As Technical Writers and Communicators, we have to communicate and collaborate effectively. If we follow some basic rules about interpersonal skills, then we can be sure that communicating verbally and in writing to individuals will be successful. How do we begin to do this?
Build your relationships. Make sure that you are paying attention to others when they speak.
Pay attention and face them when speaking and listening.
Show them that you genuinely care about what they are saying by nodding or smiling.
Repeat what you heard to make sure that what was said is understood and verified.
Avoid miscommunications by taking good notes. But try not to look away from the speaker too often when writing down notes.
Build a rapport in order to exchange information more easily.
Pay close attention to what is being said and listen to what they want and what they know.
Be honest and open when speaking about any information that is shared or needed.
When sharing information you have, be open and trustworthy.
There is no need to hide nor hold anything back if all the information is factual.
Answer questions truthfully to form a trust.
Make the conversation data driven.
Have your data ready for a presentation or to make a convincing argument.
Use it to help display points. Data is factual and real. Once shown and explained, information will be more easily understood and retained.
In addition, provide visual images to represent data facts. This helps others to digest information more easily.
Engage others to join the conversation.
Taking advantage of relaxed encounters can cause people to open up more and hence reveal even more information or details.
Opening up communication within a group can provide more ideas and questions that need to be answered.
Having others give their opinions and thoughts can open up new topics from rethinking and ironically, open up more challenges. This latter item is a good thing not a bad thing as it motivates others to delve into other areas. Innovations, improvements, and increased productivity can surprisingly, result.
Engaging others can also provide new designs, concepts, and views.
When having a conversation involving more than two people, there are precautions that have to be taken. This is the case when one person dominates the conversation – do not let this happen. You always have to be in control if you are the originator of the conversation (and/or meeting). People can diverge from the main focus of a topic, causing the reason behind the conversation to be lost. Try to keep conversations (and/or meetings) on task.
In the end, workers and coworkers function better when working with people they are comfortable with. So it is best to be interested in the people you are communicating with. Information will then flow easier as well, i.e., a relaxed interaction allows better collaboration and more information to be shared. Building personal relationships is important for helping to get your tasks and hence your writings completed.
Have you ever walked into a meeting or joined in on a phone conference that went the wrong direction? Maybe it could have gone better with just a little pre-planning, specifically to set your intentions for that particular communication transaction. The power of setting your intentions before communicating is that it helps you to focus on what you want to have happen instead of being buffeted every which way by feelings, random thoughts, distractions or even the reactions of your listeners.
For example, suppose you need to provide some information to your team about potential layoffs. You start to worry about how they will react. Suddenly you feel anxious and your words don’t flow right. You either become too blunt or too “soft” when sharing the news. Instead of slipping into this downward spiral, next time try setting your intention before you speak. In this case, you might decide your role is to be empathetic but straightforward about the news. This mindset helps you to focus on providing complete information while delivering it in a compassionate way. And it reminds you to stick to that style no matter how listeners react.
In other situations, your intention might be to speak with courtesy to an abrasive customer, or listen with patience to a long-winded relative. Or to listen to feedback without getting defensive. Or to listen logically as the doctor explains treatment options. See how it works? Once you set your intention about the communication, your behavior naturally follows. And if you do find yourself off-course, reminding yourself of your intention might be all you need to get back on track.
How do you set an intention? I simply take a few quiet moments, usually early in my day, to think about how I plan to show up for the commitments, conversations and meetings I have scheduled. A few minutes before each one, I take a moment to remind myself exactly what my intention is. I find I don’t need to script what I am going to say or worry about the words I need, as long as I am clear in my intention. And I definitely notice less confidence and clarity when I am not speaking with a clear intention.
Next time you have a challenging meeting, a difficult conversation or an important communication situation, try setting your intentions and see how it helps make you a more effective communicator.
As a professional speaker, effectively marketing yourself is undoubtedly critical to your success. In this post, we provide you with pointers, templates, media kits and images – all FREE for your unlimited use, to boost your success.
Marketing means that you must advertise your skills and talents.
Since many people just don’t do that, they end up leaving their career to the wind. You must work smart to get your name out there. You work to find ways to connect with people who can and will hire you.
Tips for Success:
1. Network in speaking organizations. If you’re not networking, you’re not working.
Building relationships with your peers and prospective clients is a must do if you’re really serious about
your career as a professional speaker.
2. Design a great business card. As you take time to network and build relationships with people,
you’ll want to give them something to really remember you by – something memorable and eye-catching
with all your contact information. Your business card should have a professional yet creative, interesting
look to it. Since it will be the way people remember you, what do you want them to remember?
