Category: Sales & Marketing

Have you ever stumbled a little over your introduction? I sure have! I vividly remember once I was being introduced, and the person introducing me forgot my name. The nervousness must have been contagious, because when I started to speak, I practically forgot my own name as well. Not an auspicious beginning, right?

Introductions are such a great opportunity to step up and make a powerful first impression, and with a little advance thinking, you can ace this important aspect of presenting.

3 Tips for introducing yourself

1. Don’t leave it to chance. This part of your presentation is so important that you will want to plan and rehearse it. And if you are uncomfortable speaking about yourself in this way, do your best to get past it. Your audience needs to know a little about you in order to make a connection with you. They also need to know you care about them, which is why I often talk about the audience and their concerns first, ask a few questions, get them engaged, and then tell them about me.
2. Add something personal. My goal in my introductions is to connect with the audience. One way to do that is to tell a little story about yourself, as long as you make it brief. One of my favorite stories involves the time I was at a conference and on break I met some participants that would be in a future session. They all glanced at me, and then one person spoke up: “Oh, you’re the presentation lady.” At first I was so impressed that my reputation preceded me, I just smiled. But when no one else smiled, I got it. They knew who I was and they were nervous about the session. I have been able to use the story several times, and it always gets a chuckle. It also reminds me not to get too big-headed.
3. Don’t tell all. Instead of going on and on about yourself, think about what you have in common with the audience and then stress that part of your background rather than giving a detailed biography. One of my clients is in the agriculture business, and every time I ask people to introduce themselves, practically every one mentions having grown up on a farm. Now, I was a city kid, so I can’t pretend otherwise, but I can mention the summers I spent on my uncle’s farm. That resonates more than going into great depth about all my credentials and professional background, most of which they could care less about. Having spent some time on a farm creates a personal connection that is more important than degrees or honors.

Introducing yourself is a key component of your presentation, and one that is often overlooked. Do yourself and your audience a big favor; take time to prepare and polish your opening so you can make a great first impression and get your presentation off to a strong start.

The cloud (virtual software service) and mobile devices are now being used more and more as a means to provide users easier access to documentation and training. What does that mean for Technical Writers? It means more opportunities, work, imagination, and knowledge,

More opportunities will exist for the Technical Writer to become involved in working with the latest authoring tools and applications to create the written material (from requirements, specifications, compliance, training, marketing material, etc.), the latest mediums (mobile devices, i.e., tablets and smart phones) used to display the work, and the latest service technology (the cloud). The Technical Writer‘s passion for learning will be quenched in this area..

More work will exist for the Technical Writer, because many corporations, public and private, now want to place their documents on the cloud, but in what fashion and how will they all be managed, organized, tracked, and remain secure, which documents should be cloud based for archiving and which ones should not (i.e., sensitive matter), and which ones need to be easily accessed? Will training and marketing material and proposals go onto the cloud for easier accessibility, but not specifications? To answer this, the Technical Writer will have to interview all stakeholders up front before creating any documents for the cloud or mobile devices.

More imagination will be needed by the Technical Writer to organize, categorize, and manage the material in such a way that the users can access what they want and need efficiently. Should an application be created up front so that the user can easily view what he is searching for and then present all related documents, or should they be listed within simple folders by project or both or should the company invest in new applications such as content management systems? Throughout the process, the Technical Writer as a visual and user experience designer has to ensure ease of navigation and graphically friendly interfaces to provide what the user wants and needs.

More knowledge will be required by the Technical Writer to grasp the new technology, and to also remember the requirements of the organization and its stakeholders. The Technical Writer will need to understand the technology’s capabilities, understand how it fits within the business structure (and system architecture) of the company, and be able to convey it to others, especially when writing Request For Proposals. This is emphasized because without this knowledge, the writer will not be able to document nor communicate the business reasoning, process, scope, nor desired outcome of the project.

