Death By PowerPoint (or video or....)

I know, I know... everybody knows that PowerPoint is all too often abused. Though we are aware of the crime, death by PowerPoint remains way too commonplace in everyday corporate life. This slide show at CIO Magazine's website is a good reminder for us all.

John Medina's book Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School does a great job of explaining why good slide manners matter. Get his book, but also check out the "Vision" video on his website.

My observation: the problem isn't just poor slide design. It often starts with a misunderstanding of how to architect an effective message. I watched a video that a friend posted on YouTube to talk about a company that his organization will be partnering with in 2010. It wasn't clear to me whether he was targeting the video for existing customers, prospective customers, or people who want to buy into his franchise idea.

On Monday Night Football this week, IBM paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to show a couple of their Smarter Planet ads, such as this one. Though I find the ads intriguing, it led to an equally intriguing discussion with some friends and family: what is it that IBM actually does these days? I could answer that 25 years ago. Today? I'm not as sure.

To whom are they targeting that ad? Is it worth the cost? The smart minds behind the Smarter Planet initiative clearly think so. I'm not as convinced, based on the discussion around our munchies Monday evening.

My point: whether it's a presentation, a video, an e-mail, a marketing piece, or any other communication, start with the basics: who is my target audience and which of their problems am I addressing? How can I best communicate how we address those problems?

If you can't clearly answer those initial questions, it really doesn't matter how slick (or sick) your PowerPoint slides (or video or....) looks. The message will get lost in the fog.

Do you have a favorite abuse of PowerPoint (or video or web page or....)? Send me a pic or link! Here's to your success communicating today!

Labels: communication, influence, marketing, presentations

posted by Andy at 7:51 AM  

"Trillion is the new billion"

It's a key message in my book Navigating the Winds of Change: Staying on Course in Business & in Life: Perspective matters.

It's so easy to lose perspective. Whether you're trying to convince a boss to make a change or trying to evaluate if a government reform idea is a good deal or not, getting a sense of perspective can make all the difference.

Frankly, I have trouble visualizing a trillion of anything. As reported this last week, the White House predicts a deficit of $1.841 trillion dollars for the current fiscal year.

Seems like a really big number. To get some perspective, how does that compare to some previous years? The biggest deficit for any fiscal year on record is $454.8 billion, rung up in fiscal 2008. So we're predicting to be $1.4 trillion dollars worse than the worst year on record. Yet as bad as that sounds, I still find it difficult to get my arms around how big a trillion really is.

Often a picture can serve up perspective more effectively. Here are a couple examples that illustrate a trillion dollars:

• From PageTutor.com
• From YouTube

This posting is not about whether health care reform or stimulus spending is a good idea or not. It's not about left vs. right or Republicans vs. Democrats.

Here's my point: when you hear any leader (whether in government or in business) throwing around numbers that are difficult to comprehend, try to get perspective using a picture. It will help you better evaluate the long-term implications of their statements.

Labels: accountability, communication, culture, illusion, integrity, managing change

posted by Andy at 4:51 PM  

What I "Can" Do

There are times when saying 'No' seems like a career-limiting move. Yet a clear personal productivity principle is learning to say 'No'.

Easier said than done.

I often cover this topic in our project management and leadership development workshops. Here's a link to my article "How to Say 'No' (Without Saying 'No')" that provides some helpful advice.

In addition, here's a piece from Rachel Zupek for your consideration as well. I like her focus on "What I can do..." as well as the coaching on watching your body language and vocal tone.

Clearly there are times when "No" needs to be the answer (for example, when asked to do something illegal, unethical, or against your value system). Yet some people err on the side of over-using "No" when there may be better ways to finesse the same result.

Ultimately, we need to be known as people who deliver--who make things happen. That will often happen by saying "Yes" to opportunities. But when "No" is really the best answer, it's helpful to be armed with techniques that can help you influence a "No" without always using the letters N-O!

Labels: communication, influence, managing stakeholders, managing up, time management

posted by Andy at 12:49 PM  

Service to Shout About

This is not normal. I'm yelling at a customer service rep from GiftCards.com. I don't yell at people--at least very often.

How did this happen?

This is a quick tale of customer service from two companies, with lessons for us all.

About a year ago I was awarded a gift card by one of my top clients as part of their reward and recognition program for outstanding performance. The award from GiftCards.com is supposed to act like a normal VISA card so it should be accepted anywhere that VISA cards are allowed.

We had multiple problems with the card, including some fraud shortly after it had been activated. My outburst to the customer service rep was in reaction to how they dealt with the fraud: there was no recourse. We were out the money. But that wasn't the biggest deal. If I wanted a new card issued for the remaining balance, they would have to charge me.

The message: "We can't help you." It shouldn't have gotten me so upset. These days I should have even expected it.

Contrast this to the purchase of our first Mac last week. If you've bought from Apple before, you already know what I found out... It's a great experience. A guy named Ben walked me through the in's and out's and made a recommendation we are excited about.

Part of our payment for the Mac was with the gift card. Though GiftCards.com gave Apple an authorization, the fraud occurred before Apple transferred funds, meaning there was not enough remaining balance to cover the original amount charged.

How did Apple handle the issue? They contacted me to let me know what was up. I chased down GiftCards.com to see what had happened, then explained it to Apple. I suggested putting the remaining balance of my purchase on another card. But check this out: Apple's customer service rep said, "That's not necessary. I am authorized to discount the computer by the remaining amount."