3. Create your media kit.
Also known as your promotional kit or your media kit, this portfolio will have everything that speaker
bureaus and meeting planners need to determine if you are the speaker for them or not. Your portfolio
might consist of the following elements: a content sheet, a demo video of previous speaking engagements,
your bio, testimonials from previous engagements, a price list of your products and resource materials you
sell, a sample client list, and your fee schedule.
4. Develop a website.
With so many people and businesses flocking to the internet for information, you’ll want to have this as a
means to market yourself. You don’t have to have a website with all the bells and whistles. While your
website should look professional, you can still get a started website with low to no monthly costs.
Use your website to be an additional location where you sell your resource materials as well as offer
information about your topic. Don’t forget keywords and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so
your site will be found by Google and Bing.
5. Use online social networks such as LinkedIn and Google+ to begin making connections with your
industry peers. You can also use speaker forums as a place for additional resources, sharing speaking
tips and tricks as well as getting to know other people in your field.
6. Create and use a direct marketing strategy. Send mailers and postcards to past clients as well as
prospective future clients. While many speakers aren’t hired as a result of their mailers, they are still an
easy way to keep your customers in touch with your business.
Additionally, direct mail pieces are relatively inexpensive to create and send and as a result, they are a
great way to canvass organizations and get the word out that you are available for hire.
7. Market yourself through articles and product materials. Using other resources as a means for getting
your name out will help to spread your name like wild fire! Think of it this way, you create the article one
and include a short 2-3 sentence bio and you’ll have that work for you for as long as it’s available!
The way you market yourself will determine whether you will have a great career or not. Start using these
avenues of getting your name out there and start to get noticed by meeting planners and speaker bureaus.
Start marketing yourself today – check out these bonuses:
For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.
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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:
Lisa Chapman helps company leaders define, plan and achieve their goals, both online and offline. After 25+ years as an entrepreneur, she is now a business and marketing consultant, business planning consultant and social media consultant. Online, she works with clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com. Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:
Your organization is undergoing a significant change, and your team is worried. They want to know all the details about the change. Right now. Trouble is, all the details are not yet spelled out. Plus you have been asked to wait to talk about some aspects of the change until others have been notified.
No question about it; you are in a difficult situation. You want to be a caring leader and give the information your team members desperately crave. Yet you need to be a team player and time the news as you have been asked to do, for the good of the whole organization.
On top of it all, you need to be aware that your team members are analyzing everything you do and say regarding this change. They are reading your tone, your facial expressions, and your silences as well as your words. So be aware of the impact you are making by everything you say and do. Your non-verbals, your worries and fears all bleed through, especially when you are holding on to information that could be shared.
What to do? For now, it might be helpful to think about what your team members want to know, and then tell them all you can, stopping short of what you can’t say. It isn’t easy, but this checklist might help you sort it out.
Here is what your team members want to know:
They want more information. Actually they want all the information you can give them. The reasons, the changes, who will be impacted, but most of all, how will it impact them? It is difficult to live in a state of ambiguity, and when they get part of the information, they get frustrated, and they fill in the blanks with conjecture and rumor.
They want it sooner. They don’t want to wait, especially when everyone around them is asking about it, and wondering the same things. It’s the feeling of being out of control and helpless that makes waiting so difficult. You may not have the information they need yet, but if you have it and you are sitting on it, your team members will go wild with worry.
They want reassurance. Under change we often think the worst is about to happen. If you know there won’t be layoffs, or whatever it is they are concerned about, at least put that to rest. What can you reassure them about? Remember their imaginations and the rumor mill are probably painting a very negative picture. Can you honestly reassure them it won’t be that bad? If you can, you probably should.
They want to be heard. They are hurting and frightened. They want to be understood and will keep reminding you about their feelings until you get it. You can listen and empathize. You can say, “I know this is hard.” Or “I hear you.” Just talking about it can help process these feelings.
They want encouragement. Can they handle this change? Will they survive? It might not hurt to remind them they have resources, they are smart and competent, and they have handled change successfully before. If this is true, offer them these words of encouragement.
They want to know that you believe in the change. If you do, say so. If you have trust it will work out, say so. If you don’t understand it but have faith in your leaders, say that. If you don’t buy in to this change, your team members are going to know it, so be honest but be sure to tell them it is still happening, like it or not, and that we will get through it.
They want to understand the reasons. You may not know the reasons, or agree with them, but people want to know the reasons. It helps them to process.
