social interaction opportunities. You also experience the joy of learning and an emotional boost from being successful.

Ask for help. Family and friends don’t want you to suffer, so they likely are willing to offer ideas and support. “A family that manages crises together, strengthens their bond together.” Though the authors don’t say it, it may not hurt the older kids in your family to realize that all the things they’ve expected  you to deliver at the snap of their fingers have required your hard work and commitment. Reach out to colleagues and business acquaintances too. You never know what might come of that.

Of course,  you’ll want to give help to those who need it, too. It’s a great way to feel good about yourself as you do something good for others.

Create a routine. You need to compensate for the lack of structure your job provided. “A routine helps you stay in control of your day and remain mindful.” Let friends, family, and colleagues know that you have a schedule and what it is. The authors don’t say it, but I suspect they’d agree that the people around you need to know that your activities are purposeful, that you’re not just hanging out.

An addendum

When we think of losing a job, we may think about those at the lower end of the economic spectrum, the folks who have been furloughed and sent home from businesses that may never reopen. So this post may seem to be addressing a first-world problem. And yet, no matter where we are on the social spectrum, work structures our daily routines and acts as a source of our identity. That’s why it’s so important to take action. As the authors put it, “Success in life is determined by what you do in difficult times as much as by how you manage success … Even if you feel you have no control, you have the ability to write yourself a new beginning by taking action.”

Vasyl Dolmatov — 123rf.com

These days, thanks to COVID-19, more of us will be attending virtual meetings than ever. We may think we know what we’re doing, but it’s always good to have a refresher.

For which I thank Joel Schwartzberg whose April 8 HBR article “How to Elevate Your Presence in a Virtual Meeting”  is spot on.

Here are six must-know tips, and not a moment too soon. (I have certainly made some of the mistakes he mentions, and I bet you have too.)

“Focus on your camera, not your colleagues”

Look straight at the camera. Even if it doesn’t seem natural, get used to it. Mr. Schwartzberg reminds that entertainers and politicians have been doing it forever. He comments that it can be a challenge to focus on the camera for the whole meeting, but doing so strengthens the points you’re making.

“Maintain a strong voice”

Speak louder than usual, because “strong voices convey authority, credibility, and confidence,” whether in virtual or actual conference. Think of yourself as being in a large conference room. Well, cyberspace is pretty big, eh? Also, a loud voice prevents mumbling or speaking too fast, because you must maintain it with the volume of your breath.

“Frame yourself wisely”

Make sure the screen frames your head and the top of your shoulders. If you’re too close, your head will be cut off, which is pretty disconcerting for your fellow attendees. If you’re too far away, your entire torso may be in view. Test this all out before your meeting.

And hey, watch out for your background. De-clutter it, or you’ll seem disorganized. The clients I have enjoyed most working with have “real” home offices that mean business.

“Be present and mindful”

It’s a big temptation to wander around, pour a cup of coffee, answer an email, etc. “ … but multi-tasking is perilous because you don’t want to be caught unprepared if asked a sudden question.”

One way to respond to this admonition, I guess, is to turn your camera off. I do it, and clients do it. But I see Mr. Schwartzberg’s point. If you’re not fully engaged, it may become obvious. And, as he says, “ … your professional reputation can suffer if it even looks like you’re not paying attention.” He advises us to consider not that we are at home but that we are at work.

“Don’t become your own distraction”

Virtual meetings mean that you need to be concerned about ambient noise, children and pets demanding attention, FedEx at the door, etc. As Mr. Schwartzberg says, you want to be remembered for what you did right, “so be mindful of the power you have over both your virtual and physical environments.”

Mute yourself when you’re not speaking. A simple injunction, but one you probably need to remind yourself of. Turn your camera off if you’re moving around or have just torn into that bag of tortilla chips. If you’re doing a major presentation, find someone to supervise the kids in another room or take Buster for a walk.

“Use the chat window as your partner”

I sometimes forget it’s on-screen, but it’s a superb “presentational appendage.” Put links to documents or articles you refer to in chat. If it’s your meeting, put the agenda in chat. Use it to ask questions or support another attendee. “The chat window is a unique opportunity in virtual meetings to elevate your presence, add dimension to your ideas, and demonstrate that you’re fully present.”

When I came across this article, I knew that I wanted to share it. It’s full of great tips and hints that will make you look good and help you avoid making embarrassing mistakes.

Enjoy this fun video from The English Manner, and see these suggestions in action.

 

 

Andriy Popov — 123rf.com

 

We’ve all had—and maybe still have—a difficult coworker. The woman who’s subtly hostile, the suck-up guy who attempts to undermine you with your manager. You can probably think of other examples from your career.

So, how can you stop feeling helpless in the face of their behavior? What can you do?

Amy Gallo, a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review and author of HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict, presents some excellent techniques for managing a difficult coworker in her article, “Dear HBR: My New Coworker Is a Nightmare … and I Helped Her Get the Job.”

I’ve broken Ms. Gallo’s recommendations into the following steps. (Her article links to other truly valuable articles, and a free online HBR subscription gains you access to a certain number per month.)

Start with cognitive empathy

“One of my first instincts in any conflict situation is to try to think about it from the other person’s perspective,” says Ms. Gallo. It can be really helpful to figure out what’s motivating your peer’s behavior. Is it insecurity, a desire to impress others, a successful history of being a weasel, or what?

Gather more information

Do others in your office see this person the way you do? If not, don’t waste time trying to persuade them there’s a problem. Instead, try to understand why others aren’t having the same experience. This person may be pushing your buttons in a way that you need to look at more closely. (My thought.)

Change your behavior

It’s likely you can improve the situation or at least your own feelings about it. (My thought.)  The key here seems to be to remain calm and matter-of-fact. It may be uncomfortable, Ms. Gallo notes, to be direct with a troublesome person, but you need to establish boundaries—whether it’s about a usurped desk or a project your coworker is attempting to foist on you.

Assuming positive intent—at least initially is also important—so that you don’t escalate a conflict.

Act quickly

In her article, Ms. Gallo cites the research of Joseph Grenny, whose work in peer accountability notes that a team’s health can be measured by “the average lag time between identifying and discussing problems. The shorter the lag time, the faster problems get solved and the more the resolution enhances relationships.”

Try a direct conversation to clear the air

This suggestion may chill the blood of those who don’t like confrontation, but Ms. Gallo recommends following five steps from Caroline Webb, the author of How to Have a Good Day. (They’re found in this article.)

Engage the boss

Maybe your annoying colleague will listen only to a talking-to from a superior. But this is a risky step. Not just because bosses probably don’t enjoy this kind of thing, but also because it makes you into a tattletale. So, says Ms. Gallo, if you decided to engage the boss, tell them how you’ve tried to resolve the situation and what you’d like them to do, rather than just dumping the problem on them.

Change yourself

Change your mindset about your peer—let go of what you can’t fix—or be prepared to see your work experience ruined. Easier said than done, I know. Ms. Gallo suggests finding a way not to work with this colleague or sit near them. If you’re in an open-plan office, that could be challenging.

If you feel tempted to stoop to your co-worker’s level, don’t. Stay true to your values, and you’ll have something to feel good about at the end of the day.

Of course, you can always leave your job. But if you do that without learning these lessons, you’ll only put off the inevitable, because there’s bound to be a problematic colleague wherever you go.

Antonio Guillem — 123rf.com