Curating content is defined as selecting, organizing, and presenting content, mostly for online use, either for searching or marketing, or actually any form of business or profession. How do you curate and communicate your content? How do you provide information smoothly and quickly?
First you have to select it, then organize it and make it presentable. It has to be valuable, accurate, and searchable. As with writing the content, you need to:
Know the target audience.
Ensure that the content is reusable and relevant.
And depending on the system being developed, note if the content is to be classified or confidential and design accordingly.
To get started:
Locate templates and models to give you some ideas as to how the architecture of the content should be established; getting started to build a system is not an easy task.
Group and categorize the content (e.g., by project or types of documents or by videos, diagrams, etc.) for easy access. Organizing them is not the only key to having a good searchable structure or system. Know what you want your system to present, to be able to do or to provide.
The content also has to be formatted in such a way as to be visually presentable and easy to use. Getting the right look and feel of the system will not only make it more appealing, but more useable as well.
Find where existing content is being stored and then decide on not only the (possibly) new location (cloud, database, etc.) of the system, but how content will now be stored and also who will be in charge of the content and the processes involved in creating and maintaining the system.
Again as always, if this is a global company, translation processes need to also be considered.
To ensure that the content is valuable, visualize a user needing access to the content. Develop some scenarios and make sure the framework is suitable for the user. You can also mail out a survey or questionnaire and gather needed information. You might want to say you are setting up a test case. Find out what users want in the searchable system. Once you have a prototype, have users try it out and see where adjustments need to be made.
Also, note the costs that need to be considered in maintaining the content. The above are only a few of the many things that have to be considered. There are resources and packages available that can be of assistance, but you need to know what you want and need for curating content.
Don’t forget that once a system is established, plan ahead and create contingent plans for any unexpected delays and bottlenecks, and ensure that all problems can and will be resolved. To ensure the system is working well, set up a tracking system and always get some feedback to its functionality.
If you have are involved with curating content, please leave a comment as to what has to be considered before developing a curated system and your experiences.
Your competition knows how to rise to the top. Here’s a quick guide to getting the attention of the search engines and your target customer who is searching online. According to PRWeb.com, if you follow these tips you’ll have a professional, concise and powerful news release.
Headline
Get your readers’ attention here. Provide information but don’t use more than 60 characters. Most importantly, use your best keywords in the headline. Write your headline and summary last to be sure you include the most important keywords and information captured from the release.
Summary
Your job in the summary is to entice your reader to want to know more. Give a synopsis of the contents and a brief description of your business and the information you’re sharing. Use keywords! Make sure you announce your company’s name within the headline, summary or first few paragraphs so you immediately link the information with your organization.
Dateline & Lead Paragraph
FORMAT: City, State & Day, Month, Year PLUS the most important information you want to announce. Grab your reader’s attention here by simply stating the news you have to announce. Ideally, keep it down to 25 words or less. Best practices are to keep the lead paragraph compelling and simple, and remember to use a keyword.
The lead and first paragraph of a press release announces what you have to say, providing answers to as many of the critical “who, what, when, where, why (your reader should care) and how” questions that are relevant to your story.
Body
Now’s your chance to tell your story. And, like any news story, the purpose is to provide your reader with information. Remember to keep your tone neutral and objective—like a newscaster, NOT an advertisement. In 300-800 words, elaborate on who, what, when, where, why and how (include keywords!) The media typically lifts this information if they pick up or reference your release.
Add details to your story that support your claim, add interest, or reinforce what you are trying to say. These can include quotes from key staff, customers or subject matter experts, statistics, charts, etc.
Boilerplate Statement
In the press release world, this is typically your “About the Company” sentence. Be sure to use hyperlinks to your website.
Contact Info
Contact information provides the media and everyone else interested in what you have to say a way to reach you. It should include your company name, telephone number, website, and an email address.
The Finish
When you’ve finished writing, proofread for typos and do a final check to make sure it’s clear, timely and free of advertising hype, direct marketing and spam. Do this a few times and it becomes second nature.
