Choose Wisely

In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn that, when it comes to the content of your message, the words you choose and use DO say a lot about you. And, you are then encouraged to choose wisely.

Why? Well, first examine examples of those who did NOT choose so wisely. Recently a report by CareerBuilder listed some major gaffes found on job applications. And as you see, most, if not all, of these gaffes could have easily been avoided.

One guy had the word "insanity" as part of his E-mail address. Conjures up an image, huh? Another had "lovesbeer" as a part of his.

While using pop language, or "hip" talk, might help you convey the message or image you want to convey, understand that not all of your receivers will find that to be a good image. The fact that you're a person who "lovesbeer" might say several things about you in certain situations. But, in others, it may be completely inappropriate and even damaging to your message's effectiveness. All because you simply chose the wrong words to use.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

Because you can doesn't mean you should

Technology today gives you so many different ways to talk to people. The two keys for you are to first realize that "talking" is NOT the same as "communicating" and then, secondly, to figure out which method of communication will be best for your message.

More and more often now, men are proposing marriage to women through text messages. Really. Perhaps thinking, "Since we text each other all the time anyway, why not?", they shoot off a little missive that says "OMG, IDK, want 2 get married?" or something like that. How romantic. Even Miss Manners says, "texting, which is a lightweight way of conveying instant thoughts, is unsuitable" for proposals. The technology may be at your disposal and may be appropriate for certain messages, but it isn't appropriate for all.

We've discussed examples, in the past, of companies handling mass layoffs through E-mail. In casual conversation, you'll hear of some "jerk" who ended a relationship by voice mail or text. As the title of this post says, "Because you can, doesn't mean you should".

You can "talk" to people how ever you wish. "Talking" simply means that you're telling people things. They may or may not be listening, may or may not be understanding, and may or may not care about your message. But, you're sending the message anyway, because you're just "talking".

"Communicating" is something more and something completely different. Communication is about reaching someone with your message, affecting him or her in some way, and often eliciting a response from him or her. When you need to communicate, consider which method will be most effective in reaching the other person. It may not be the most convenient way for you, or your preferred method, but if it is more likely to reach the other person than it is the method to use. If they need an address and they need it now, text it. If they need an explanation and they need it now, call them. If they need information and lots of details, E-mail it. And if you want to get married, ask them face-to-face. Any message that is going to affect the other person emotionally should be delivered face-to-face so that you can see the effect you're having on him or her and gauge the response you get.

This is the type of advice and discussion you'll get in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar. Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

You're in the shallow end more often now

Scientists are starting to see and measure the affects today's society and the Information Superhighway are having on people. Their findings directly affect the way you need to communicate today. Your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar will teach you and your group the skills they need to be heard in this environment.

The book, "The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains" says, among other things, that people who are becoming accustomed to instant everything - information, news, answers to questions both pertinent and mundane - are developing patterns of distracted and shallow thinking. When people are used to the immediacy of social media, of constant texting and phone calls, and of "always" being able to to access someone or something, their methods of processing information change.

Memory development and usage are no longer necessary - instead of trying to remember who sang a song or what the name of a song is, you now simply hold up your phone and it tells you the title and artist. Instead of remembering what year such-and-such occurred, you know you can always find it online. Your phone will tell you your schedule. Your car will tell you how to get somewhere. You may consider these to be amazing developments that have greatly increased the quality of life, but they also affect how people process information, including your message.  No one needs to remember anything anymore. Sadly, that applies to your message, too.

On a social media site, you see that a friend did something, or posted a photo, or announced something that has happened to them. You respond as soon as you see it. That's great. But then, you move on to the next thing from someone else. And what your first friend did, showed, or announced is replaced in your memory.

Your message is a small part of a large amount of information that your receiver will see and hear in a given day. They'll digest it for an instant or two, and then move on to the next thing. You need to take that into consideration when you are crafting your message. Understand that subtlety is often lost because it takes too long to develop. Grab their attention early in your message and capture their imaginations in order to try to keep them. You CAN do it, but it takes some work.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing so. Once they get their noses out of their mobile devices, that is.

Eradicate Obfuscation

How bad has it gotten for clear, understandable speech in our country today? Last year, Congress passed something called the Plain Writing Act. Helping to spearhead the support for that Act and this year's Plain Regulations Act is the non-profit Center for Plain Language. When we have to have a "Center" for plain speaking and we have to enact legislation to force people to communicate clearly, we've obviously reached a crisis situation.

