Please remain in your seats until we've come to a complete stop

You've probably noticed this in your own life, but when you have something you want to communicate, timing and environment are just as important as having a great message. You could have the greatest message, product, book, or idea your industry has ever seen, but if no one is listening, it's not going to go anywhere. If you have a vision of a great new technology that enables us to think directly into Word and never have to type at a keyboard--wonderful! But society and the world at large may not have any idea what to do with that idea for another 20 years or so. Or at least 10. And if you have that great idea, project, book, what-have-you but the only person you tell about it is your cat, you don't have the right environment for the idea to begin to put down roots and start to grow.

In an economy like this one (yes, they tell us its getting better), it is both prudent and vitally important to think through the timing and environment for the delivery of your message or product. As always, trying to balance vision with practicality is no easy task but very necessary. Full disclosure: I say this as a writer who has no less than eight finished, non-published books, a half dozen plays, and a gazillion poems living in Happy Land on her backup hard drive. :)

Here are a few questions you can use to gauge whether the time and place is right for your next project:

• How does the project grow organically out of what you are already doing?
  
• How is the project a natural extension of your strengths?
  
• In what way does the project add something that your existing audience needs?
  
• What do you see in the social, cultural, economic, or industry environment that leads you to believe there is a place for this project?
  
• Who will buy this project and how does it connect for them with their perception of the current environment?
  
• Does your project add something worthwhile to the world and contribute something positive--a new technique for getting things done, something to help people in their jobs, a way to offer more support, solve a problem, reduce a struggle? (This list could go on and on, obviously...)
  
• How long will it take you to develop the project, and will the time still be right when you're done?
  
• What resources are needed for you to develop the project, and is the time and environment right internally for you to use those resources now?

This list gives you an idea of the type of landscape into which you'll be pitching your project. Of course once you're clear on this part of the foundation, you need to begin thinking more seriously about the who.

One other thought--and this is a hard one for me--waiting is okay. Sometimes circumstances require us to take a deep breath and wait for the right time and environment in order to act. When this has happened for me, I've noticed that additional clarity and knowledge come to fill in the gaps--the wait time winds up being fruitful, enriching the final project when the time is right for it to be completed.

The moral? Love your project, believe in the good it will do, and listen and watch carefully for the right timing and environment for it to blossom. Yes, Life, I'm listening.

Have a great month!

Greening the Planet via Computer :)

Every good project changes things, internally and externally. When I write about blogging, I learn more about it and develop new best practices. When I struggle with XML in Word 2007 (and believe me, I struggled with it! ), I emerge having learned a lot of helpful and real-world techniques that other everyday people like me might need someday. When I research and write about running a small business, using Office apps more efficiently, or find little stones of experience to share on Practical ~faith~, the finding and sharing enriches my own life.

This has just happened in a big way with the Green Home Computing for Dummies book I've just finished for Wiley (with my coauthor, Woody Leonhard). I absolutely loved writing this book--getting into the soil of the environmental challenges we face, figuring out how to articulate energy use, needs, and alternatives; developing and compiling thoughtful possibilities for ways to make better choices and spread the word--these opportunities and others have changed me. What a great project! I joined the Society for Environmental Journalists (and outward commitment for an inward change) and will be doing much more writing about the greening our digital lifestyles. For now, if you feel so led, you can join the green_computing twibe (Twitter group) and add your own thoughts, tips, and suggestions for greening your computer use.

Clean up your messaging: Little things, big impact

Because so much communication pours into my mindspace in any given day--articles, e-mails, books, journals, blog posts, tweets, RSS feeds, phone calls, Facebook posts, and what-have-you miscellanea--and because it's my business to pay attention to it, I have been noticing how often people and companies (and people on behalf of companies) inadvertently include communication disconnects in their messaging. I include a quick list of some of the biggies I'm finding often these days (would be glad to elaborate if anyone is interested):

1. Contradictions. This is a big one: contradictions are everywhere. Your message won't ring true if you start your message by promising that energy conservation is your big, number-1 focus and then end with the huge award trips you just gave to your top salespeople (yep, drive the Focus, Marge).
   
   
2. Exaggerations. People really don't do anything in droves. And I'll bet they're not really "climbing all over each other" to get your product, unless you have the newest version of Tickle Me Elmo. Tone it down and say how much--and why--your customers really do like what you have to offer. Then you're just saying what's true, without hype...and without the disconnect.
   