For these pointers, we thank PRWeb.com, an online news release distribution service.
For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.
.. _____ ..
ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:
Ms. Chapman’s new book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is now available at:
Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. She helps 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 @ LisaChapman.com
So much has been written about how to craft a speech or presentation, and much of it is conflicting. Do you need a separate opening, in addition to your key message? Do you start with your key message, or end with it? It is a seven-part process, or a three part process? Do you need to write everything down, or can you create an outline? What about a sketch or a mind map? No wonder so many people get frustrated and basically give up on creating compelling content. It is so much easier to create a handful (or more) of slides and then follow them.
All that may be true, but if you simply follow your slides, there is a very good chance you will read from them. There is also a good chance you will fail to ace two of the key parts of your talk—the opening and the closing. These are the areas of the presentation that engage and persuade the audience. And the parts that drive home your most essential message. If you skip them and jump right into the content—which so many speakers do—you may very well lose the chance to connect your audience with the content and convince them of your message.
So let’s take a look at the separate parts of the presentation, and be sure we understand exactly why they are needed, and how we might put them together for a terrific presentation or speech. Please note that even the most informal talks do better when you follow this format. With a little planning and practice it will become your “go to” structure.
Opening and key message
Why?
A strong start with a key message provide context, a reason for listening.
A strong start builds your confidence, even as it captures and directs your audience’s attention.
A strong start connects you with your audience, and them to your message.
How?
Start with a one-sentence overview. This is your key message. It should be short enough to say in one breath. It should be the one thing you want your audience to take away. If you could only say one sentence, this would be it.
Write it down. Say it out loud. If it is just “in your head” it could be very vague or “slippery.” If you can write it down or say it out loud, then you know it is a message, not just a thought.
Content or Body of Presentation
Why?
The message needs the evidence or proof that only the body of the presentation can provide. As a standalone, it may be intriguing, but it probably lacks substance.
The body must be organized and clear. This is where you lay out your case, and you want to follow a logical structure.
The body should strike a balance between being too detailed and too broad. Be sure you think through your time frame, your audience, and the nature of this content. How detailed does it need to be? How simple can it be? If it is too detailed, the audience may fade. If it is too broad, they will get bored and possibly insulted.
The body should strike a balance between facts and feelings. Depending again on content and the makeup of the audience members, you will want to include not just facts, but some kind of emotional appeal. If you tend to lean on emotional appeal, be sure to balance that with solid facts and figures.
How?
Include pertinent, updated facts and findings. I recently found a great statistic I wanted to use, until I discovered the research was over ten years old. No good. Also consider the sources of the statistics you use; will they be credible with your audience?
Include humor, stories, examples, case studies, and discussion questions. Get your audience talking with each other to whatever degree seems appropriate. Get them to do something with you or each other, even if it is as simple as answering your “quiz” questions or raising a hand.
Humor is great but don’t feel you must tell a joke. Instead, use a personal anecdote or reaction. Blend it into your content; don’t make a big issue of it.
Closing/repeat of key message/call to action
Why?
A great closing builds your confidence and lets you end with power and punch, not a whimper.
A great closing drives the main message home. We need to hear things more than once, especially the things that it is important to remember.
A great closing creates a satisfying sense of closure. Imagine going to a concert or a play and wondering “is it over?” Great experiences come with a resounding close.
A great closing includes a reminder of where you started, which improves recall of your key message, and a call to action can take advantage of an emotional high at the end.
How?
Repeat or rephrase your key message one last time. Make it be the first and the last thing your audience hears.
If you have a call to action, state it here and say it strong. “Call today. Get started now. Remember to sign up.” These are clear calls to action.
Plan and rehearse your closing. Don’t leave it to chance. At the end of your presentation you will feel a strong sense of relief. Don’t just end abruptly, but leave enough time to wrap up properly.
So even if time is short, the presentation is informal, or you just don’t know how to get started, make sure these three elements of your talk are well planned and that you deliver them with aplomb. Without these essentials, it might be just a bunch of words. With them, you have a compelling talk.
