Category: Advertising & PR

_____Be present. Listening well requires your full attention. You truly can’t listen well while checking email, reading a report, or texting. If it is important to listen, then stop what you are doing and listen fully. Good listening doesn’t allow for multitasking

_____Pay attention to what you are hearing. What is the person speaking really saying? Why? What words are they using? How sure are they about what they are saying? Is this something you expected to hear? Are they being factual or emotional?

_____Listen between and beyond the words. What is the tone of voice of the speaker? What is the expression on their face? What does their body language tell you? Look for congruency between what they are saying and how they are expressing it non-verbally. For example, if the person says everything is fine, but their body language is closed and their face looks sad, there may well be more to the story, or else something else is going on.

_____Don’t prepare your reply while listening. It is oh-so-tempting to prepare your argument or next comments while you are listening, but this negates your ability to stay focused on listening. If you catch yourself thinking about what you want to say, try to stop and return to listening.

_____Be sure you can hear. Have you ever sat in a crowded restaurant or coffee shop and found it nearly impossible to hear your companion? If you can’t hear, how well can you listen? If the conversation is important, find a quiet space without interruptions or noise.

_____Maximize phone conversations. If the conversation happens by phone, be sure you have a good connection. It is difficult to listen well when phone coverage is cutting in and out during a conversation. Can you pull over so you can listen fully? I recommend it highly! I also recommend having a closed door when you are having a conference call meeting so you won’t be distracted by other people popping in to ask you a question, or other activities going on around you.

_____Find a private place. Having a performance conversation or even a development conversation where someone else can hear it is the kiss of death for the listener. These conversations need to be help in private. If you don’t have an office you can go to, could you use the cafeteria at a very quiet time of day? Or a local coffee shop? I know of some cases in which workers that needed to find a quiet place for a phone conversation ended up sitting in their cars for privacy and focus.

_____Be OK with criticism. To avoid defensiveness, even if you are hearing criticism, listen for the kernels of truth in the comments. Ask yourself if the person has your best interest at heart. If yes, listen with an open mind. Remind yourself that feedback is a gift. We don’t like every gift we receive, but we should try to accept it gracefully. We can decide later what to do with it.

_____Don’t let your reaction derail you. Usually it’s OK to postpone your reaction and ask for the discussion to be tabled until you can sort things out. Sometimes we get pressured to have an immediate answer, but unless it is an emergency situation, you do have the right to ask for a continuation. That said, if your boss or client wants an answer now, you could provide a preliminary answer while reserving the right to adjust it once you have all the information or time to think it through.

_____Paraphrase, don’t parrot. Once in a while it helps to mirror back what you are hearing. It can help the speaker by hearing his or her words reflected back. Instead of repeating back word for word what was just said, try putting it in your own words, or summarizing. Just don’t exaggerate or minimize the impact of what the other person is saying, rather, try to reflect accurately the tone and emotion behind their words.

_____Listen without judging. Once you have made up your mind about what the person is telling you, it is easy to stop listening. Instead, consciously suspend judgment so you can continue to listen. Once you start telling the other person what you think of what they said, you are no longer in listening mode, but in telling mode.

_____Don’t interrupt or talk over the other person. This is rude and can be distracting to someone who may be struggling to share something with you. We think faster than we speak, so use this time to think about what they are saying, not what you want to say.

_____Encourage the speaker. Eye contact, full attention, nodding and words like “go on” and “tell me more” go a long way to keeping you in listening mode and the speaker in speaking mode. If you need to ask a question, be sure it stays “on track” and is meant simply to clarify or to encourage. Open ended questions are usually best if you want to keep the other person talking.

It is said that listening takes up the greatest part of our communication time during our work day. Make the most of your listening time by being a more skillful, mindful listener. It will pay off in clearer communication and better relationships.

Some Technical Writers like to use numbers in dividing up sections within a document and some do not. Some documents require it and some do not. What method is best?

