by Randall CraigFiled in: Blog, Communication, Make It Happen TipsheetTagged as: Copywriting, Focus, Value
In today’s society, we are surrounded by fluff: low value information whose noise gets in the way of solid analysis, improved relationships, and personal excellence. Some of the fluff is mis-aimed advertising, some fluff is reply-all emails, and other fluff is “analysis” that doesn’t really analyze. We see fluff at meetings that go on too long, and ingest fluff at presentations that are high on staging but low on content. It’s everywhere.
With such an indictment, how can we make sure that we ourselves aren’t part of the problem? How do we ensure that we are actually producing value? There are four main ways of doing this:
1) Target the audience: Whether you are making a presentation, posting a blog, or writing a simple email, consider who is receiving what you send. The more you can address what they care about, the more relevant your message will be. Relevance drives value, and builds trust.
2) Help people think: Another way to add value is to do more than just communicate facts: dig deeper and also present implications. A useful technique is to add the phrase “and this means that…” to many of your sentences.
3) Focus on action: If the information doesn’t cause a change in attitude or behavior, then why was it communicated in the first place? (Often because of a need for personal recognition.) By helping others move from knowledge to action, you can grow the value of the interaction well into the future.
4) Call it when you see it: Help your colleagues increase their own value by coaching them through your information needs. And helping them develop targeting, thinking, and action skills. (Consider sharing this Tipsheet with them?)
Most people know about targeting and action, but what about thinking? This week, take the So what? test to whatever you write: a blog, a simple email, or a major report. If you can answer the So what? question for each paragraph, then you’ll be adding value – not fluff.
Bonus action plan: Long-time readers may notice that each of these Tipsheets end with “This week’s action plan”. See for yourself whether this model works, and review the structure of past Tipsheets. They’re at www.RandallCraig.com.
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