Out of the Mouths of Babes

One morning recently during a school holiday, I was getting ready to go to work, when my 7-year-old son asked me "Why can't you stay at home with us?" "I'd love to", I replied, "but I'm meeting people today to teach them some important things." "What?" he enquired. "Well, I'm teaching them how to phone their customers, and make sure that they're happy, and find out if they could do anything more for them." (Considering that it was before 8am, I was quite proud of my explanation) "That's easy!" answered my son, and added confidently "I can do that already!" "Go on!" He picked up my phone, and said "Hello? Hi, it's me. How are you? Are you happy? Would you like me to do anything more for you?" He hung up on his imaginary call partner and said "See? It's easy!" For the rest of the day, I tried to explain what mistakes he had made, and the point is, I still can't see anything wrong in it! Of course, there are questions regarding how quickly and to the point the main issues are brought up, and style is also a factor in conversation. However, my son asked the questions he wanted to, and still showed that he was listening. In fact, there is a very strong argument that his directness would show that he is more honest in his communication. I am surprised at the number of times people go into meetigns with clearly defined questions which they either never ask, or ask in such a vague way that they don't get answers. It may be that you don't know what your client is able to pay because you haven't asked, or you may not know if your staff like a new policy because you never said "Hey guys, do you like this new policy?" Again, I would like to repeat that everything should be in moderation, and there is a very real, and very good, reason why diplomatic language exists. However, there are some very good reasons for using simple, straightforward language too!

It Wouldn't Hurt to Say it Once in a While!

Recently, I recommended a group of accountants in an outsourcing project to start making nice calls. They didn't understandwhat I meant, as they were too busy writing e-mails to remind clients to pay outstanding invoices, and reminding the sales depatment to finally send missing documents. One exasperated soul told me "It's difficult to talk nice to someone when I have to phone him later and complain that he still hasn't paid 11 thousand pounds from last quarter. I don't even know if he's read my e-mails!" This last sentence made me suspicious. "Have you ever spoken to this guy on the phone?" I asked. "No", was the reply. Whether he liked it or not, my accountant friend already had a relationship with this indebted client. It turned out that the client, although late by three months with a five-figure amount, was on time in other ways, returning statements, documents, and answering other questions and queries the accountant had. In other words, the first ever time he would hear his colleague's voice was to be berated about a late payment. I agree that money is important, and I agree that the accountant should call the client about the outstanding sum. I do not agree that it should be the first phone call between the two. I checked with some of the others. Nobody ever picked up the telephone to just say "Thanks for that". Few of them regularly sent an e-mail longer than two words to say it, and yet it is one of the strongest tools in relationship-building. It is difficult to imagine asking a child to give you something, and not to say "Thank You." When a stranger opens a door for us, we say "Thank You". When our dog brings us back a muddy stick we have thrown away, we praise the dog for doing what we wanted. The result is that Fido wants to do something to please us again. Here, people are not so different from our four-leggeed friends. How much would it mean for you if you answered a call at work and were told "Hi, it's Steve from the Marketing Department, here. I'm just calling to let you know I got the files I asked for. Thanks a lot, it'll really help me prepare a great report. Keep up the good work!" As corny as this example sounds, we would all appreciate it if our efforts were acknowledged more often. The next time you get something you asked for, pick up the phone and say "Thanks". You -ans someone else- will be glad you did!

How To Write

I have recently coma across the website Letters of Note, a wonderful and well-curated website that "gathers and sorts fascinating letter, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos". It really is worth bookmarking or subscribing to it, as it rewards quickly and often, with such presents as a young David Bowie's letter to an American fan, a "Jerry Maguire" memo from Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Stephen Hawking's tongue-in-cheek answer to a request for a Time-travel equation ("If I had (one), I would win the National Lottery every week.")

The website's sister-site is Lists of Note, which aims to do the same thing with lists written and sent (or not) by well-known people, or on well-known themes. It was here that I came across this fantastic memo written by advertising guru David Ogilvy to all employees of his advertising agency, reminding them that writing is a skill, and should be treated as such.

The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well.

Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches.

Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well. Here are 10 hints:

1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing*. Read it three times.

2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.

3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.

4. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification,attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.

5. Never write more than two pages on any subject.

6. Check your quotations.

7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning—and then edit it.

8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.

9. Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.

10. If you want ACTION, don't write. Go and tell the guy what you want.

*Writing That Works, by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson

I can quite easily count how many times I've given the same -or similar- advice to people looking to write more effectively in business; every time I am asked!

Of course, there is nothing in the list above, or in George Orwell's famous Rules for Effective Writing, which in itself requires study. However, it is definitely worth putting in front of you beside your monitor for daily reflection.

As I have said before, I have yet to receive a complaint regarding my own work, or the work of my colleagues, that it was too easy to understand! It is very difficult to suggest that you are not happy with someone's communication because you know exactly what he means!

Making things short, simple, and well-structured means that you are sure you're getting your idea across. And if you're getting your idea across, there's a bigger chance that people will agree with you.