Sequencing information by using numerals or alphabetical letters:

• ensures that the reader follows precise directions,
• makes the content easier to read, and
• makes it easier to find information if the material is being referenced
• keeps lengthy documents organized – when combining alphabets and numbers.

In general:

• use numbers to emphasize step by step instructions
• use alphabets for sequencing of sections or subsections
• use numbers and alphabets to see a hierarchical picture of the information

What is best to use depends on your user and what they are used to seeing. Make it useful for the target audience.

For:

• very short documents, numbering nor alphabetical listings may not be needed. You may just need to state the procedure within a heading, and then list the steps using bullets.
• extensively long documents, the table of contents should give a break down by topic. Within each topic, use either numbers, alphabets, or both.
• other documents, rely on your style guide. Every organization has a different set of rules that they follow and they should be noted within the style guide.

The medium:

The medium used to communicate your content has to also be considered when you are deciding on employing the use of numbering or alphabetical sequencing – will the content will be produced as hard-copies, online, or in particular formats.

• If it is online, how will the target audience view the material?
• If it is printed, will the material be presented within a familiar format?
• If it is presented as a pdf, will the audience be accustomed to reading a pdf?

To make it easier for your readers to consume documents, note the following:

• For online documents – be sure to add links so that the user can return to the table of contents or the beginning of a chapter or topic. Having links combined with numbers and/or alphabets within headings and sub headings allow the reader to know where they are within the document – especially if it is lengthy.
• For documents such as pdfs – use numbering, alphabets, or none at all. Normally, a pdf paper is not that long and does not require any kind of sequencing method. Of course, there are always exceptions such as when a book is published as a pdf. For those special cases, then a table of contents is used to let the reader know where they are within the book.
• For printed documents – either use numbers and/or alphabets or both depending on the length of the material.

In the end, the key is consistency and usability. If you can answer what works best for your target audience, then that is the technique you should be applying in your documents.

If you have a preference for using either numbers or alphabets or both in documents, please leave a comment.

Save Your Child from Financial Failure

It’s no secret that America’s children are growing up in a society dominated by media and advertising. But do we fully understand the power these messages have over our children, and how drastically it affects their financial future, even the very quality of their lives?

In this post, we’ll consider:

• How manipulative advertising targets children
• The powerful emotional appeal to BUY has them hooked
• “Immediate gratification” is introduced at a tender age
• Advertisements influence toddlers, then escalate with each target age

And how advertisers contribute to financial crisis in the US:

• Little to no “Financial Literacy” training is offered to help you combat this effect
• Credit card offers now target students – and they are issued
• So the debt cycle begins in teens
• A looming financial crisis in America is a top issue nationally

Manipulative Advertising & Your Child

Every day, our children absorb thousands of manipulative advertising and promotional messages. From the very first time they watch television, we unwittingly expose them to highly sophisticated techniques that entice our children to yearn for the products these advertisers offer.

Marketing geniuses aggressively establish their influence in every territory of our children’s lives, infiltrating everything from their classrooms to their sports. Advertisers know that the younger they reach children, the more powerfully they shape their values and influence their buying patterns. We’ve seen cases in which a child’s very self-esteem is so wrapped up in possessing the product of the moment that he is willing to commit a crime, even murder, to have it. So enormously powerful is the influence of marketing and the advertisers.

Credit is Now Widely Available to Children

A natural evolution of this frightening trend is, arguably, even more alarming – the wide availability of credit. Consumer lenders widely target our youth as a fresh market. Kids are thrilled to get their own credit cards, but generally have no clue to the dangers. At a time when our children are ideally ‘starting out’ in life, as they graduate from college, they are already saddled with an average of $4100 in consumer credit card debt. Thus begins the “debt cycle” that will likely burden them for the rest of their lives.

Advertisers Contribute Mightily to the Debt Cycle

Advertisers brainwash us to spend every extra dollar on the latest electronic gadget, hottest clothing, trendiest vacation spot, coolest boat, finest jewelry, etc. We are an immediate gratification society. Not only do we desire to make these extravagant, even grandiose, purchases, but the American credit system actually makes it EASY for us to afford them on a monthly basis.

