Your message and other things you say » Efficiency

Simpler messaging

Alan Hoffler — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:35:59 +0000

While I was planning for a keynote I gave this past week, I made a quiz about product brands and catchy phrases. Here are some of them — see if you can name who they stand for:

Snap! Crackle! Pop!
We do chicken right
Quality is Job One
Don’t leave home without it
When ____ talks, people listen
Have it your way
Like a rock
Be all that you can be
We try harder
____ spells relief
Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don’t

If you get them all correct, you’re dating yourself, because many of these are a couple of decades old! I quit at 68 phrases — I thought that was enough.

The talking point of my keynote was “simpler“. As I looked at the quiz, something jumped off the page at me. In the 68 phrases, only three of them had a single word longer than two syllables! People who market products and need their message to be retained use short words. Short and simple. I think it works for those of us who speak as well.

Keep your message simple. Use short words.

P.S. Answers: Rice Krispies, KFC, Ford, American Express, E.F. Hutton (out of business in 1988!), Burger King, Chevy trucks, Army, Avis, Rolaids, Almond Joy/Mounds

P.S. #2 The only word (not name) in this post that has more than two syllables is the word syllable. I could not find a good word to replace it. It took twice as long to write — I expect it takes half as long to read.

What can I learn?

Alan Hoffler — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:17:45 +0000

I often have students — usually experienced ones — who take issue with a point I might make or a methodology I prescribe. Since I’m in the business of changing behavior, by very definition I am trying to get folks to do things differently. Some folks apparently don’t like different.

It’s at those moments where the status quo meets the “You want me to do WHAT?” that we find out a lot about ourselves. Those who have tasted success and reached comfort often say, “That won’t work, and here’s why.“ Those who have not tasted success and/or are not comfortable with who they are often say, “Well, that’s different. I’ll try it.“ Almost invariably, they’ll find that something clicks for them. The neat thing for me, the instructor, is often what clicks has nothing to do with what I was trying to teach. I can’t explain how that works, but it’s fun and I take little credit for it. The student, by investigating their own limits, discovers something quite new. That is simply what happens when we discover ourselves.

Those who fight back frustrate us both. Instead of trying to find something to learn, they spend time defending what works for them. But what “works” may be just good, when great or The Best may be waiting. I walk away from those encounters challenged to never accept good for myself. When I’m being pushed by a differing view, I do not have to change my view. But I’m cheating myself by not considering what I can learn from the new idea.

When faced with something that is uncomfortable, new, or even downright odd,

ask yourself, “What can I learn?”

Two heads are better than one

Alan Hoffler — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:20:45 +0000

I was teaching/coaching a group last week and they were hitting their head against the wall. We were discussing making things interesting with good openers, and the basic tenor in the class was “I don’t think this topic (I) is (am) very interesting.” I always disagree with this attitude, but we let it slide. We introduced some methods to use and we got a few people to share what they were coming up with. One guy starts a story, then stops and shakes his head. ”It just doesn’t flow,” he said.

What happened next was fun to watch. One of the other students piped up and made a connection the first guy never saw. Two others chimed in. Within 90 seconds, we had collectively put together a pretty good looking opener for a talk. The original author was amazed.

Then it happened to me. I’m in the middle of crafting a talk and had just gotten bored with it. It was going nowhere. One phone call and a lunch date later, all is cured. It’s amazing how quickly a few minds can solve a creative problem that one mind may never solve. I can’t think of a speaking engagement where a little group banter didn’t make something pop to the surface. Great ideas, like fish, are best when they travel in groups. Great ideas, unlike fish, don’t stink. Therein lies the trouble with analogies and creativity. We can’t always figure it out from one side.

Side note — never have a conversation without pen and paper handy. When an idea pops its head up and you can’t remember it later, the frustration level can drive you nuts.

Brainstorm for creative ideas in groups. Many minds will quickly come up with a great idea.

Thanks

Alan Hoffler — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 14:37:15 +0000

On a day where we are supposed to stop, ponder, and give cognizant acknowledgment to the many good things in our lives (but here in America, judging from the size of my newspaper this morning, it is apparently about planning our shopping day for tomorrow), let be the voice crying in the wilderness begging you NOT to give thanks. Or at least not in the method that seems to be increasing in favor, as well as uselessness.
I’m talking about a one-word email: “Thanks.“ I get many of these every week.

You send me an email asking for a review of your PPT slides (God forbid!). I give you three pages of notes. You respond: “Thanks“. Yuck.

I get an invoice for services rendered. I respond with an apology that the billing had slipped my crack-pot accounting staff and the check will be in the mail FedEx in the morning. I get a one-word reply: “Thanks“. Heartfelt.

There are probably places for one-word emails: “Buy“, “Sell“, “No“, “I’ll-agree-when-the-depths-of-Hades-freezes-into-a-solid-mass“. Trying to convey appreciation is not one of them.