I would love to hear from you. How do you structure your presentations for best results?
Author Gail Zack Anderson, founder of Applause, Inc. is a Twin Cities-based consultant who provides coaching and workshops for effective presentations, facilitation skills for trainers and subject matter experts, and positive communication skills for everyone. She can be reached at gza@applauseinc.net.
You are gathering notes at a meeting for a group of documents that need to be produced. Are you listening to the individuals as they speak? Are you really hearing what they are saying? Not only that, are you writing down what they are saying? What is the meaning behind what they are saying? Are they being specific or general?
You will be the author of many documents and have to handle many different scenarios and have to be able to transcribe what you hear.
If someone is speaking on subjects that are scientific, technical, or analytical in nature, then describing what is being verbalized, is probably straight forward to follow. (That is, if you are familiar with the subject and are able to ask questions later on functionality, expertise, and quality of what is being shared.)
If someone is speaking about businesses and what they want developed, can you read between the lines and understand them even when they cannot verbalize what they truly want? If you cannot, then you will have to try to find answers from an assistant, a subject matter expert, from researching online, or from someone else that is familiar with that person or business.
If there is a conflict and you have more than one person yelling about a process or topic, then it’s more about who is being the loudest in the room. At this point, they just want everyone to focus on them; to be the main speaker. Then what do you write?
As a writer, you have to listen to what is spoken, and most importantly, what they are not saying and then translate that onto paper for verification.
This brings me to semantics. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as ‘the study of the meanings of words and phrases in language and the meanings of words and phrases in a particular context’.
You’ve heard the saying ’it’s all semantics’. The phrase usually means its words referring to the same meaning. But do people really mean what the words portray?
How you phrase words or use terminology is very important when it comes to technical writing and communicating. Defining technical terms is like defining mathematical values. If I say I am displaying ‘2’ icons on a screen, then I mean, I am only displaying ‘2’ icons on the screen, and not ‘1’ nor more than ‘2’. There is only one number and one way to state it.
When you are told (or instructions have been written) to cancel a script, do they want you to stop it and dismiss it for now or terminate it permanently? If the verbal (or written) instructions say to cancel and delete, the operator would know to stop and remove it.
Instructions are not like semantics. Instructions must have very distinct meanings. So be careful when you are communicating. Be as precise as possible, and if need be, use pictures to help describe what you mean.
Once the context is fully written, described, communicated, and confirmed then it will be complete and accurate.
If you have ever run into situations describing terms with double meanings, please leave a comment. Also how did you rectify the situation? Thank you.
Because it’s idiotic! Really, don’t make it worse than it already is.
Customer service as we use to know it is getting to the point where we have to accept what we get, instead of a human-to-human exchange of what does us the best, and actually helps us. What’s idiotic? Making appointments for quality customer service, especially when no one else is standing in line. I waited an hour at…I don’t really want to name names here, but the first part of their name says it’s the Best (which it isn’t–my opinion) and Buy (to assure the public that their prices are the “best buy”–not always–again, my opinion). To be fair, my so-called appointment was with the much-touted Geek Squad, the super geniuses of computers. Of course, their failures reflect on the bigger company.
I didn’t have a software or a hardware problem. I needed a smarter computer guy than me to push the right settings so my laptop could do what it is supposed to; we did buy the computer there. For a smart computer person, five minutes max. Still, no one was in line by the time I made my reservation for tomorrow because I didn’t want to waste another hour waiting for one today. I get home and I have an e-mail confirming it with all the charming language, which didn’t work because I was already pissed and getting pisser by the minute.
This kind of exceptional customer service was quite the opposite of assuaging my negative feelings, making me feel more loyal and positive toward the company, so loyal in fact I may recommend it to others. That’s exemplary customer service plays. Those days are numbered. By the way, did I tell you I was a customer service manager for five U.S. States and the District of Columbia for eight years? Just sayin’.