What happened to the days of simply paying cash? A short generation ago, if we didn’t have the cash, then we knew we couldn’t afford it. But not so today. Americans have become quite accustomed to abdicating this responsibility by letting creditors decide whether or not we can afford something. We apply for credit everywhere, from the toy store to the furniture store, and all places in between. If the creditor looks at our financial situation and decides that we can swing the monthly payment, then they determine that we can afford it. They grant us credit, thereby allowing us to go even deeper into debt.

The Debt Cycle Continues

Oftentimes, our monthly payments on consumer debts barely cover the monthly interest charges, leaving the vast majority of the principle balance hanging over our heads. If we ring up additional new charges, our debt level deepens even further. And even though we might have good intentions, most of us never quite manage to make additional payments to reduce the principle balance. So we find ourselves loaded to the gills with debt and monthly payments. This is how we unconsciously allow creditors to keep us in the debt cycle.

How many of us are locked in to our jobs in order to earn a significant income that supports our monthly debt payments? In this society, with layoffs so prevalent AND UNPREDICTABLE, we live in fear of losing a job we may actually hate. We have actually lost the freedom to choose. This cycle will easily continue for our entire lifetime.

The Debt Cycle is Financial Failure

What will happen to us in our “twilight years”, when we want to retire, but can’t, because we are burdened with debt payments every month? The harsh reality is that we’ll lose the ability to retire. If the American Dream is financial freedom, then the debt cycle is financial failure.

Save Your Child from Financial Failure

As a parent, one of the most important things you can do for your child is to save him from financial failure. Teach your child to combat the powerful influence of advertisers and avoid the debt cycle.

If you finished reading this post, others will too, so take 5 seconds (!) to share on Facebook, Twitter or your favorite social scoop. Thanks!

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 brand, attract their Target Audience, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert them into Buyers. You can reach her via email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com. Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

• Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/AmazonTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur
• Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BNTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur

Presenting? Don’t obsess over how to stand and move in order to project confidence; follow these guidelines and you will look—and feel confident when you speak.

1. Stand tall from the ribcage; this looks confident–strong yet relaxed. Keep your head straight but not rigid.
2. Plant your feet, weight distributed evenly between both feet and place your feet just a little apart for balance.
3. Don’t rock, sway, or shift from foot to foot. Instead, try to balance on both feet for a position that signals confidence and control without rigidity.
4. Stand in the center of the front of the room for your opening, move every 2-3 minutes or at the start of each new topic, then return to center for a strong close.
5. Like to move around? Try this: move from point A to point B deliberately, then stop and plant your feet again.
6. Stand still or move? Standing frozen in place; not good. Pacing; not good. Try to achieve a balance between stillness and movement
7. Still not sure? Ask someone to video record your presentation (or a rehearsal) and then watch it to see if you move too much or too little.

How do you interview for a technical writing position? It’s not only bringing samples of your work, it’s also being able to communicate about how you created your documents. Go through the following checklist to be prepared:

Knowledge – Speak about:

• Tools or applications that you have worked with or that you are familiar with – for creating the various documents, including querying, database, info graphic, testing tools, etc.
• Any courses you have taken to improve your skills – including communication, organization, management, training, designing, testing, etc.
• Any relevant background information that qualifies you for the type of position you are interviewing for – such as being familiar with the industry terminology, i.e., pharmaceutical, manufacturing industries.
• What interests you about the industry, position, and why.
• How you can help the organization – elaborate on some ideas you may have.
• What knowledge and experience you are bringing to the organization that they don’t have.
• Your desire to learn and to share information.

Documents produced – Speak about:

• The benefits of the documents you have produced – their accuracy, usefulness, formatting, consistency, relevancy, importance, etc.
• How you decided to design and organize the document – what tools were used, who you were writing for, the length, formatting, features, etc.
• How you would begin to create a document – via mapping, outline, etc.
• Whether or not you’d do anything different within the document samples you are sharing with them.
• All the different forms of documents you have produced – for users, training, requirements, specifications, testing requirements, style guides, operating procedures, process flows, diagrams, etc.