What? I was floored. Apple basically said, "We'll make this problem go away."

No computer manufacturer has the margin that Apple discounted for me. Apple chose to serve a customer to win them for life. GiftCards.com chose to follow a policy and lose a customer for life.

Some lessons:

• Regardless of the business you're in, be known for making problems go away. We've all heard that we need to bring solutions, not problems. Make sure that's your reputation.
• The longer term view can help you realize that a concession today can help you gain far more over the long term. "Penny-wise and pound-foolish" is unfortunately the motto of too many organizations during these difficult times.
• I actually called the rep back at GiftCards.com and apologized for yelling at him. Though I will never use their products again, he didn't deserve the treatment I gave him. The lesson: let's treat people respectfully. Life's too short to do otherwise.
• Final lesson: talk to Ben when you want to buy a Mac. :)

Labels: communication, conflict, customer service

posted by Andy at 6:39 AM  

Spell Checker is Not Always Your Friend

I was in Milwaukee delivering a project management workshop on Monday. During a break, one of the participants just started roaring with laughter.

He was reading his e-mail. I wondered, "What could be so funny? "

He told me, "I just got a message from a co-worker asking for help. Instead of saying 'sorry for the inconvenience' the e-mail reads 'sorry for the incontinence!"

The curse of spell checker/auto-complete strikes again!

Potential actions
Consider re-reading your e-mails today before hitting the Send button. Pay close attention when having the computer automatically fix your spellings. Double-check that presentation you're sending to your project sponsor or key stakeholder. I wouldn't want it to cause you any incontinence!

An extra minute of review now can save much more time later in confusion or embarrassment.

For advice on issues like this, check out my e-book How to Organize Your Inbox & Get Rid of E-Mail Clutter.

Labels: communication, e-mail

posted by Andy at 6:12 AM  

"Could I have a translator for what this IT guy said?"

If you're not an Information Technology (IT) professional, you probably have to work with one. A common complaint about communication across organizational boundaries is the use of jargon, and the IT people I interact with are often guilty of this communications sin.

According to the results of a survey conducted by IT recruitment consultancy Computer People, 75 percent of respondents admitted that they waste over an hour a week finding out what something means so they can complete their work.

For the record, that seems like an exaggeration to me (but then again, I grew up as an IT guy). Regardless we can all use a reminder to be careful with the jargon that we inadvertently insert into our written and spoken communications.

Potential actions
Consider re-reading your e-mails today before hitting the Send button. Double-check that presentation you're sending to your project sponsor. Do they really understand the metrics?

An extra minute of review now can save much more time later in confusion or poor decisions.

For advice on how to use e-mail more effectively, check out my e-book How to Organize Your Inbox & Get Rid of E-Mail Clutter.

Labels: communication, e-mail, managing stakeholders, project sponsors

posted by Andy at 10:28 AM  

What Not To Say: E-mail Edition

I continue to be amazed by the e-mail horror stories I hear as I intersect with companies around the world. As they say, "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." The problem isn't e-mail. The problem is we often aren't sufficiently thinking before hitting "Send."

Though this list of "10 Things You Should Never Write in an E-Mail or Instant Messsage" may seem obvious, it's a good reminder to think before you send.

Do you have an e-mail story worthy of a Darwin Award? I invite you to share your story in the Comments.

Also, I invite you to get a copy of our e-book entitled How to Organize Your Inbox & Get Rid of E-Mail Clutter. You'll get helpful insights to tame the e-mail monster for less than $10 USD.

Labels: communication, e-mail

posted by Andy at 11:32 AM  

The Cost of a Typo

I'm sitting across the table from one of my strongest performers. He's a talented software developer who can write code like few people I know. But there is a problem.

The kid can't spell to save his life.

Whether it was a one paragraph e-mail or a voluminous requirements document, you could count on typos if it had his name as the author.

I talked to this otherwise strong performer about his spelling problem. He discounted it at first as an issue that is no longer relevant, particularly in the age of e-mail and instant messaging.

I'm not insensitive to the argument. A friend who is a high school English teacher recently told me she is getting papers submitted where the word "you" is spelled "u."

But I don't buy the excuse. What comes to mind when you sea a typo?

Certainly plenty of people may not even notice a single typo (did you catch the one I purposely put in this posting?).

Yet others will see it as a sign of laziness. In some cases the writer may be perceived to be less intelligent. It can even come off as disrespect and cost you money (not to mention getting your name published in the New York Times)!

Here are my recommendations on how to mitigate the risk of typos:

• Take a couple extra minutes to review your communication before sending or publishing it. Your spell checker won't catch everything, but it can get the easy ones.
• Beyond spelling, ask "How can this be misunderstood?" A simple re-wording of a sentence might make the difference between someone understanding your message or generating additional questions.
• Get a copy of Patricia O'Conner's book Woe Is I. It is a handy reference to keep near your desk when you're trying to remember if the word is "affect" or "effect." Plus it's just a really entertaining book to thumb through when you have a couple minutes to burn.
• Consider having someone else review your communication. On a practical basis this might be reserved for those situations where the stakes are higher. Multiple people sift through every word of my manuscripts before my books are published, and even then I have found a stray problem or two.

When you're looking for extra eyes on your communication, consider turning to my colleague Leila Kalmbach of Eye for Ink Editorial Services. From copyediting to proofreading, Leila specializes in making us all look brilliant. Contact Leila to subscribe to her Typo of the Month newsletter!

Labels: communication, recommended sites

posted by Andy at 4:57 PM