Archive for June, 2008

Newer Entries »

IM Etiquette: R U Good At It?

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

Etiquette for using instant messaging
IM is horrible. Long live IM. Perhaps depending on when you were born, we all have different views of the value of Instant Messaging (IM). If you’ve ever worked as a part of a widely distributed team, then like me you probably realize that it’s an incredibly valuable tool — if used correctly. It turns out that that’s the rub — IM tools get installed on everyone’s desktop and then we’re all just left to our own devices to figure out the social rules associated with using them.

Perhaps it’s high time for us to discuss some of the do’s and don’ts around using IM. The don’ts are the easiest, so here it goes:

  1. Don’t copy/paste/forward IMs to other people not involved in the discussion: this is just poor form. An IM chat is assumed to be a private conversation between two or more parties. If you become known as a person who shares what was discussed in a private chat with others, then nobody is going to be willing to chat with you anymore for fear that you’ll share that chat with others. Small exceptions can be made for very technical instructions or such. Otherwise, summarize the other chat in your own words.

  2. If you don’t want it to get around the office, then don’t say it in a chat: as the flip side to rule #1, if you’d be embarrassed to see what you wrote in a chat on the front page of your local paper, then it’s probably the wrong thing to put in a chat. The guys at Enron (yes, they all seemed to be guys) found this out when their IM records were put on the web as part of the lawsuits.

Let’s wrap up with some do’s:

  1. Do check your spelling: it’s just like you were told in 2nd grade — spelling and grammar both count. If I have to work to understand your IMs, then I’m probably not going to take the time unless you are my boss.

  2. Do sign off from a chat: just stopping typing is a lousy way to let the other parties know that you’re done chatting. Instead, do like the police/truckers do — clearly communicate that you are done talking: “over & out” is my favorite. “Goodbye” works just as well.

So what are your IM etiquette lessons learned?

Posted in etiquette, goodbye, instant message, spelling | 2 Comments »

How To Write A Speech

Friday, June 6th, 2008

How To Write A Speech
I was asked to give a speech for a local company’s “high achievers” group a little while back. It had been quite some time since I had actually had to sit down and think long and hard about what message I really wanted to get across to an audience. This made me go do some research on how good speechwriters find ideas that really shine.

Everyone who writes speeches for a living seems to agree about one thing: just get the first draft done. There are countless stories about folks who get hung up on trying to write the perfect speech and who spend so much time editing word after word that they never complete the speech. Just let the words flow and resist the urge to edit. Once it’s all out there, then you can go back and have at it.

Write for the ear not the eye. What sounds great on paper probably sounds stilted and awkward when read aloud. For example, we use a lot of contractions when we speak (can’t, won’t, shouldn’t) but we don’t use them as much when we write. This difference will show up as a wordy, formal tone in any speech. Solve this problem by reading your speech out loud and actually listening to how it sounds. Then go back and rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

PowerPoint is not all bad. Dr. John Medina’s book Brain Rules discusses how audiences lose focus after 10 minutes, so shifting gears, telling a story, etc. every 10 minutes will keep them focused and awake. Another rule is that a combination of both auditory and visual stimuli make your message 6 times more memorable than auditory alone. What this means is that if you use it the way that it should be used (as a helper, not a crutch), PowerPoint can boost the impact of your speech. But be careful — it’s easy to go overboard. My favorite saying is “There is a reason that you never see PowerPoint used during an eulogy.”

Writing a speech should be an adventure. Often where we think that the effort will take us ends up not being where we finally arrive. However, doing a good job of speech writing will pay dividends that will have a value that lasts long after the speech is done.

Posted in ear, editing, PowerPoint, speech writing | 2 Comments »

Newer Entries »