The Plain Writing Act requires all federal agencies to write all new publications, forms and more, in a "clear, concise, well-organized manner". Employees are to be trained in plain writing. The Plain Regulations Act now before Congress would force agencies to use plain writing in their regulations. And it would force the Office of Management and Budget to return for revision any regulations that aren't written in plain language.

Well, hallelujah.While it's sad that plain writing (and speaking) has to be forced on people, it's good that someone is at least paying attention and addressing this problem. Now, you need to make sure you're part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Plain speaking and writing involve several things that you learn in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar. It is stressed over and over in your seminar that you should use only words that you know will mean something to the other person. Avoid lingo and jargon, specialized language unique to a certain area of interest or expertise. Also, avoid trying to sound "hip" or "cool". In fact anytime you use a  word or phrase that your audience isn't familiar with, instead of being impressed with how much you know, they tend to feel alienated and even insulted. Plus, any time they spend trying to figure out what the heck you're talking about, is time they're not listening to what comes next.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your business or group, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. Everyone will learn, together, how to write and speak clearly, concisely and effectively. And you'll be a hero for making that happen.

It's a phone, not an appendage

A recently published list of phone tips for job seekers serves as a good reminder for you, too. The column of tips mentioned several examples of what not to do when talking on the phone. Tales of hearing someone flush a toilet during a phone conversation, of having the other person's words drowned out by wind noise because he or she is outside while talking, and of radios, kids, and dogs being so loud in the background that communication is nearly impossible are becoming all too common today. As phone use becomes more and more ever-present in today's world, it's easy to forget that you should treat each conversation as a special opportunity to communicate with someone. And that means that you should give them your undivided attention.

The practice of talking on the phone while driving, while shopping, while typing, while ordering food at a restaurant, and even while watching TV, means that your phone conversation suffers and your other activity suffers, too (see the 5/1/12 blog post). Multitasking doesn't work. That's why people are dying and killing others along with them because they're trying to drive while on their phone or texting. When you stop whatever else you were doing and focus on your phone call and the person(s) at the other end of the call, you can concentrate on communicating. Then and only then can you use the skills you learn in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar to help you communicate effectively.

If it's important enough for you to call someone, or for them to call you, it's important enough for you to care about your conversation. Put the focus on the other person and think about your conversation from their perspective. Will they be able to hear and understand you? Do you need to have this conversation at a later time when it's quieter for each of you, or you have better cell reception? Can you finish your conversation without any interruptions from other sources? Take all of this into consideration and you will make a better impression on the other person, and you will enjoy a more effective conversation.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing so.

You need to have handouts

Today, when you speak to a group, the emphasis is always on handouts - have your handouts to the organizers by a certain date, rate the quality of the speaker's handouts on the evaluation form, print out your slides and use them as handouts, etc.

This won't make you popular with the people who asked you to speak, but you should do all that you can to fight the handout fetish. Considering today's short attention spans and considering the "clutter" of everyday life in terms of forms of communication and various stimuli, handouts are a distraction instead of being an aid. Holding your audience's attention is tough enough. Why would you willingly hand them a reason to not listen to you?

More and more researchers are coming to the conclusion that multitasking is a myth. Yes, people can do more than one thing at a time. But it's becoming apparent that they can't do more than one thing WELL at a time. When the anesthesia is taking effect on the operating table, you don't want the last thing you hear to be the surgeon asking the nurse to bring his phone closer so he can check his text messages and E-mails. You want him to be focused on you.

People have different cognitive learning styles - some need to read things to understand them, while others need to hear things instead of reading them. But when you give your audience handouts - a meeting agenda, a proposal, your resume, or anything else that is written - it divides their attention between the written word and the spoken word. You are, in effect, creating interference for your own message. And that's self-defeating.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business. But don't expect there to be too many handouts. Call 913-631-2985, or E-mail bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

Phone calls passe`?

It may already be true. Phone conversations seem to be almost a thing of the past. Particularly when you're trying to reach a younger audience with your message, reaching out and touching someone just isn't your best strategy anymore.