At least two of these customer service strategy methods today drive me nuts. Like everyone, I have to tolerate some of the methods or I get nothing done.
The ones noted below assure me that we are becoming a society of deadheads who will accept what we are told about customer service interactions procedurally. Most customer service team is handed on via the comment section on a website, e-mail, a website’s frequently asked questions (FAQs), a talk with a representative that’s most likely a cyber (that’s kind of a dis-embodied robot–the human voice–no body), e-mail or if you are very lucky you will be given a number to call. The voice you hear to move you through several more prompts, which may or may not get you the answer or action you need, will undoubtedly be soothing and feminine. I’m not being sexist. It just is. Point of fact.
I wrote the book on what happens when humanity becomes a bunch of “deadheads” and lets the cyber takeover, but let’s save that for later.
So, what do we trainers do? I don’t know. You tell me. I don’t want to turn into a deadhead. Is that anything like a zombie? It is getting close to Halloween.
Actually, I do have some thoughts as you knew I would. The above was part rant and part exaggeration, but I wanted to get everyone’s attention. People should walk away from customer service pleased not pissed, yet, we see it every day and the customer service teams. Is it an economic shortcut? Someone isn’t getting the message that word of mouth does a lot for a store, one way or the other. Someone in line told me that she had heard Best Buy was closing–all of them. Rumor or fact, I don’t know, but let a few people emphasize that it is a good idea and it will ensure its demise. I honestly doubt it because of its share of the market, but “appointments for customer service?”
Restaurants do it so much better. Send a steak back, the manager will come to your table to make sure it’s cooked right; he or she might even throw in something extra like an appetizer or a dessert. The restaurant wants to make sure that existing customers are more than satisfied, and will remember the positive experience and positive customer feedback with the customer service tips. But a smile, genuine concern, and willingness to help work as well as customer satisfaction with excellent customer service.
I think we should do our part as trainers or customer service representatives or customer service professionals do not ignore customer service when we go in see a client propose training. We need to ask questions and make it part of the final analysis we present to our client. We have been doing without true exemplary customer service for so long we may have forgotten what it looks like or even its true value to our clients to show them our customer relationship management. If they had an up-and-running customer service unit, we checked it off. This time test it to see it if passes the customer service skills test (the upset, disappointed, frustrated, and angry people test). If it doesn’t, mention its value to the client. Now, that would be a selling feature for the company. Hit while it’s hot!
In Conclusion
The phrase “Don’t Train This…” when it comes to great customer service should be interpreted with caution. While some argue that customer service is an innate skill that cannot be taught, it is important to recognize that training can still play a significant role in improving good customer service. While it may be true that some individuals possess natural talents in communication and problem-solving, training can provide essential tools and techniques to enhance these skills and provide consistent, high-quality service.
A disclaimer. This commentary is mine and mine alone, and the opinion expressed here is not influenced by The Free Management Library in any way.
As the Host of the Blog site, I ask that you take a look at my new blog that focuses on other topics than training. My training/speech blog is still out there, but I’m letting it die in cyber space. My best selling e-book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development is out. I need to tell you that I know Cave Man is not spelled that way and that is on purpose. The Cave is where we work, play and live. Read the book and you’ll get it. I hope to have two more following it soon. I also have a futuristic e-novel, Harry’s Reality, a look at what happens when society gives up control of the mismanaged dying planet to an evolving artificial intelligence. It is also available at any book store that sells e-books for direct downloads to your e-reader, and in any format directly through Smashwords. By the way on my blog site you’ll find snippets of the novel and a coupon for a free download of my novel through Smashwords.
Happy training.
For more resources about training, see the Training library. For more resources on Customer Services check the links here as well as our blog on Customer Service.
@NFIB – National Federation of Independent Business
NFIB (“The voice of small business”) is America’s leading small business association; promoting & protecting the right of its members to own, operate and grow their businesses. NFIB started out small. One man, Wilson Harder, founded the organization in 1943. Harder began with a home office and sold the first memberships to his neighbors. Harder’s vision was to give small and independent business a voice in governmental decision making through policy advocacy.