   
3. Implausible examples. A made-up example sounds, well, made up. If you want to tell a customer story and you wind up mixing three or four stories together to make it sound more interesting, okay, but tell your readers what you're doing. Otherwise they will sense that something just doesn't ring true--and they'll be right. And that's a disconnect for your credibility.
   
   
4. Invisible but invoked research. Lots of people say "research shows" in their business communications, but as a reader/recipient/potential customer, I want to know that's not just smoke. Anybody can say it, but not many people show it. Include a link, a citation, or something to show me where you're getting your facts. I may not look it up myself, but it means a lot to me to have the option.
   
   
5. Head-and-heart disconnect. This is a tough one for people who aren't comfortable writing to the inner person, but that's where all real motivation begins so it's a good thing to learn. It is very, very common to find communication that speaks either to the head or the heart, but a really compelling, exciting, motivating (as in, "Yes, I want your product!") message does both. That kind of whole-person message makes the inner me want something good (heart) and then shows me (1) why it's in my best interest to get it or do it (facts) and (2) how I can get it easily (process). If you've got those points covered, I'm sold. Show me you know something about who I am as your customer, and then give me the goods on how your product or service will help me be even more fabulous than I already am. I'm joking...a bit...but remember, head and heart together; not one or the other.
   
   
6. Take me somewhere, will ya? When you provide any kind of messaging, your customers expect some kind of leadership from you. If they take the time to read what you've written, they want to understand your point; they want to know what you expect from them; and they want to have something clear to do. If there's no focus in your message, it will fall flat or worse: leave your customers confused (which doesn't make them happy and translates to a ding in your credibility rating). In other words, if you're sending out an update about all the cool programs you will offer this summer but you don't provide a link for registration or tell me clearly that you're counting on me to be there, I'll just zone out and press Delete. Sorry.
   
   
7. Something's missing (or, "What aren't they telling me?) We live in a skeptical age, and that's okay with me. I think we should be thinking critically about things, weighing things out, discerning who means it and who doesn't. Realize that your customers may be resistant and skeptical and plan for that in your messaging. Be transparent, consistently; go the extra mile to explain why you do what you do; welcome your customers into your process; provide a mechanism for answering their questions (and publicize that, so they know how to ask); and be prepared to ride out a few bumps and challenges. It's worth the ride on the rapids to do the hard work and nurture honest, caring relationships with your constituents, because in the long run, those relationships really matter.

I hope these ideas are helpful! If you have a pet disconnect to add, send it in or add a comment below. Happy spring! :) Kathy

Happy 21st birthday, reVisions Plus :)

I don't remember why the incorporation date of reVisions Plus, Inc. was April 1, 1988, but I know it was no joke. :) It's a wonderful thing to be celebrating--so many years later--a business that has enabled us to do fine work with great people for more than two decades. Since our last birthday, we've had the pleasure (and it really is pleasure) to continue working with

• Claudette and Ann at Moore Literary Agency
  
• Juliana, Sandra, and Rosemary at Microsoft Press
  
• Steve at Waypoint Press
  
• Sheri and Theresa at Microsoft Corporation
  
• Amy and Becky at Wiley (and my coauthor Woody)
  
• Tracy at Wiley on the trade side (and my coauthor John)
  
• Chris, Jen, and Peter at Emergent Learning
  
• Tim and Susanna at ESR
  
• Atalie at Strang Communications

Thanks to all of you for a great year. We're already enjoying the new projects Year 22 is bringing!

Many thanks--and happy birthday, rVP! :)

Focus for March: Winds of Change

Here in the U.S., as we wait hopefully for spring, many folks (like me!) are waiting for the first crocus or daffodil to pop its head through the snow. Just now as I write this, a male and female cardinal are right outside my window--the brilliant red is such a welcome change from the brownish-gray of the winter landscape. C'mon, spring! :)

March in Indiana is known as a month when anything can happen, and often does. The phrase "in like a lion and out like a lamb" is sometimes true and sometimes not. There are years when March starts like a lamb, rages like a lion mid-month, and thunders like Thor at the end! One thing is always certain about March, though--the winds will come. Dramatic, pushy, persistent, relentless winds turn trees into instruments and make our hats fly off our heads. Anything left untethered outside may end up down the street--or in the next county.