Throughout this whole process, consistency and order must be maintained. One of the attributes of being a good Technical Writer is that of maintaining consistency and accuracy. To accomplish this, the Technical Writer will need to perform functions as an analyst and a project manager in order to keep the goal in sight. This will not be an easy task, but if done in small steps, is achievable.

As you know, we continue our alphabetical count-down of communication attributes and skills. Today we focus on some key words for the letter H.

H is for…

Heart. When we focus on just the facts, we are missing such a critical element; the heart. Great speakers speak from their hearts. They have an attitude of caring about the content and the audience. They have a personal connection that can only come from caring. Keep asking yourself; why am I speaking rather than just sending the information in an email? What difference can I make? Why do I care, and why should the audience?

Head. The logical side must also matter. You may choose to use statistics, examples or testimony, but in each case select your facts carefully, quote them accurately, and spell out the “so what” of each piece of evidence. Don’t make the assumption that facts or statistics will automatically create the connections you are trying to make. And don’t rely only on facts and statistics, but balance them with heart or emotion. This is why stories and case studies are so compelling; they can blend fact and feeling.

Humor. The great speakers can find humor in nearly any situation, and they know how to use it deftly. If you can make your audience laugh in the first two minutes, you will probably “have them” throughout your presentation, no matter how serious the material. How to do this? Play with words, exaggerate slightly, laugh at yourself (gently,) tell a story or anecdote that gets a laugh but makes a point relating to the content. Watch how subtly and simply great speakers get a chuckle that brings the whole room together. And then practice ways you can do it that are authentic and comfortable for you.

Honesty. Remember how your children howled when they received a shot from the nice doctor? I think the howl was indignation as much as or more than pain. “You didn’t tell me this was going to hurt!” they seem to be saying. You can’t beat honesty. Your audience will probably sense that they aren’t hearing the truth. And they will resent you once they know the truth. You can try to sugar-coat it all you want. And you can downplay it if you dare. But speaking straight is probably going to be more successful in building trust in the long run. Yes, “This is going to hurt a little, but the outcome will be worth a bit of pain now.”

Are you speaking with Heart and Head, Humor and Honesty? If yes, let us know how this is working for you, and if not, start today. Yes, this is going to take some effort, but the results will likely be well worth your time.

If you are currently employed:

• begin to write even if it is about a simple process or procedure that you perform daily.
• write about your job and what the requirements are for that position.
• write about all your daily tasks and how long it takes to perform the job.

This is a good way to see if you really would like to become a Technical Writer because when you begin to write about your functions, you might see that it is not an easy task.

To improve your skills, take classes to develop or improve:

• your writing and grammar skills, as documents have to be clear, precise, and error-free.
• your communication skills for not only conveying instructions within documents, but for also improving your understanding and listening skills.

To search out writing opportunities, you could:

• begin by reviewing a list of potential jobs and their requirements. Find and focus on those companies that interest you and see what types of documents they produce, review their style of writing, and see if you can be of help to them. Also, consider other writing opportunities and see if you can begin to work as an intern.
• look into communication as well as presentation positions as these also involve a lot of writing. From that experience, you can then call yourself a Technical Communicator. Also look into analysis, coordinator, translator, and training positions as they all involve communication and writing skills.
• also look into freelancing positions to make sure you would enjoy being a Technical Writer. These positions are good to work in because you will experience what it is like to have to stick to set deadlines and simultaneously be flexible enough to adjust to changing requirements. In other words, it will show you how adaptable you are
• become a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in a particular field by taking classes for any technical skills that really interest you, and write about it
• start off in a writing group to meet others and network. With today’s social media advantages, join groups on and off line and communicate\meet up with others.

The skills for a successful technical writing career are similar to those for success in any career. Be focused, logical, organized creative, persistent, know the product, and apply the new platinum rule ‘treat others the way they would like to be treated’. If you do not get along with your clients, users, or SMEs then you won’t be successful. Make sure you understand each other and that you are all on the same page especially when beginning a new project.