Getting the information – Speak about:

• How you were able to get the information to create the document – finding your SME’s, interviewing, speaking with others, etc.
• The individuals (clients, users, management, etc.) that you met with to get the information.
• The types of questions you asked to gather specific types of information.
• The meetings you created or attended to gather information, requirements, etc.
• Any research you had to perform.

Collaboration – Speak about:

• Your ability to cooperate and work with others – your interpersonal skills, flexibility, patience, being a good listener, being to work under deadlines and pressure, etc.
• Your sensitivity skills – understanding about confidentiality and propriety work that may need to be produced.
• Being able to work independently – knowing how to get started and knowing what to do.

Other suggestions:

• You can create a blog and have some of your writings displayed there if there are too many samples to bring to an interview. This will display your confidence and assuredness of your work.
• You can also create a video if the positions calls for training capabilities – this will display how you handle yourself as a presenter and within a group situation.
• One important factor is being able to speak about you, why you want the position, how you enjoy sharing information, being a great communicator, listener, analyzer, and how you enjoy working within the organizations environment. To paint a clear picture of the organization’s environment and philosophy, research the company before you go for the position. Practice the above suggestions and be able to speak about each of the items so that you will be relaxed and prepared.

How have you prepared for a technical writing interview?

5 Best Practice Marketing Tips from an Online Giant

Watch this (and TWEET about this astounding Amazon Prime Air Video.)

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Click this link to view Amazon footage from a Prime Air drone test flight (Use the Back Button to return to this page.)

The Inspired Marketing of Amazon Prime Air

The online giant Amazon.com does it again with gorilla marketing & PR tactics. I invite you to take a closer look at the reviews and marketing “take-aways” offered by industry gurus. This campaign looks clean & professional BUT DOES AMAZON’S CEO HAVE ULTERIOR MOTIVES? Some suspect so.

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Amazon Prime Air’s Launch

The video you watched (above) was originally imbedded on the Amazon page above. The creators of this page use lots of ‘best practice’ promotional tactics, starting with:

• announcing the drone’s launch with excitement: “We’re excited” are the very first 2 words.
• using share buttons in the lower left corner. These days, you’ve gotta have them on EVERY post, pdf, web page – everywhere.
• using short promotional copy. Readers really only scan. Really. (See how I bold the key points?)
• offering imbed links – HTML code – for visitors to use in their blog.
• linking to more content on their site: The supportive FAA letter, and even cross-selling job openings with Amazon Air.

CBS’ 60 Minutes’ Charlie Rose interviewed Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. In its world debut, he revealed the astounding new delivery service. According to Bezos, Amazon Prime Air will send customers their 4-5 pound packages within 30 minutes after they click the Buy button. His “optimistic” estimate to 60 Minutes was that Prime Air will be available to customers within 4 to 5 years.

NOT JUST great marketing tactics?

While it looks unassuming, with standard promotional elements, the launch could be hiding a much bigger, more urgent strategy for Amazon’s stakeholders. The parties involved? Everyone AT THE TOP, including the CEO. Could the Board be involved?

According to a post on HubSpot, “these drones were not designed to carry packages, but to give a lift to Amazon’s image. For one thing, today (12/2/13, the day after this 60 Minutes episode aired) is Cyber Monday, the day when everyone goes shopping online. Amazon somehow got CBS and 60 Minutes to create a 14-minute free ad spot for Amazon on the eve of this huge shopping day.”

“Did Amazon control the timing of the story and insist that the piece must run on the night before Cyber Monday? Was this a condition of the deal in exchange for getting access to Bezos? I think you’d be naive to believe otherwise, but who knows? Maybe it was just a lucky coincidence.

Another factor at work

“But there’s another factor at work here. Bezos and Amazon are still reeling from the recent publication of a not entirely flattering book by BusinessWeek reporter Brad Stone. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon portrays Bezos as a ruthless tyrant and a “penny-pinching ball buster,” as Gawker put it.