I was thinking this morning about the ways in which working in communications is a lot like being able to read the wind, know what to tether, and know what to let go. Sometimes "going with the flow" is the best approach, depending on the communication challenge you're facing. Sometimes tethering to a principle, a belief, a product, or a choice is the better option. Here are some communications principles in tune with the changing seasons that occur to me. Perhaps there's a helpful thought here for you as well:

• Know the wind is coming. Whether it comes at a certain time of year or not, the wind will come. For some businesses and organizations, communications challenges are cyclical--perhaps you struggle around the financial aid deadline, during your membership drive, or at the end (or beginning) of your fiscal year. Whether there's a pattern to your challenges or not, you will be challenged at some point, and your message will need to respond to the challenge in some way that flows naturally and logically from the heart of what you do. That's not a bad thing--in fact, it enables us to continue to fine-tune, test, and clarify our messaging. Is there a specific time of year or a specific area of your business that regularly presents communications challenges for your organization?
  
  
• Recognize that the wind brings change. Part of the pattern of growth is a period of disequillibrium before equillibrium. Look around at the world as it begins to blossom. The new daffodil has to disturb the soil before it can find its way out into the sun. The wind pushes the dead leaves away--once and for all!--so that new growth can begin. How is the wind you're experiencing in your business pushing out the old to make way for the new?
  
  
• Know where your anchor is. One of the challenges the heady March wind presents is that if we're not paying attention, some gusts can knock us right off our feet! The pushing and whipping of the wind may send us running for cover; we can forget where we were going; we may skip doing things we had planned to do just so we can get out of the wind. In this way, meeting challenges and change in our businesses and organizations can send us running for cover, trying to protect ourselves, looking for ways to play it safe and get away from the discomfort the change brings. The answer to this March wind challenge is to know what to cling to. If you've got an anchor, you're paying attention, and you know clearly what's solid and enduring and true about your service, program, product, or value, you will have sustained what's most important about what you offer the world, clarified and released the things that no longer work, and set the stage for beautiful new growth to happen in your business and your life.

That's great work, all from simply being in tune with what's going on in nature around you right now. Happy March, everyone!

Focus for February: Communication Tips

Have you noticed that the light is growing in our days? Mornings are a bit brighter; evenings stay light a little longer. Nice! How can you connect this "growing light" with your business communications and add some refreshed energy to your messaging? Whether you work for yourself or for someone else, here are three quick tips you can try this month:

• Notice where your energy goes. Are you spending lots of time, effort, money, and attention trying to push out messages that feel boring or dry to you? When you sit down to write something new (or send an e-mail message, or make a phone call), take a slow, luxurious breath and exhale completely, and then ask yourself What do I really want to say here? The thing that comes to you is the true message you want to say--now you can be creative in finding just the right how.
  
  
• Think simple and quick--with potentially big returns. So if you notice that your energy goes flat when you think about writing the monthly newsletter, what can you do to engage your customers and still share your message? Today there are all sorts of possibilities--Facebook, blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter, and more. I'm using all of these right now, and they are fun and effective because they are fast, high-energy, and engaging. With a little thought, you can work them into your overall communications approach. Where can you reach the biggest audience? How can you share what you do? The answer doesn't have to be a big dinosaur of a communications plan. I think those are extinct now, anyway. :)
  
  
• Keep at it. In any kind of communications, consistency is key. Don't expect miraculous instant returns when you send out a hundred Facebook updates to fans of your business. It's likely not going to happen all at once. But look around you--the natural world doesn't work that way either. There's a wonderful process of growth that will happen in your messaging if you stick with it. Keep an open heart; communicate honestly; let people know what you do. Consistency in your messaging doesn't mean you never change course or launch a new product--but it does mean you are always authentically speaking to your customers and clients. You're not just trying to grab what you can from them and let them go--you care about them, you care about your products and services, and you care about sound business practice, and that message comes through loud and clear in every message they receive. That kind of consistency builds relationship and benefits everybody gradually, just like the light returning in the month of February. :)

Have a great month!

Get your mailing labels done fast

Over on BlogOffice I just posted a new 3-Minute Quick Guide for Mailing Labels in Word 2007 that you can download if mailing labels are your nemesis in Word 2007. The process really isn't that bad (a bit clunky and confusing if you're not used to it), but this little guide will get you through that obstacle and out doing fun stuff in no time.

I timed myself and it really did take less than three minutes to complete the process. If you have to enter all the data by hand, of course, that's another matter--unless you're a graduate of a speed typing course. :)