Category: Sales & Marketing

We continue with our alphabet of terms for great speaking.

Focus. When we speak in a focused way, all our energy works toward the same end–getting our message across. Our thoughts, our words, and our bodies all work together to send a unified, cohesive message. When we are in this particular state, words tend to come more easily, we gesture more dramatically, and it is almost as if we forget about ourselves. We speak fluently, with fewer fillers like “um” and much more dynamic expression. So how do you get to focus? Sometimes it is by directing our attention on the audience and what we bring to them. Sometimes it is being clear and passionate about our subject matter. Very rarely does it happen by thinking about our own selves or how well we are doing.

Friendly. Once again, when we focus on ourselves, or on the words themselves, we tend to get very serious. Our faces tense up, and often our bodies do too. We are there, but not there. We are all in our heads, not present in the moment. We often don’t even see the audience in front of us. Next time you speak, before you begin, make a conscious effort to connect with the audience. Look at the faces before you. Extend your gaze. Soften your eyes. Put on a welcoming smile. Breathe. Now you are ready to begin. Allow yourself to be present, to give of yourself to your audience. Don’t worry so much about what words you use, but about the thoughts and messages you wish to share.

Fresh. Are your ideas, your words, your very phrases stale and outdated? Or do you bring fresh perspective every time you speak? Sometimes we give the same presentations over and over until we get bored with them. We go on autopilot, mouthing the words without really connecting with them. Guess what? The audience can tell! If you have ever gone on autopilot, consider it an opportunity. Once you know the content well enough to go on autopilot, you have the opportunity to play with it. Change the sequence. Change the stories and illustrations you use. Instead of telling, use dialog to get everyone discussing the information. One well-known consultant in our area says he changes one third of his content every year, so he is constantly adding fresh content, and every three years it is completely revamped. This seems healthy to me. If your presentations seem stale, do something different each time you speak. Trust me, it will wake you up and keep you on your toes. It will make you a better speaker.

Are you a focused, friendly and fresh speaker? How did you get that way? How do you stay that way?

If you think of great words for upcoming letters, please add a comment.

Lots of questions have been asked as to whether or not you need formal training to be a Technical Writer. Personally, I feel the answer is yes. You need to have some kind of training or degree, whether it is a degree in journalism or a certificate in Business Writing, or a degree in English or Communication. But it is even more than that. Today’s Technical Writer needs a technical degree or a technical background to get a foot in the door, such as a degree in the Sciences, i.e., Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, etc. Many companies have hired people who are not technical and are just writers and have been disappointed in the results. Reason being, their responsibilities included:

• Gathering requirements from subject matter experts such as clients, developers, etc.
• Translating complex technical information, development and relational database concepts into clear easy to understand language for developers and users as well as for training and marketing material
• Understanding complex technical information and organizing it into logical sections that can be followed by the target audience
• Creating a variety of documents that involve standard operating procedures, request for proposals as well as usability testing and regulatory compliance requirements
• Having good communication skills and being able to stick to schedules
• Developing project plans and being a knowledge liaison across departments.

Originally, people started off with a degree in writing (i.e., journalism, Business Writing, English) and worked in various companies or did freelance work. Sometimes this work took them into the technical writing arena. From there, they gained more and more experience within the technical field.

If you begin with a technical degree, you can end up writing for an infinite variety of industries from financial to education, to technical companies to publishing, to Civilian and Defense industries to government contracts, to any kind of global contract. If you begin with a degree in the sciences like Biology, you can possibly end up working in pharmaceutical companies or in a related field. Also, fields such as engineering, chemistry, physics, aerospace, manufacturing, computing, finance, consumer electronics, and biotechnology all need Technical Writers. The field is wide open to you.

So yes, you need some sort of training to be a Technical Writer, because a Technical Writer has to comprehend technology in a way that can be explained to a target audience. You have to be able to research and understand the technology you are working in. Think of the position as a Technical Communicator, because we are translators and professional editors. We are translators because we break down technical terminology into understandable everyday usage for our target audience. We are editors, because our documentation has to be error free in the usage of grammar, spelling, etc. This is especially important when producing writing matter such as marketing, training, or compliance material, which reflects upon a company’s image.

Do you agree?

If you follow this blog you know we are working our way through the alphabet, selecting words for each letter that embody different aspects of speaking and presenting. We have made our way to the letter “E.”

Energy. We all know how important energy is; too much and you feel like a nervous wreck, speaking too fast and bouncing off the walls like a toddler with too little sleep and too much sugar. Too little energy and you can come across as sleepy, slow, b o r i n g. Managing your energy so it is just right is a little tricky, but once you learn how to use it properly, you will be able to handle yourself under all kinds of pressure. As a result, your energy works with you and gives you power. (One little tip; stop thinking about nervousness, and think instead about using your energy rather than letting it act on you.)

Engaging. Usually the second thing my clients say makes a great speaker is being engaging. (The first one is confident!) A great speaker doesn’t just talk at or even to the audience, instead they engage them in dialog. You really can’t be boring if you are truly engaging. The best speakers use stories, examples, metaphors, visuals, discussions, or activities—whatever it takes to bring content to life and life to the audience. They ask questions, listen intently and care what the audience thinks. Great speakers encourage their audiences to ask meaningful questions, and they answer honestly. They foster give and take in every aspect of their presentations. They turn every talk into a conversation. And guess what? You can do these things as well.