As soon as the book came out, Amazon swung into action trying to discredit Stone. Jeff Bezos’s wife MacKenzie Bezos published a scathing negative review of the book (on Amazon, of course) in which she claims the work contains “numerous factual inaccuracies.” Craig Berman, VP of Global Communications at Amazon, issued his own statement blasting the book and criticizing Stone for not making an effort to get his facts right.

Amazon is usually “tight-lipped”

“This is a very big deal. Amazon PR typically doesn’t say anything to anyone. They’re the most tight-lipped bunch in the business, right up there with Apple. Suddenly they were all over the place. Worse, the spin campaign didn’t work. Stone’s book became a best-seller, and even won the prestigious Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year award.

Depressing? Or Brilliant?

“Those of us who work in marketing should offer a tip of the cap to our peers at Amazon. These marketers just couped a major TV network and got 60 Minutes, a legendary investigative journalism program, to carry their water for them and help bury a book that contains some serious, and critical, journalism. Depending on your point of view, that’s either incredibly depressing or incredibly brilliant. Maybe both.”

Bravo! For more detail on one person’s opinion, access the full story.

If you finished reading this post, others will too, so please take 5 seconds (!) to share on Facebook, Twitter or your favorite social scoop. Thanks!

Use the following HTML code to imbed this video in your Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn posts:

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/98BIu9dpwHU?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

.. _____ ..

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 brand, attract their Target Audience, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert them into Buyers. You can reach her via email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com. Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

• Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/AmazonTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur
• Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/BNTheWebPoweredEntrepreneur

 

Ah the angst–what do you do with your hands. We rarely wonder about them until we stand up to speak and then suddenly it’s all we can think about. In our pockets? Locked up tight? Behind our backs? No, no and no. In case you are wondering, here are the things you should be doing.

1. You can have your hands relaxed near your waist, at your sides, or loosely in a steeple. All these are considered “neutral” positions.
2. Let yourself gesture naturally, and then let your hands go back to a relaxed or resting position.
3. You can also look and feel a bit more relaxed by holding a remote slide clicker. You do have one, don’t you?
4. For great gestures; the gesture comes with the thought, and then the words catch up. So don’t force a gesture, just let it happen naturally.
5. Observe yourself (and others) to see if you gesture a lot or a little. For most people a mix of gesturing and stillness is best.

It’s really not that difficult. Keep your hands relaxed and natural, and then forget about them and focus on your listeners.

 

 

We have mentioned previously how to communicate priorities, but how do Technical Writers organize their own priorities? Prioritizing, listing items from the most important to the least important, can be a daunting task. Sometimes you can recognize and know right away what the priority is and sometimes not. When it comes to work priorities, how do we organize it? We can learn what needs to be done first from prior meetings and we can also consider other items such as the following:

• Check out your project plan(s); use it as your guideline. See where you currently stand with the noted tasks. If a new project is assigned, see how and where you can make changes to meet new goals or priorities. Make sure you know whether or not you can really fit it into your schedule. Examine all the timelines and resources as well.
• Make sure you have all the correct schedules for resources and availability. Without this information, you will not be able to complete a task.
• Be aware of your company goals. Knowing the direction the company is moving towards can at times help you set your priorities.
• Make a list. You can break the list down into different categories followed by various project phases or stages to see a clearer picture.
• Divide the priority list by drawing a line and setting the higher priorities above the line. Sort these. Depending on what works the best for you, complete the simplest to the most difficult task or vice versa.
• Have a meeting and find out what is the most important task to accomplish within each phase of a project.
• Create a mapping with the different tasks to see how priority outcomes would be reached.
• Set up a hierarchy to see which goals need to be reached first.

What do you do when you have competing priorities for deliverables and resources?

• The first item on the agenda is a meeting of all parties involved and follow suggestions from the previous article on communicating priorities in order to let all involved know what is on your agenda.
• Create phases of a deliverable so that you have all the resources you need to complete development of all priorities. Once phases are assigned, make sure everyone has ownership of what they have to do.
• Try to make use of any resources you have to help.
• Set up a matrix of roles and responsibilities and ensure everyone involved is aware of its existence so that no resources can be suddenly taken away.