Today, they help businesses grow and flourish in many ways, including helping business owners with marketing and advertising. Recently, one of their articles caught my eye and I think you’ll enjoy learning about the companies that’ve been helped.
According to NFIB’s article, “Using Instagram, small business owners can instantly put a face to their businesses’ name—and watch their customer relationships and sales flourish as a result.”
Instagram’s developers describe their platform as a “quirky,” “fun” and “beautiful” way to share photos: You can snap a picture on your mobile device, apply a vintage-inspired filter, and then instantly push that content out to multiple social media channels simultaneously.
But beneath the app’s playful appeal is a powerful way to market your services and connect with customers. Using Instagram, small business owners can instantly put a face to their business —and watch their customer relationships and sales flourish as a result
Three business owners explain how they have adopted Instagram as a marketing tool.
Build Your Brand
Michael Satterfield, owner of Morgan’s and Phillip’s, an automotive-inspired apparel retailer, uses Instagram as a window into his business as well as his life. Satterfield’s Instagram feed reflects what is important to him on a daily basis. For him, that includes his dog and grilled pork burgers as much as it includes the T-shirts he sells.
He insists that when people feel personally connected to a brand, they’re more likely to “follow” your business on Twitter and Instagram and “friend” you on Facebook. Each social media channel is another venue to advertise your product.
“We just posted new shirts for summer,” Satterfield says. “And we’ve already gotten ‘likes.’ It’s a great way to showcase things, especially if you’re a visual-based company.”
Share Your Expertise
Valeen Parubchenko, director of Private Picassos, which provides private art lessons in New York City, uses Instagram to document her students’ art projects from start to finish. Many of her business leads come from parents sharing and commenting on the photos, as well as people who happened to stumble across them in a search.
“I don’t do any paid advertising, so it’s a way to encourage your client to do the marketing for you,” Parubchenko says.
Harness the Power of Hashtags
Hashtags, which look like the pound symbol, corral search results into relevant categories and conversations on Instagram’s website. For instance, Satterfield may include the tags #classiccar or #hotrod along with the tag #morgansandphillips, so people who are searching for photos of classic cars will stumble across photos of his automotive-inspired apparel.
“Direct sales will come from using the correct hashtag,” Satterfield says. “When you log in, you’ll be notified if you have comments [on the photos]. Maybe people are asking when or where [the product] is available. Instantly reply to those and point people to your website, where they can buy the shirt.”
Meghan Ely, owner of OFD Consulting, a wedding consulting firm, uses hashtags to connect with her industry peers.
“I might be at an industry event or a conference and I’ll upload and tag a photo [from the event] with the appropriate hashtag,” Ely says. “That way, I can find clients and colleagues who are doing the same thing I am.” This type of real-time photo sharing can spark a conversation, deepen current colleague and client relationships and let potential clients know that you’re keeping up with trends in your industry.
Have you tried Instagram?
Thanks to National Federation of Independent Business for content
As speakers we always want to come across as confident, knowledgeable, and well…powerful. But as we all know, too much of a good thing can be a problem. I think absolute power in speaking can be very intimidating. If we intimidate, we don’t influence people to do anything except fear us. On the other hand, too much warmth or niceness can project weakness. The audience may like us but not respect us enough to take action on our suggestions.
So what is just right? I think an appropriate balance of power and warmth can be our most successful combination. We want to be strong enough to command attention, but open enough to connect and inspire our audiences. Here are some ways you can find your power, and express it in a warm, connected way.
Breathe to release tension and to relax your voice. This is one place your stress or nerves could show up, so do all you can to relax into your voice. Open your chest, stand tall, open your mouth wide when you speak, and keep breathing.
Plant your feet in a wider, stronger stance. Train yourself to not cross your feet. Plant them firmly wherever you are in the room. Stand still much of the time, and move only from point A to point B, rather than pacing or wandering around. Use a powerful stance to feel strong from the inside out.
