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VIEWPOINT NEWSLETTER 2007, Issue 2






 

   
What I learned on summer vacation
Different cultures, same problem:  need for insight vs. undigested info
Many of us have jobs that are hard to explain to people outside our industry or function. But this summer, every business person I met – from locations as diverse as Africa, Amsterdam and California – instantly understood the work of Meachin Communications. Regardless of country, company or culture, they’ve all experienced the same problem: presentations that give too much undigested information and not enough insight.

This problem is important because business suffers when companies don’t present their work well. They lose projects to competitors. Clients underestimate their capabilities. Misunderstandings add time and cost to internal projects. Opportunities are missed.

Why aren’t people giving audiences what they want? Some groups are too close to the numbers or methodologies to focus on what the data mean. Others are locked into outdated habits, or just don’t know what well-structured presentations look like. Still others fear that clarity will be perceived as rudeness.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The flexible Communications Logic framework allows people to structure clear messages in culturally acceptable ways. This approach is particularly relevant for firms that operate globally, as the client case study below illustrates. It shows how a major pharmaceutical company applied Communications Logic across its Global Strategic Sourcing function.

Applying Communications Logic across one function, 3 continents
The initial problem: A Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company's Global Strategic Sourcing leaders wanted their teams to present well-structured recommendations and points of view, not just raw data. And they wanted the entire group located on three continents to produce consistently high-quality documents.

The approach: Train all 100+ people in the US, UK and Latin America to use Communications Logic when constructing documents, and give the Directors extra training to serve as coaches. Working in small groups, participants applied Communications Logic to their own documents in progress. The Directors joined their groups in critiquing each person’s structure solution. Every participant also met individually with the instructor to review communications issues.

The outcome: The program was “very well received across the company.” One region’s leader reports that the training “gave my team members a new perspective on how to effectively communicate with their stakeholders. . . .[and] helped me to reach a higher level in the way I sell my ideas and projects.” Communications Logic “has been successfully applied and is making the difference.”

Get in touch if you recognize this problem in your company.


351 East 84 St., 29E New York NY 10028
telephone:  646-335-3098
  

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VIEWPOINT NEWSLETTER 2007, Issue 1






 

   
Logic and ppt: not an odd couple after all
 
Good news about deck design: academic researchers have proven that simple, direct PowerPoint slide design pays off. Penn State research shows that students recall more information from “assertion-evidence design” slides than from those with only a topic word at the top and a list of bullet points.

What is assertion-evidence design? It simply means writing the message, or assertion, at the top of the page and supporting it with evidence in visual form (e.g., charts, graphs, photos, diagrams).

For details and examples, visit http://writing.eng.vt.edu/slides.html and read “Rethinking the Design of Presentation Slides” by Michael Alley.

Slides that make a point are good for business people as well as students. Clients tell us that presentations featuring clear recommendations and tightly structured support lead to shorter meetings and more informed decisions.

But there’s a catch. Designing assertion-evidence slides involves the hard work of critical thinking. Writers must first create a logical structure in which each point contributes to the whole, and every supporting idea and piece of evidence has a place and a “so what.” Only then can they know what assertions to write and what visual elements to select.

This kind of structuring is what Communications Logic workshop participants practice. To learn how Meachin Communications workshops can help your team communicate more effectively, get in touch.


351 East 84 St., 29E New York NY 10028
telephone:  646-335-3098
  

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VIEWPOINT NEWSLETTER 2006, Issue 1






 

   
What Do Staying Out of Jail and Professional
Success Have in Common?  Speaking Skills
 
If you make business presentations, you know that oral communication skills are an essential ingredient in success. You might not have known that the same skills can keep people out of jail. A study by the UK Learning and Skills Development Agency showed that 44% of all ex-prisoners are convicted of crimes again. However, only 21% of those who had taken an oral communications course in prison relapsed into crime.

Apart from clearing jails, oral communications skills are required in every profession. Accountants, doctors, and lawyers cite the value of speaking skills. Engineering leaders even ranked communication skills as more important than techical skills in a 2000 survey.

Despite the need, schools are not teaching these skills. Over 25% of undergrads surveyed in 2001 by a Carnegie Foundation commission reported that their universities offered no such courses. So employers are taking up the slack.

Do your teams have the skills to communicate ideas successfully and persuade audiences to act? The main point should be clear and supported logically. The message should tie to audience interests. And the delivery style should engage listeners.

If there is room for improvement, call Meachin Communications. We can tailor group training, individual coaching or rehearsals to meet your needs.


351 East 84 St., 29E New York NY 10028
telephone:  646-335-3098
  

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VIEWPOINT NEWSLETTER,
SUMMER 2005






 

     
Teaching Employees to Write
It seems to happen every summer when colleges and business schools hand out diplomas and propel their graduates into the job market. The annual event I’m referring to is the appearance of complaints about the quality of college — and business school — graduates’ writing and communication skills. 
 
A columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal, Bob Hill, neatly summarized what many commentators are saying:
 
“Suddenly [the dinner conversation] turned to the utter inability of many college graduates to write a simple sentence, or to assemble two or more sentences into a meaningful paragraph addressing any issue with brevity, clarity and wit. . . .
 
“A lot of business writing does read as if someone had poured glue all over it — stiff, rigid and thickly frozen into a word-link construct salted and peppered with words such as paradigm, a word that I’ve never heard used by anyone in the real world. . .”
 
According to a 2004 survey by the National Commission on Writing, members of the Business Roundtable largely agree with Mr. Hill. Furthermore, fixing the problem is costly. The report estimates that the private sector spends up to $3.1 billion annually to train employees to write.
 
One survey respondent commented, “My view is that good writing is a sign of good thinking. Writing that is persuasive, logical, and orderly is impressive. Writing that’s not careful can be a signal of unclear thinking.”
 
We agree that thinking and writing skills are closely linked. It is easier to write when you have done the thinking first, particularly when you are writing a business document that aims to persuade. Here’s how:
• Set your strategy. What do you want your readers to do? What do they bring to the
  dialogue?
• Structure your ideas next. What is your main message? What evidence do you need
  to support it? How should you structure the evidence? Create a structure diagram  
  that shows how the ideas fit together. Test and revise your thinking at this stage,
  before you begin to draft.
• Then write, using normal, conversational language. And don’t write anything that you    wouldn’t want to read.
 
If your teams need to improve their thinking and writing skills, please call 646-335-3098 or email to learn more about our custom workshops.

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For more information: or call 646.335.3098