Many of us were taught by our parents to be polite: “Please” and “Thank you“. And that’s a good thing. IN PERSON. Where emotion can be carried with non-verbal cues. Where an explanation of why can be tacked on. Where a relationship can be forged. None of that is done in a one-word TY. Best I can figure, it’s either (a bad) habit or it’s a way to appease one’s conscience at supposedly being grateful, when they’re actually too lazy to pick up the phone and call or draft a heartfelt reply that explains their gratitude. Most of the time the message really is “I got your email“. And I didn’t need a response from you to tell me that.

I have vowed to not send any such emails. It wastes my time and yours.

BTW, I got your email.

Resist the urge to respond to an email with a one-word “Thanks”. Instead, craft a meaningful expression of gratitude or just — gasp — let it go.

What’s the point?

Alan Hoffler — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:36:39 +0000

It’s often amazing to me how much is said and how little is communicated. Many people seem intent on making sure they are heard — not that their message is heard.

It’s Toastmasters contest season again, and due to another obligation I was unable to attend or participate in my club’s contest. It was a well-publicized event — I received at least three blanket emails and two direct personal ones inviting me to participate. I know they had contestants — an email said they did and I saw a fellow member outside the club meeting and was told there were folks competing but they needed/wanted more people.

The contest was scheduled for 90 minutes across lunch, ending at 130pm. At 255pm, I received an email to our entire club saying that someone had been overlooked in the Thank You fest that ended the contest (I’ve posted before about how useless thank yous are at Toastmasters — and anywhere else). He worked hard (it’s a thankless task) and deserved some recognition. But after that initial email, six (6) others replied to all to say “Hey yeah, thanks bud! Ditto!“ One person — who, like me, missed the contest — did chime in to ask who actually won the contest, since that was omitted from any of the emails. Two more people replied to that query, apparently ignoring the request to add “Me, too. Thanks!” messages to the growing thread. I still do not know who won — it hasn’t been posted to the web site, and no email has gone out to acknowledge the contest ants (sic), who apparently are just an afterthought.

So what’s the purpose of this string of communications? One person thanked someone else publicly (and deservedly so). Five others felt the need to echo that sentiment publicly (when privately would have been FAR more appropriate). No one felt the need to acknowledge the result of what supposedly was the stated purpose of the whole meeting. What’s wrong with this picture?

Never hit send unless there is a purpose to the message, and match that message purpose to the (entire) audience you are sending it to.

ASTD

Alan Hoffler — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 02:20:15 +0000

I heard this quote (no attribution) the other week:

“We spend far too much time on our jobs, and far too little on ourselves.”

I spent a little time improving myself this week at the ASTD ICE conference. It was quite amazing, and I come back with gobs of notes, ideas, and inspiration. Now for the time to assimilate it all. Look for some of those nuggets to appear on these pages in days to come.
I have several ideas I will submit for conference sessions for next year, and picked up a new idea for a book (currently 5th in queue). In the meantime, I’m excited to let you know I’ve had a session entitled “Getting the Geeks to Speak (and speak well)” accepted at Sharing@LearnShare in August.

Spend some time on yourself.

No cost rental

Alan Hoffler — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 02:17:58 +0000

Sitting in a hotel reading the instructions for “complimentary high-speed wireless internet service”.

Seven steps, easy enough. Then there’s another step listed after an asterisk (even though there is no asterisk anywhere else on the page). The step says: “If you do not have a wireless card built in to your computer, we provide External Wireless Bridge Packs at no cost which can be rented for the full length of your stay.”

My dictionary uses the word ‘payment’ in every one of its definitions. I wonder how much this no cost solution will run me?

Don’t use double meanings. Oh, and proofread.

Speed things up a bit

Alan Hoffler — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 03:41:26 +0000

After some sickness putting us out of commission a bit, we’re back in business. Sickness makes the well times seem so much more weller.

Had a faithful reader give this tip, and I can’t believe I didn’t know it or discover it before. You should know by now I’m a HUGE fan of video as the ultimate objective observer, and I watch lots of videos of other presenters and online training. My only problem is the lack of time to watch more. With Windows Media player, we can do it a bit more expeditiously.

Right mouse click on the video you are watching standalone or embedded in a web page and select Play Speed -> Fast (Ctrl – Shift G for us keyboard junkies). This ups the speed some 40%, which means your one hour video plays in 40-some-odd minutes.

Worried about understanding? I routinely show in my classes that you can hear twice as fast as most people can talk, so speed is not the issue (unless language translation is thrown in). Since most folks watch video as background anyway, this is a way to be more efficient in our viewing.

I have not found a way to speed up YouTube videos yet.

Speed up viewing videos and audio to save time.