Keep your hands out in front, and use a few large gestures rather than lots of small ones. Get your elbows away from your waist when you gesture. Use a neutral position such as a relaxed steeple whenever you are not gesturing. But don’t gesture all the time; cultivate some powerful “quiet” or neutral body language as well.
Slow down your eye contact slightly. Be deliberate and calm as you send your energy outward to each member of your audience. If you are ever uncomfortable looking right into their eyes, be sure to look at their faces, specifically at their eyebrows. And don’t rush from one person to the next or you can look anxious.
Beef up your content by using solid structure. What is your message? Distill it into a crisp targeted message. What three questions or statements will capture and direct your attention to this message? What will be your memorable close and tie together with your message? Hone and refine these until you could say them in your sleep. Then create just a few slides or use flip charts for a “chalk talk” to drive that message home. Keep slides and visuals simple so that the focus remains on your message and the conversation around it.
Finding the right balance between power and warmth is not easy. You might need to experiment, get some feedback, read some blogs and books on speaking, or even hire a coach to help you figure it out. But when you think about all that is at stake; your great idea, the sale, the promotion, the respect of your audience, it seems well worth the price. In order to be a successful speaker you will need to find the right balance of warmth and power.
I would love to hear from you. How do you balance power and warmth in speaking?
Author Gail Zack Anderson, founder of Applause, Inc. is a Twin Cities-based consultant who provides coaching and workshops for effective presentations, facilitation skills for trainers and subject matter experts, and positive communication skills for everyone. She can be reached at gza@applauseinc.net.
You are at a meeting to help set up a project plan for a new undertaking. You have been asked to estimate the time needed for your documentation role in this particular project. How will you know how long it will take to complete the writing project? You could have researched before the meeting and studied previous project timelines, reviewed them, and then apply the same length of time (or you can adjust the timeline accordingly). If you were really organized, you could have created your own timetable and therefore be able to give a more accurate account when replying.
To create your own timetable:
Make sure you have kept a schedule of events and tasks and how long it took to complete previous projects; include benchmarks or target points as check points to see if you are on schedule.
Be sure to also indicate any resources that aided in the development.
Note any interruptions such as changes, updates, deadline movements, etc. that would affect deliverables.
Check availability of subject experts to gather information from.
Ensure the right tools are available to you.
Verify certain key dates with team members; such as when requirements, technical, training, etc. documents have to be done.
Also ask the following questions before replying as the responses might affect your schedule:
What is the purpose of the documents you are creating?
What types of documents are needed?
Has a pre-arranged date been set already? – Or do they just need a date from you.
Who are the stakeholders and will they need to approve the final documents?
Will any previous training be required?
Will translation be needed if this will also be a global document?
Who is your audience?
What format is required or can the standard organization style guide be used?
Will images, videos, etc. – any medium other than text be required for the project?
Creating a set timeline is not an easy task. Too many factors can affect the final deliverable date. So what should you do to try to avoid a missed date? Ask others at the meeting their opinion; what do they think of the timeline? Do they see anything that might affect what has been determined? Even though you are experienced, there may be other events in the works that you are not aware of and that might affect your outcome. So ask.
Also, as a final statement, create contingency plans. Even though you may have all your key elements in order and approved, you never know what else might pop up to interfere with your schedule. So make fall back plans for those ‘what if’ cases. Oh and one more item. Stay focused and monitor the workload and schedule. If either of them are out of line, then be prepared for unforeseen events to occur.
Good Luck on pin-pointing your project date.
If you have had problems setting project dates and keeping to them, please leave a comment.
You are in the middle of a client meeting, presenting information that your client has asked for. As you progress through the material, she periodically stops you to ask for clarification or more details. You respond and move on to the next point. It’s going pretty well. Then, suddenly you notice the time. Yikes! It looks like you are about to run out of time. Quick: what do you do?
If you have a little time left:
Summarize a few of the less-pertinent items, saving time and helping you get back on track.
Take a quick time out to let the client know what is happening. Ask if she is willing to run over by a few minutes, or if not, how to proceed.