Eye contact. This is such an important delivery skill, and one we sometimes overlook or underestimate it. Think about it; when you are face to face, eye contact is the single most important way to connect with your audience. Trouble is, when you are focusing on your thoughts, your words, or your slides, you might forget to look at your audience. Or it might be distracting, so you look away. Take time today to monitor your eye contact, and see if you can make a slow, steady connection with each person you are speaking with. Better yet, ask a trusted colleague to observe you and give you feedback on your eye contact. Ideally, it will be slower than sweeping the audience, but shorter than a staring contest. Two to four seconds per person is realistic but takes plenty of practice to master.

How have your embodied these attributes in your speaking? What results or outcomes have you enjoyed?

What other words come to mind for the letter E? And how about upcoming letters? Submit your ideas and get extra credit!

When problems are encountered during the testing phase of a product or application, they have to be noted so that the problem can be corrected or prevented before the next testing phase. These problems have to be noted within a form known as a List of Errors form or a Problem and Resolution form or an Incident form. For us right now, we’ll simply call it a Bug List. Any irregularities or anomalies noted within the Bug List will be passed to the development group, who will resolve the problem.

The Bug List should contain at least 5 columns. The column headings should be listed accordingly: ‘Date Bug Found’, ‘Description of Bug, ‘Resolution’, ‘Date Bug Closed ‘, and ‘Comments’. The tester will describe in extreme detail the exact steps that led up to the occurrence within the ‘Description of Bug ‘column. This part of the form is crucial for replicating an error. Without it, the developer will not be able to duplicate the error and hence correct it.

For finding bugs (problems), every test plan has to be extremely detailed and every test scenario listed. Yes, there will be times when not every case/scenario is noted. If the tester does create a unique case, this case should be noted within the bug list. This way, when the application/product goes into the next testing phase, this new test case will be added to the test plan, as well as tested.

When testing is completed, the list will be directed to the appropriate developer and Project manager involved. Every bug found should be corrected, but then there are various grades of bugs. There are quick fixes, such as spelling errors, simple fixes which involve minor programming, i.e., a value was to be added and wasn’t, medium sized fixes which take a few hours when a functionally will not work under certain conditions, serious ones which require rework, and red flag ones where the applications/product seizes to work. Depending on time constraints, the more serious ones (red) will be corrected first. Then when time allows the minor ones will finally be corrected.

Once the problem is corrected by the developer and the fix is inserted into the ‘Resolution’ column, the tester will be informed. The tester will then perform regression testing where the tester tries to recreate the error. Once the tester is satisfied that the issue is resolved, a date for closing the bug can be inserted within the ‘Date bug closed’ column, and any pertinent comments needed can be added to the ‘Comments’ column.

For more complicated testing, there are now programs that will perform automatic testing when needed for direct testing and for regression testing. These new applications are really helpful especially when repeated tests need to be done. To help you keep track of all the bugs, there are also programs out there now that will assist you in keeping track of all bugs. These tracking programs are very useful, especially when a Quality Assurance Manager needs to be on top of all Red flagged issues.

This part of the Testing phase, where time is spent on creating the Bug list, has to be taken into consideration when scheduling time within the project plan. The same goes for adding in time for correcting problems and regression testing. Without the project plan, we would not be aware of our time line or different events that have to occur from a product or applications initiation or start to its completion. But to get back to the Bug list, without it, we would not be able to communicate and keep track of all these problematic issues that need to be resolved.

We have been exploring the qualities of great presenters, starting with A and on our way to Z. Each week we list one or several attributes of great presenters and communicators, and suggest some ways you can build that characteristic in your own speaking.

If you want to play along, suggest your own great words starting with that letter of the week. Better yet, help me out by suggesting a word for the next letter of the alphabet! And let me know how you are using these ideas to build your own habits and characteristics for great speaking.

Dynamic: having life, energy, passion about your topic. Nothing can replace this! If you are worried about remembering your lines, this can rob all your energy and leave you flat. Audiences today have very little tolerance for a speaker just reading the slides. Break away. Tell a story. Talk about the problem, or your solution, or your audience. Breathe life into your presentation. Ahhhh! Much better!

Daring: if everyone else just reads through the boring bullets, are you really going to do the same thing? You could, of course. But why not be a little bit daring? Hide some of your slides. Edit out some of the detail. Add in a few great graphics. Photos of the team or the customer’s plant. Hit the “B” key while presenting a get a black screen, turning the attention off the slides and onto you. Now that’s daring.

Distinctive. What is your unique presentation strength? What makes you special? If it is your expressive voice, play that up. If it is your ability to tell stories, weave them in. If you are really good at humor—and you might want to ask someone to validate this—sprinkle some in. If you are great at facilitating a lively discussion, feature that in your presentations. No one can be you, so find what makes you distinctively different, and run with it.

How have your embodied these attributes in your speaking? What results or outcomes have you enjoyed? What cautionary tales would you add to those willing to be daring, distinctive and dynamic?

What other words come to mind for the letter D?