They want to know how it will impact them directly. Remember they want to know, bottom line, will I keep my job? My hours? My benefits? This is going to be on their minds until they get answers, so your role might be getting that information and permission to share it as soon as possible.
Learning to handle organizational changes is a skill that we can build, and one we will use over and over. You can help your team members to process change, and teach yourself to communicate change effectively. Definitely a skill that will pay dividends every year of your career and life.
How does the Technical Writer or Communicator document a network of machines that communicate with one another? Documenting even a small company’s network on how its machines communicate or transmit information or data can be a challenging task. This includes learning and describing how each piece of equipment operates.
The Technical Writer has to know how each machine functions and know its varied components. The writer also has to understand how the machines communicate among themselves and to humans. The machines can consist of any of the following – backup systems, servers, laptops, peripheral’s like printers, ip addresses that identify each machine, protocols that are a set of rules for communicating, its wiring or connectors, its properties, ports, etc.
The following is a list of suggestions to follow.
First, create a chart of all the equipment within the company and note the location of each. Label everything.
Second, get a description of each piece of equipment and its functionality.
Third, get a description of the software involved; set up, usage, accessibility, and maintenance.
Example:
If a piece of equipment is connected to another device via a cable,
Note its description, location, functionality, and associated software.
Create drawings, mappings, wireframes, etc. of all the equipment that are associated and located in one area and label each item. In any organization, do this for every piece of equipment and group them into categories.
Creating categories and sub categories.
Break it down.
Example:
If a laptop is connected to a printer via a USB cable, or if the laptop is connected wirelessly, create a category labelled printers. Then create sub categories of hard-wired and wireless printers.
When creating the documentation:
Use diagrams
Mappings to show functionality within the company.
Diagrams to show the design and the internal components of each piece of equipment.
Wireframes for showing the skeleton of the connections for communication.
Graphics to show the movement or the process for transmitting information or data.
Create detailed documentation, including
Creating detailed user manuals and reference guides.
Listing the owners and those authorized to use the system.
Describing the system features, menus, what to do and what not to do, and possible error messages.
Describing the hardware, ports, and mechanics of the system.
Writing about the protocols of the system.
Describing how the information is transmitted, and how the machines communicate with one another.
Pages and pages of diagrams and documentation can be created, but it can be simplified. Break it down by categories, such as regions, or procedures and processes. Create a hierarchy from the top down. At the top, state the goal. Then, as you go down, break it down by systems, then applications, then processes, then hardware, etc. till you get to the bottom where the intricacies are denoted and explained.
If you have had experience documenting a network of systems, and wish to add to this topic, please leave a comment. Thank you.
Release Notes are often written to communicate software or product updates. They define what is new. Release Notes allow us to manage, announce, and activate any new hardware, software, application, product models or devices.
Release Notes include:
A history – state why this document was created.
Version # – state the version or control number and what original project it was a part of and other documents involved.
What requirements are needed – state application software, hardware, data, etc.
What is new – state all the new features. List a comparison to the old to make it clearer.
What was modified – state the reason behind the modification and state the new changes that were made. The product could have been too complicated to operate so steps were taken to make its function simpler.
What was removed – state what originally existed and why it was removed. It could be because the usage was no longer valid or out-or-date or something new was created to take its place.
What was added – state any new features or what was added to make the product better and more useful.
What was fixed – state what problems or errors were corrected and/or modified. List detailed information if required and what was needed and done to correct the problems.
What problems were not fixed – state if any existing problems were not corrected and the reasons why they were not taken care of. State a possible date for corrections to take place in the future.
New installations instructions – state how to install the new product or version of an application, model, device, etc. List instructions step-by-step to ensure accuracy and the reason behind each step if necessary.
Supporting features – state all other supplementary or beneficial features of the new version, from, for example, adding a new customer hot-line to easier functionality.
What has changed – state how the new version has been updated. List all changes, its benefits, and the reason behind it.
What has not changed – state any product features that were not updated and the reasons behind it. Reasons could be lack of time, information, resources, etc.
What to do – state what has to be done for the new version to take effect or to function.
What not to do – state what should not be done. This item should be red flagged to indicate damaging, unsafe, hazardous, etc. elements.
What should be displayed – apply Images (of new items or functions), figures (of new items), charts (of new items and benefits), grids for comparison and bulleted items. Bulleted items help to state details within explanations for easier viewing.
Release Notes are needed to provide information on what items were changed and how to operate and use the new or modified versions of a product. They help to maintain organization and to manage operations within any industry.
