Our attention spans have shrunk, and most of the business documents you write should be downsized to match. Look at the stories in newspapers like USA Today. Most run about 300-500 words – not 3,000. Likewise, television delivers fast-paced, tightly-edited commercials, programs and videos. It’s true in the workplace, too. Welcome to Planet A.D.D. Everybody […]
Yearly Archives: 2006
Be Authentic When Communicating
Want to stand out from the general hype and din of most advertising and marketing communications? Want to forge an honest relationship with prospects and customers? Follow these (not so) simple rules: 1. Tell me clearly who you are, and why you are contacting me.2. Tell me clearly what you are, or are not, going […]
Writing Secret #4: "Hook" Them with Benefits
Your readers are only human. They glance at your sales letter (or brochure, memo, Web site – whatever) and wonder, “Hmmm… What’s this? What’s it about? Should I bother reading it? Why? What’s in it for me?” To hook their interest, you must give them compelling reasons to continue reading. Those reasons are called benefits. […]
Daydreaming: Distraction or Necessity?
For all of us (including me) who feel we’re wasting time whenever we’re not busy doing something, consider this: “Daydreaming does not enjoy tremendous prestige in our culture, which tends to regard it as unproductive thought. Writers perhaps appreciate its importance better than most, since a fair amount of what they call ‘work’ consists of […]
Levity about Brevity
A George Burns quip about sermons also applies to most memos and other business writing: “The secret is to have a good beginning and a good ending — and keep the two as close together as possible.”
Writing Secret #3: Start with your VIP (Very Important Point)
Are you busy? Overworked? Over-stressed? Surrounded by a pile of material you need to read and review and act on? Well, so are your readers. And at the risk of bursting your bubble, they’re also not particularly interested in reading your memo, brochure, ad, article, white paper — whatever you’re writing. The solution? Make it […]
Writing Secret #2: Make a Map
A simple outline is your map through the cluttered forest of your mind. Let’s face it, we’re all bombarded with calls, emails, meetings, interruptions and distractions of all sorts, from every direction, every day. All an outline does is help you stay on track. Like a map, it shows you exactly where you want to […]