Finally,

• Stay on top of the priorities to make sure no changes occur.
• Stay informed as to what else is happening within the organization so that you stay ahead of the game and can make adjustments quickly without missing the delivery date. Stay in control.
• Set up a calendar for yourself and for others to see.
• Be assertive about no more changes if re-prioritizing seems to be in the future.

Once your priority listing is completed, document the process you followed and make it reusable. Do not assume anything. Make sure you have all the facts and figures when setting priorities.

What process have you used to set up or organize priorities?

Are you ever tentative about speaking in front of others? Do you fear you will make a mistake or look foolish? Do you ever worry that people will disagree with you? If so, it’s possible that you aren’t completely committed to your own communication. Before you lead another meeting, sales call, presentation or training session, read on about how to “own” your next speaking engagement:

1. Are you passionate about the topic? Or at least excited? If you aren’t sold, it will be a very long day at the lectern.
2. Instead of worrying about yourself, focus on what you are giving your audience.
3. Remind yourself this is your presentation, you are prepared, and you know your content.
4. You have a good plan; stick with it and speak with confidence.
5. Don’t second guess yourself or try to speak like your boss would.
6. Move past self-consciousness by focusing on the audience, the content, your breath.
7. It’s not about you; it’s about your ability to connect.
8. It’s not about you; it’s about your audience and your ability to give them something of value. Focus on what you are bringing, not how they are reacting.
9. You won’t be perfect no matter what; just do your best. Made a mistake? Move on.
10. Monitor sabotaging self-talk that says you aren’t good enough; you are!

What do you think? Are you ready to “own it?”

How do Technical Writers communicate their priorities? Priorities are needed to accomplish goals and to make sure important tasks get completed. Once priorities are established, they help us to be organized and to define what has to be done and in what order. Sometimes you can recognize and know right away what the priority is (i.e., data security). But what if there is so much work that you cannot determine the priority? Many organizations are fast-pace moving. How can Technical Writers keep up and prioritize?

Meetings

• Attend all the meetings that you can to remain in the loop. This way you can see what is coming in the future and be prepared for it. When you begin to see what and how much is coming down the pipeline, then create your own meeting.
• Have a meeting with all managers and stakeholders; communicate and collaborate. Take advantage of this meeting and set up an agenda of what has to be discussed to help in examining and arranging priorities.
• From this meeting, see what others think of your self-determined priorities – do they agree or disagree – discuss it. Try to get them to see your viewpoint and/or compromise.
• Provide at the meeting a list of issues that might prevent certain priorities (i.e., cost, resources, etc.).
• Discuss what the company goal is. This can help in deciding what project should be priority.
• Review prior projects. (This is one of the reasons to have post mortems at the end of projects.) From accessing previous projects, see if you can pinpoint what was learned. See how you could have accomplished the end more quickly, more easily, or with better results. This is where you find out what went right and what went wrong. This can help in setting priorities by knowing what should come next.
• Visually display a mapping to show how possible tasks can be accomplished simultaneously to meet goals.
• Discuss the option of setting up phases of development to accomplish tasks or the option of reusing a portion of some previous, e.g., application or document, to complete a particular task.

Get Feedback

• Take a survey and see what others think about the different tasks that need to get accomplished.
• Meet with stakeholders and discuss the feedback.
• Find out why the stakeholders believe their project should be top priority.

Stay Informed

Finally, stay informed as to what else is happening within the organization so that you stay ahead of the game and can make adjustments quickly without missing the delivery date.

• Stay in control of the life cycle of each project; especially if it is a priority.
• Be assertive about no more changes if re-prioritizing seems to be in the future.
• Document the process involved for communicating priorities. See if you can make it simpler and reusable.
• Set up a calendar for yourself and for others to see; keep others in the loop.
• Keep your own calendar up-to-date.

What process have you used to handle priorities?