Everyone's all a-Twitter...

With the 140 character limit on "tweeting", and the IM shorthand and text message abbreviations that have been around for a while now, it was inevitable that it would begin impacting schoolwork. It has, big time. A study showed that nearly 2/3 of young people aged 12-17 have used emoticons, text shortcuts, and informal language in their school assignments. But, the majority of teens surveyed said they don't consider electronic communications to be "writing" and that they think good writing skills will be important for success later in life.

This means a couple of things for you. First, as these young people grow up and become a major part of the workforce and of society in general, the shortcuts will become more and more accepted. If you're not used to them now, you may need to get used to them soon. Look how quickly "Casual Fridays" became "Casual Everyday" in many places of business.

Second, as you learn in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, in order to communicate effectively, you need to use words, terms and phrases that will mean something to the other person. If they are text-shortcutters, you may need to use that style to reach them, whether that's natural for you or not. Conversely, if you use shortcuts often, and they don't, you may need to keep your writing more formal in style. It's just another part of putting the focus of your message on the other person. And, as you'll learn in your "Break Through" seminar, that's one of the keys to effective communication.

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. OK? CU L8R.

Couldn't have said it better

Here's what some clients had to say following their "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminars...

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.

Either way works for me...but, spell check doesn't

Major league baseball teams allow you to make a contribution to their charitable funds and then have a message or greeting displayed on the scoreboard during a game. It's a great way to wish someone a Happy Birthday or Anniversary, propose marriage, or even welcome someone home. Perhaps this person being welcomed really is a "Brain". Perhaps this person's name is actually "Brian".

Regardless, the point here is that spell check won't catch your error when you type an actual word, just not the word you intended to type. For written communication, it is always critical to proofread your message. Read it out loud to yourself and listen to what you have actually written. Mistakes DO become distractions. The focus of the people who planned and paid for this message on the scoreboard went off of the message and onto the typo. Their special moment for Brian instead become a joke. It doesn't take long to proofread your message and it's pretty easy to do.

It's not like it's Brian surgery.

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.

What's In It for You

Here's what's in it for you when you book a "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business.

Call or E-mail today to schedule your seminar, keynote, or workshop, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com.

"There's no crying in baseall..."

Someone at a major university spent a lot of time creating this very clever and attractive piece of artwork that accompanied an E-mail sent to those who had bought tickets to the school's athletic events. As you see, the graphic features kids at play, a caricature of the school's mascot (blacked-out here to protect the school's identity), and photos of the school's softball and baseball teams, as well.

But, no one ran spell check on the text.

When you create your message, whether it's graphic art like this, an E-mail, a speech, a memo, whatever it may be, strive to be error-free in your communication. Everybody makes mistakes. The secret is to keep your mistakes from ever seeing the light of day. Mistakes do send a message about you, and it's not a good one. The effect of the creative piece shown here is diminished by a careless error. And it makes you wonder about the quality of this "major university".

That's just one of the areas of focus we'll cover in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar. Call or E-mail today to schedule a presentation for your group. 913-631-2985, or bkthrucomm@aol.com.

What is "clutter"?

So, what is the "clutter" that your message has to "break through" in order for it to be heard today? Watch this...

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.

What the...?

Mistakes really do send a message about you, and mistakes in your message really do become a distraction. That’s why it is so critical to the success of your message for it to be flawless. A Midwestern state, which shall remain nameless, mailed out the test sheet for those renewing their driver’s licenses. Instructions at the top of the sheet tells renewers to read the handbook first, tells them how to fill out the test sheet, and reminds them to bring the sheet with them when renewing in order to get their answers graded. It then states, “A passing grade is five errors orgess”. Five errors OR LESS, perhaps?

One wonders how many of these test sheets are printed and mailed out at taxpayer’s expense each month. How many other errors might be on the test sheet? Is the answer to #12 really “C”, or is that just another typo?

Spell check will not always catch your errors, but use it anyway. Take the time to review your voicemail, E-mail, and written messages BEFORE you send them. Anything you can do to make it easier for your receiver to understand what you’re talking about is in your best interests. Strive for zero defects in your communication.

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.