If you have created release notes and have more to add, please leave a comment. Thank you.
Whether you are training, leading a meeting, or giving a formal presentation, effective speaking is more than just “telling.” It is also about making sure your listeners get the message you intend.
To be sure your listeners understand and remember what you have said, select from these strategies, depending on the situation and your comfort level:
Ask rhetorical questions. This is attention-getting, often easy and non-threatening, and makes them think. You also have the advantage of being able to read the room.
Ask for a show of hands. Again, easy to do, easy to get involved, and gives you immediate feedback. There is also a certain power in seeing hands go up all around you in a room.
Ask open ended questions. These questions are designed to elicit discussion. Plan them ahead of time. Start with easy-to-answer questions before asking challenging ones.
Ask them to team up and summarize what they heard. Teams of two or tables of ten can use this technique. You could ask them to make a flipchart and present it to the rest of the listeners.
Begin a discussion. Ask them to tell their seat partner what they heard or what they think about what you just said. Quick and easy, this is also an energizer.
Walk and talk. Before a break, assign teams to take a walk during the break and discuss a question or problem you have posted by the door or on a slide. They can all work on the same issue, or you can assign them different discussion questions, then when they return, ask them to summarize their discussions.
Ask them a question or pose a problem that requires them to apply what you just said. This is particularly helpful when the subject matter is applied to their worlds, such as “What would you do if…..”
Ask them to solve a problem. Again, be sure it applies to their situation or their work. This is great when they are learning a new process, or when you want to keep them engaged.
Ask them to guess what happened, or what the solution was. This turns your example into a case study and is a great way to engage listeners in real learning. You can also find out if and where they get stuck, and then walk them through the solution.
Ask them to provide an example as a case study. Be specific about what you are asking so that you get an example that is illustrative of your content. Be sure to get the whole group brainstorming solutions.
Ask them to teach part of the content. Toward the end of a meeting or training session, assign parts of the content and have people teach it back or review it for the rest of the listeners. Again you will have a chance to correct misinformation or fill in any blanks as needed.
Give them a quick quiz or test. Letting listeners know there will be a quiz at the end is generally a great motivator for them to listen well. In addition, it is a chance to see how well they have learned the content, and can act as a review and reinforcement.
Communication can exist across all ages despite challenges. Communication can be made easier through collaboration. Communication and collaboration between older and younger (millennium) generations is needed from both parties for transferring knowledge. The millenniums have more technical knowledge and patience to teach the elderly. The elderly have more life experience in businesses and in years that can be shared with millenniums. How do we get communication and collaboration between the two different age groups?
Meet
There are many groups that meet to discuss and share information in all subject areas. People find each other through the internet to meet those with similar interests. The same methodology should be applied in businesses.
Example 1
Senior Centers want to have educational classes for senior citizens on how to use mobile devices and how to create a document on their computer. To accomplish this, the Senior Center could search out schools that can help. The result can be gatherings where high school seniors show senior citizens how to operate their new mobile devices and how to work with an application. Both parties benefit. Senior citizens get to learn as well as share their life stories and students gain experience and knowledge from working with others and/or earn extra credit. No matter how it is initiated (email, phone, etc.), communication and collaboration brings the two groups together for a positive outcome.
Example 2
A new training manual has to be created. What should it entail? Like above, technical writers should follow the same approach for communicating and collaborating to gather information for content building. Technical writers need to email or search out a group composed of varying ages. Why? Because new millennium ideas plus senior experience can add up to creating, e.g., a new design, mindset, or plan. Having a mixed age group allows everyone to share how one learned previously, how one learns now, and how one wishes to learn. With this type of meeting, information and ideas can flow easily between the different age groups. With collaboration, understanding, and agreements, a new way of creating and presenting training content should manifest.
Working Together
Listening – For everyone to work collectively, ensure that everyone is willing to listen to each other. Keep the meeting orderly and make sure everyone has a chance to speak. Information or opinions from one age group may be in conflict from another age group. But, if they listen to each other and there is understanding without defensive interactions, then goals can be reached. Listening = Learning; both are important.
Learning – Have top leaders communicate the importance of learning for all employees throughout the organization by creating a learning environment
Whatever the goal, theme, or agenda of an intended meeting, the interaction of different age groups can be beneficial and present something new.
If you have other methods for gathering information between varying age groups, please leave a comment. Thank you.