Here are some of the words starting with the letter G that we can use to describe a highly effective speaker. See which ones you resonate with, and then let me know if you can think of others.

Gracious. I know it sounds obvious, but when we are speaking we often become terribly self-focused. Instead of thinking about yourself, imagine what you would do if you had special guests coming to your home. You would clean and tidy your home, put yourself into a receptive mood, and then greet them at the door. You would be welcoming, friendly and kind. In other words, gracious. Somehow we get into the mindset that our special guests (audience members) are boors and we have to be on our guard at all times. Afraid of what questions they might ask. Afraid we might be boring. Or worse, wrong. What if you relaxed, smiled and treated them with warmth and graciousness? Make the people connection. It is far more important–at least at the beginning–than the data.

Greeting. Quick! What is the first thing you should say when you begin a presentation? When you pick up the phone you say “hello” or “good morning,” so why wouldn’t you start with a greeting in a presentation? Without a greeting you can sound cold and set an unfriendly tone. Take time for a smile and a hello. But no need to go overboard with gratuitous “thank you for being here” comments. Especially if people have been told they must attend, or feel they must. Instead, how about a warm and sincere “Good morning! I am so glad you are here. Let’s get started.” Ten seconds. Bam!

Gestures. When we are at ease, we rarely think about our hand gestures. They just happen…naturally. Somehow when we stand up to speak, we are struck with an odd kind of awkwardness and self-consciousness. Suddenly we don’t know how to use these appendages which had been doing just fine without our attention. We clam up and shut down, jamming hands into pockets or clasping them tightly. Not good. Begin to pay attention to what your hands do when you are engrossed in a conversation. Try to allow the same thing to happen when you are presenting or speaking in front of a group. Great gestures are descriptive, varied, and expressive. You can’t “make” yourself gesture, you can only let it happen.

What other words come to mind when you think about highly effective speakers? Next time–the letter H. Any suggestions?

The Visual Communicator/Designer is involved in the page layout, the framework, the elements on a page; it is never ending for a Visual Communicator. Creativity is everything for a Visual Communicator. As a Technical Writer, you also have to be a visual designer. You need to be up on all the popular tool sets as well as be aware of the more popular methods of presentation. Let me elaborate on that. Popular methods of presentation include webinars, blogs, mobile, classroom, meetings, storyboards, and online lecturing. Presentations are relevant for delivering information to the target audience and to keep them interested, you have to be prepared with dynamic deliverables.

It is a good idea to have viewed a lot of presentations yourself to see what is liked or disliked. Presentations can’t just be graphs and its components. It has to be visually appealing to maintain the audience’s attention. It has to show relationships between all the different elements on a screen or page.

Images

Use illustrations, tables, charts, graphics, and even print screens; let the image do the describing and make sure you note any exceptions to any process. For images that also involve text, separate the graph from the text. Keep the audience’s attention, for example, by not just presenting a graph or chart; add in light bulbs, colorful fonts, or other images or patterns to highlight certain key points or areas

Humor

Whether it is process that you are presenting or a new product, it is a good idea to include a little bit humor or cartoon to break up the material or else the audience will be on information overload. Have the cartoon do the pointing for you. They need this humor to digest it all.

Text

For a presentation that might involve a lot of text, use bullet points and make it simple; less verbiage. Also, use icons, numbers, and/or alphabetize. Include flow diagrams when moving from one point to another instead of verbiage.

White Space

To reemphasize, make it visually appealing, logical, organized and helpful by separating out data or material. In other words, use a lot of white space. The simpler the design, the better.

Mobile Devices

With mobile devices being so popular, once you create your visual design, test them out on certain mobile devices to see how they appear. You may need to make adjustments so that images will not be cropped or cut off.

As with technical writing, visual designs have to be clear, concise, organized, and provide what your target audience requires.