Loud, annoying cell phone calls made in public are falling by the wayside, replaced by text messaging. On one hand, it's great to not have someone in a restaurant or airport lounge forcing everyone else to listen to his or her phone conversation. On the other hand, a brand new etiquette needs to be followed now in this day of individuals focusing on their phones and ignoring those physically in their presence.

What does this mean to you? Several things, including practicing Economy of Words, and utilizing the most efficient forms of communication possible. In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn the importance of editing your message so that it has a better to chance to break through the clutter of everyday life. With text messaging, you have no choice but to edit. In your seminar, you learn how to decide what to keep and what to edit out of your message. The voice-mail and E-mail strategies covered in your "Break Through the Clutter" seminar teach you to even use "Subject" lines to convey key points of your message. This is even more critical today if you've reached the point where you need to text or E-mail someone just to find out when you can call them.

While it may seem "old school" to call someone when you need to communicate, there are subjects that are still best left to face-to-face, or at least phone conversations, so that you can explain complex issues and gauge your receiver's reaction. That's another skill you'll develop in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, information that's now even more critical for you in today's fast-paced world.

Call or e-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

OMG

The landscape of communication is changing with today's kids. Perhaps you spent hours on the phone with your friends when you were growing up. Or perhaps Instant Messaging on the computer was your generation's way of "talking". Texting is now the most dominant form of communication among those 12-17 years of age.

Here are survey results for you: nearly two-thirds text friends everyday while less than one-third talk on a cellphone with friends everyday; only 14% talk to their friends on a land line today while more than double that amount never use a land line to talk to their friends; and the median number of texts sent on a typical day is now 60, up from 50 in 2009 (for girls, the median is 100).

What does this mean for you and your communication style? Several things, beginning with editing your message. Abbreviations, such as the title of this blog post, might be handy. But you must be certain that your receiver understands what those abbreviations mean. You also need to focus on framing your message in a way that fits texting and will have an impact on your receiver.

These are among the communication skills you and the members of your group will develop in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar. It's information you need now and will need even more in the years to come. Call or E-mail today to schedule your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing so.

Footprints in cyberspace

Colleges and employers, both current and prospective employers, can and do check an applicant's digital footprints to help determine who might not be a good fit for their school or business. Tweets, photos and postings on social media sites, blog rantings, search results and more, can give screeners a clear picture of an applicant's behaviors and activities. Too often, it's not a very flattering picture.

In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn that focusing your message on the other person(s) is one of the most important things you can do to communicate effectively. As a part of that, you learn to think about your audience - what they're doing, thinking, and feeling, what they'll do just before getting your message, what they'll do just after getting your message, and in what environment they will receive your message. You learn how to differentiate between different audiences and how to tailor different messages to those different audiences.

Those are the skills you also need to apply to creating your Internet presence. Some like to call it the "Grandma" test - if you wouldn't want your Grandma to see it or read it, don't post it. Consider who will see your posts and photos, who might see them at a later date, and decide what is and isn't appropriate for each potential audience. Gear each posting and photo toward the appropriate audience and only the appropriate audience. If your friends will think you look great with your tongue out and a drink in your hand, great. Show them that. But keep in mind that you might not want everyone to see that particular pose.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. Help them get the skills they need to communicate effectively, and safely, in today's world. You'll be a hero for doing it.

Think, before you send

Unthinking people do foolish things all the time. But today's technology too often lets you take your faux pas "to 11", to use the line from "This is Spinal Tap".

In the U. K., a job seeker E-mailed a note and his resume to 4,000 head-hunting firms. He's "Unthinking Person #1" in this story. They each got the same note. The E-mail had the names of all recipients visible. Each recipient could tell that no effort was put into the job search.

"Unthinking Person #2" is the head-hunter who took exception to being included in the mass E-mail. He wrote an expletive-filled reply that included "it's nice to know you are taking this seriously and taking the time to make us all feel special and unique", and told the applicant that he was too stupid to get a job in banking. Further, he attacked his competitors at head-hunting firms, calling some of them obscene names. Then, he hit "Reply All".

As you can imagine, both #1 and #2 are looking for work now.

In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn the importance of striving for Zero Defects in your messages. You learn that proof-reading is critically important. You learn to check your emotions when creating your messages. And, you learn to put the focus of your message on the other person, understanding what he or she is thinking, feeling, and doing when receiving your message. This story shows two individuals who would have benefited from putting that knowledge to use. Don't let this happen to you.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

Twenty-five words, or less

Several college and universities have begun having admissions applicants answer essay questions using only twenty or twenty-five words. That's right, your chance to make an impression and to be accepted to the college of your choice can now hinge on 25 words, or less.