To be a good communicator, a technical writer provides accurate, reliable, valuable information within documents. Once all information has been gathered, how do you begin to organize it all? You have been jotting down all your notes into a book or a document. How do you de-clutter and pick only the most relevant information that needs to be communicated? Here are some ideas.
Classify It
Arrange the data into groupings or categories.
Within all your information, if there is one subject that constantly stands out, make that a category, and group all appropriate notes into that category.
Simple examples of categories could be ‘Procedures’, ‘Graphics’, ‘Reports’, etc. You could also just group all your ‘Red flags’ into one category and add it to an Appendix.
If no topic stands out, then take one piece of information and see if you can build upon it with related notes that have been taken. In other words, start small and build upon it. Put a category name to this group of information, such as ‘Background Information’ or ‘Must Know Information’ and create an Addendum section.
For information that you cannot group within any category, create a Miscellaneous grouping. You can add this information to the end of the document as an Appendix or Supplemental section, or it may not be needed at all. But in any case, do not automatically delete it as it may become useful later.
Organize It
Consolidate and organize the categories.
Arrange and organize the above categories by topic or subject matter into a logical sequence. These can be your paragraph lead-ins or your section headings.
Build your content within the groupings to create the document.
Analyze your content to make sure it is valuable and beneficial.
Create more than one document, i.e., one for managers, one for users, and/or one for developers, marketing, etc., if needed.
Manage It
Ensure that there are no ‘oops’ in your information.
Delete any out-of-date or obsolete data. Ensure that your data is accurate and precise.
Collaborate to ensure notification of any pending or possible changes. Hence, be flexible and monitor all your incoming information for updates.
More importantly, make sure you are more than familiar with the product or application you are writing about to ensure continuous accuracy.
Create a reference sheet (a useful collection of convenient and relevant information on one page) to direct readers to the appropriate document and its location. Manage and organize it for easy accessibility for all those that will need the completed document.
Notes:
Readability – ensure that the document reads clearly, smoothly, meaningfully and without any inconsistencies or ambiguities.
Document the procedure used to de-clutter your notes for future usage.
If you use other methods to de-clutter your notes, please leave a comment. Thank you.
Do you ever get tongue-tied when you speak? Have trouble thinking of the right words to make your point? It’s frustrating when you can’t automatically find the right words. Let’s think about why that happens, and how you can build more fluency in your speech.
First, consider the redundancy in word choices. When you are planning to say “consider,” there are many similar words you could use instead. For example:
Ponder
Contemplate
Muse
Think about
Noodle
Imagine
Picture
The trouble is, which of these words will you use? After all, they mean almost the same thing. But since there are sight differences in tone and meaning, you might prefer to use one word more than another. When we are writing, we consider our words carefully, and then select the exact word that conveys our meaning, nuance and intent. We review it and edit if we discover a better way to say it.
It’s different when we speak. We can’t always capture the exact words we want at the exact moment we want them. We can’t always remember the words we rehearsed so carefully. The more we search for the right words, the more frustrated we become, which makes us struggle even more. We can’t edit like we do in writing, so whatever words come to mind will often have to do.
So how can we find the right words when we speak, and come up with them quickly enough? Here are some tips to help you build verbal fluency.
Slow down slightly. We think many times faster than we speak. This means you will have time to think of the words you want, as long as you don’t rush or panic.
Accept imperfection. Recognize that you won’t be as word-perfect when speaking as you might like. It just doesn’t work that way. Take the good-enough word rather than struggling for the best one. As long as the word is similar, and the meaning is clear, your listener won’t usually care which words you chose, and they won’t even necessarily know what words you planned to say.
Suspend judgment. If you feel foolish or embarrassed because you can’t think of the perfect word, you will lose focus and confidence. The best reaction is to move forward, forget your stumble, and focus on what you are saying instead of feeling uncomfortable.
Rehearse out loud. Rehearsing in your head is convenient, but it’s not the same as rehearsing out loud. Rehearsing out loud trains your brain in a different way, and it seems to help the words flow. As you rehearse, try stating the same content using different words, so that you don’t get too hung up on a particular word or phrase. If something trips you up, you have time to find a substitute words.
Focus. Often we are distracted when we speak by trying to remember the right words. Stay as focused as you can on the meaning you are conveying, not the words, and trust that the words will come as you need them—especially if you have rehearsed out loud. Focus on one thought at a time instead of thinking of what is coming next.
Pause. If you need to pause to gather your thoughts while you are speaking, so be it. The pause may seem inordinately long, but in most cases, it is not a problem.
That’s it. Take these steps starting today and see how quickly your fluency improves.
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