If you are completely out of time:
Don’t just keep going. Note the situation and ask your client what she would like to do. Offer options such as these:
Is there some information that can be skipped over?
Is there some information that can be reviewed after the presentation?
Could we schedule a follow up meeting, or perhaps a phone meeting to cover the last few items?
Next time:
Be sure you have scheduled a reasonable amount of time for the content. If not, let the client know what to expect and tailor your content accordingly. For example, you may need to limit the number of topics discussed, or the level of detail, or both.
During the planning stage, estimate how much time each segment will take. Be realistic; we so often think we can do more than we really can. Build in a little wiggle room for questions.
Put important items up front so you are sure to get to them. Think about which items will be most important to your client.
Prepare detailed documents that can be left behind if needed; this will be really useful with clients who want to see all the details.
Decide ahead of time what items can be ditched if needed. These are often “nice to know” items that can be included in leave-behind materials or in another meeting. Since you already know which ones might have to be discarded, it shouldn’t distract you too much to do so.
Check time throughout your presentation so you know if you are on track. If you have the habit of checking in at the midway point and then again at about 75% of your time frame, you should be able to finish right on time.
******
They say timing is everything. By planning ahead and staying alert, you should be able to stick within your time frame, projecting a highly professional image to your clients.
I would love to hear from you. How do you manage your time in informal or formal situations?
Author Gail Zack Anderson, founder of Applause, Inc. is a Twin Cities-based consultant who provides coaching and workshops for effective presentations, facilitation skills for trainers and subject matter experts, and positive communication skills for everyone. She can be reached at gza@applauseinc.net.
What do you do when you are working in a chaotic organization and there are no guidelines and no procedures nor processes to follow, and you have been assigned to create documents. What is the first thing that you do?
Research, research, research….find out:
if any coherent software development life cycle exists; what is the current procedure or routine
all the information you can about what documents currently exist and ask questions as to who, when, and how the documents were created. Note – when reviewing pre-existing documents try to find out all you can about the previous writer – it could be that it was created by a developer, analyst, or manager; whom may have more valuable and detailed information for you.
who’s in charge and how do they keep track of events, the project goal, or changes and updates
how things are currently done; that is, who does what,
who makes the call for changes and how are they directed to the right resources and is there any existing documentation of changes and what the changes affect
Tips on trying to get organized:
If there are no preexisting models, flowcharts, nor processes, create one by first interviewing the project lead.
Attend all the meetings that you can and also hold your own meetings and find your subject matter experts. Make sure you are on the list of attendees for all meetings. Also make sure you are invited to every brain storming meeting for new projects.
Maintain communication between the team leaders or members.
Get assistance in creating a notification program or system routine so that when a change occurs, you are also notified. If an internal program cannot be created, ask to purchase a tracking system.
Create a guide for yourself and for those following you. Include all that you have learned to make it easier for you and for anyone following you.
Make note of everything you have discovered and keep yourself organized even if the company is not.
Use your left brain and be methodical when creating folders and sub folders of projects and related documents.
Create your own project plans and add it to any existing plan.
To help stay organized, begin your necessary documents as soon as you can to stay ahead. Plan ahead and create contingent plans for any unexpected delays and bottlenecks, and ensure that all problems are resolved. When planning out documentation projects, besides analyzing project requirements, identifying types of documents required, selecting resources for writing and gathering data, and setting milestones, also make sure you have the right tools available and the budget required to complete the project.
Once you are satisfied and have analyzed the project requirements, set milestones indicating critical dates, estimated the budget that is required to complete the project, identified the types of documents (as well as format) required for the project, selected the appropriate resources (in source, outsource) to gather data, you can create the content. Ensure that the right tools are available. If you are a lead technical writer, determine whether or not any assistant writers require training or need to be re-trained.
You are in essence at this point acting as the Technical Writer Project Manager and you should be congratulated for that.
If you have worked in a disorganized, dysfunctional organization, what tactics or strategies have you used to get and remain organized?
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