The questions can be a little off-beat, too, which perhaps lends itself to such short answers. Questions such as, "Best movie of all time?" are giving the schools new and more personal insight into a candidate's make up.

In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn the importance of editing your message for length and time. You learn that you may have as little as three seconds to make an impact on the other person with your message. And you learn how to put the important (to them) information early in your message. Now, it appears that this might be a skill you also need to develop to get in to college. And, if that proves to be successful for schools, you can imagine that such questions will be used in job interviews of the future, too.

Real-life communication skills and the tools you need to master in order to communicate effectively, all presented in a humorous and entertaining fashion. That's what you get when you schedule a "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business. Call or E-mail today, to schedule your own seminar, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

"Clutter" in today's world

In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn about the types of "clutter" that your message needs to break through in order to reach the people you need to reach. And, you get a sense of just how much clutter there is today and how quickly it is increasing.

Educators are finding that when they utilize digital communication devices in the classroom as the great learning tools they can be, those devices also bring a number of new distractions to students. The same is true with the people you need to communicate with. You used to have to compete with your audience daydreaming, sleeping, doing other work while you're talking, or doodling on a sheet of paper. Now, your audience could be surfing the web, texting, tweeting, looking at photos, watching a movie, or any number of other things instead of paying attention to you and your message.

That's why it is so important for you to frame your message in a way that makes it most effective. In order to get people to listen to or read your message, you need to make them WANT to listen to it or read it. And that's what you learn to do in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

Two words - Anthony Weiner

Wow. Sometimes blog posts write themselves. In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn that, when it comes to E-mail (and nowadays text messages, tweets, Facebook posts, and other text messages) remember this phrase - "When in doubt, leave it out."

That also applies to photos of you with your drink raised, doing duck lips, with your mouth open, or with your tongue sticking out. In the moment, it may seem like the thing to do. In retrospect, or when seen by an unintended audience, it may come back to bite you in your photographed and texted bulging undershorts.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business. It will not only help your organization and its members communicate more effectively, it could keep their careers from going down the drain. 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

The times, they are a-changin'...

Some new trends that will impact the way you communicate in the future - smart-phone sales surpassed PC sales recently. And, by the third quarter of this year, smart-phones will outsell all other kinds of phones. What does this mean for you?

• E-mails will be shorter or disappear all together. People will be reading E-mails on smaller screens, perhaps not while in a desk-top situation, and will be typing their E-mails and replies on smart-phone keyboards.


• It's more likely that people could be surfing the web while listening to your voice-mail messages, dividing their attention.


• Texting could become the preferred form of communication

How do you succeed in communicating under these new circumstances? Simply by focusing on what you learn in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar. As you learn, no matter what form your message takes, the basics of effective communication apply. Utilizing "Economy of Words" makes certain that your message gets through to your receiver BEFORE his or her attention is diverted. Giving them important information early and clearly in your message gets the most out of the 3-or-so seconds you have to actually reach them. And, making your message different from every other message they will see that day, helps yours break through the clutter of everyday life and make an impact on him or her. Particularly since ALL messages will be seen and heard on one device in the future.

Call or E-mail today to schedule a "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. Since this information is so critically important to future communication, you'll be a hero for doing it.

Importance of Communication Skills

Kiplinger's Magazine advised college students, in a recent issue, to improve their communication skills before entering the job market. A reader, seconding that advice in a subsequent letter to the editor, said that verbal self-improvement is a wise move for everyone. "The ability to give a good presentation or run meetings is a highly marketable skill, and verbal expertise makes you an asset in any organization," the letter-writer stated.

That's why "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminars have been so beneficial to so many groups and businesses over the years. Organizations have encouraged members to begin using, right away, the knowledge and new communication skills learned in their "Break Through" seminar. The president of one group, Kiwanis International, told his International Board of Governors that he wanted them to immediately begin writing E-mails that followed the new guidelines they had just learned. The president of another group, the National Association of Residential Property Managers, said that their entire conference would have been a lot different had the "Break Through" program been the opening program instead of the closing program.

Communication is something that most everyone feels they do very well. Sadly, they are mistaken. And sophisticated and forward-thinking leaders of groups and businesses realize that fact. That's why it's so critical to the success of your organization for you to make this information and training available to your people.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be hero for doing it.

Yes, it DOES matter

In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn that the words you choose and use DO say a lot about you. And you're cautioned to, therefore, choose wisely. An advertising agency and one of its now former employees learned that same lesson the hard way recently. He "dropped the F-bomb" in a Twitter message while signed in to a client's Twitter account. He not only lost his job, the agency lost the client. The fact that he thought he was using his own private Twitter account at the time is immaterial. If he simply didn't use that word in any communication, he would have never made that error.

Profanity has crept into more and more common usage over the years. Depending on the intended audience for your message, perhaps you can get away with some mild usage of offensive words to make a certain point. But profanity, and other offensive terms and phrases, is often "in the eye of the beholder". It is simply best, for effective communication, to use only words, terms and phrases that you know will mean something to the other person. Avoid anything that might be offensive to him or her. When you draw attention to the words you use, you draw attention away from your message's content. Use your intelligence and advanced vocabulary to find another, non-offensive way of saying the same thing.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business. 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

Watch It!

In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you'll learn a couple of good rules to keep in mind regarding E-mail and other text messages.

First, if you wouldn't say it in public, don't say it in a text message. The other rule is similar but perhaps more direct. When in doubt, leave it out.

It's easy to accidentally send a message to the wrong person, or at least to people you didn't intend to send it to, like clicking "Reply All" instead of "Reply Sender". A recent survey in Britain showed one-fifth of those responding had sent a "racy" text to the wrong person. Oops. Try explaining that one to your Aunt Hilda.

The best way to think of text messages, especially E-mail messages, is that they are like the back of a postcard. Anyone can read them. And chances are, someone other than the person you sent it to, will.

Call or E-mail to day to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

The times, they are a-changing

In your "Break Through the Clutter" communication seminar, you learn that putting the focus of your message on the other person is one of the keys to communicating effectively today. That involves many different things, including the method you use to deliver your message to your audience.

You may find yourself needing to change your ways of communicating, especially when trying to reach a younger audience. Writing, addressing, stamping and mailing a letter gave way to E-mail years ago. Now, E-mail is losing ground to Instant Messaging, texting, and social network web sites. Since November of '09, use of E-mail web sites has steadily declined. With teenagers, it has dropped dramatically. In some respects, E-mail has become the tool of "old" people - you know, like parents, teachers and bosses. Young people report that they have to regularly check their E-mail simply because it is used by people in authority.

As these young people age and go out into the workforce, your communication styles may need to change. You may need to adopt texting, tweeting, and IMs as your preferred method, depending on your intended audience. As you hear in your "Break Through the Clutter" communication seminar, "It is simple, but it isn't always easy."

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" communication seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aool.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

Reaching Your Audience

As you learn in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, one of the keys to effective communication is to understand your target audience and tailor your message to reach that particular audience. You also need to consider which form of communication would be most effective in reaching that audience.

Recently, The New York Times mentioned a 14-year-old girl who sends and receives 27,000 text messages in a month. Whether this girl and her communication habits are typical or not, it's something for you to consider. If your audience is teenagers, then you really need to take this into consideration. If your target audience is an older one, know that these 14-year-olds are heading your way in the future. You may need to change your communication style, learn new behaviors and skills, and become comfortable with methods of communication that may seem strange to you. As the world changes, so must your style of communicating so that your message will have a chance to "break through" the clutter of today's world and have an impact on others.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.

Privacy? No.

In June, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on whether an employer was reasonable to search employee text messages. Unanimously, the court ruled that the search in this case was reasonable. This was not an all-encompassing decision, but it is one that will serve as a precedent in the future.

What does this mean to you? If you wouldn't say it in public, don't say it in a text, E-mail, or voice-mail, either. The Electronic Communication and Privacy Act lets your boss go through your E-mail at work. As technology continues to develop into new methods of communicating, new legislation and litigation will be needed to sort out what can and can't be done by employers. But, you will do well with an overall philosophy of "when in doubt, leave it out".

In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar you learn that a great way to think of an E-mail message is that it's like the back of a postcard - just about anyone CAN read it, and chances are someone, other than the person you sent it to, WILL.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing something that really helps people in today's world.