Effective Communication

Slide 1: Effective Communication June 26, 2008

Slide 2: Today’s Agenda Writing and Using IM designing at work documents Creating effective presentations Sending and replying to email

Slide 3: User Centered Writing Think about your audience • Who are your readers? • What are their preferences for style, tone, format, length? • What do you know about their environment and where they’ll read? • What questions do your readers bring to the document? Tailor your message for your readers • Imagine them reading your document • Respond to their questions Assume your reader is busy and just wants the facts Page 3

Slide 4: How To Write Good Don’t try to sound smart, try to make sense ● There has been a decision that we will proceed with haste. ● Let’s go! Change nominalizations into agents with active verbs ● The agency conducted an investigation into the matter. There is no need for further study of this problem. ● The agency investigated the matter. We do not need to study this problem further. Delete unnecessary words and phrases ● Productivity actually depends on certain factors that involve basic psychology more than on any particular technology ● Productivity depends more on psychology than technology ● We must explain the reason for the delay in the meeting ● We must explain why the meeting was delayed Page 4

Slide 5: Consistency, Consistency, Uniformity Consistent styles and formatting ● Keep the width of indentations the same (don’t tab all over the page) ● Don’t change type size and style (except to communicate hierarchy) ● Don’t change font within documents Consistent capitalization ● Sentence case capitalizes the first word ● Title Case Capitalizes Every Word ● Shift + F3 toggles quickly between them Consistent (and parallel) bullet points ● Start each point in the series with either a noun or an action verb ● Don’t add periods at the end unless they are full sentences Page 5

Slide 6: Document Styles Set up heading styles to make formatting consistent Styles mapped to keystrokes makes it easy to style text Page 6

Slide 7: Spelling and Spell Check Spell words out fully ● I dunno y, but plz spell it out, k? ● I don’t know why, but please spell words out, okay? Spell check your own documents and emails Page 7

Slide 8: Writing Pet Peeves Use of quotation marks • The phrase user personas are a “best practice” in the field of web design doesn't make the words “best practice” seem more important. It makes it sound like you're lying. Use of And • You can use the word and to begin a sentence... but it had better be a really good sentence. Using exclamation points • Don’t over-emote, PUHLEAAAZZEEE!!!! Page 8

Slide 9: Today’s Agenda Sending and replying to email

Slide 10: Emailing Clients How to email someone for the first time: • Don't assume that they know you, or care to know you • Write a one-line introduction setting the context, introducing yourself, and explaining your role How to structure an email requesting a decision: • State the topic briefly • Explain the issue • State pros/cons • Give a recommendation with rationale • Provide guidance on when you need the answer If you are sending an email to executives, make it brief Page 10

Slide 11: Subject Lines Should state the Don’t continue replying to an old subject of the email email thread without changing the subject line   You can edit the subject line of someone else’s email if you want to save it Page 11

Slide 12: Formatting in emails You can set Word to be your Formatting can be used to default email editor break up the text Don’t over-format Page 12

Slide 13: Font in Emails True or False? • I do creative work for a creative company, so a good place to express my creativity is in the font I choose for my emails ● False Use Arial 10 Point for body text ● Not Verdana, Trebuchet, and especially not Comic Sans Don’t emphasize too much ● Please, no more BOLD ITALIC UNDERLINE ALL CAPS ● If you want to emphasize, do it sparingly with bold Don’t write emails in ALL CAPS ● IT MAKES IT SOUND LIKE YOU’RE YELLING Page 13

Slide 14: Length of emails Break emails up into short sentences and short paragraphs If the message takes more than couple of paragraphs to communicate, pick up the phone or call a meeting No Yes Page 14

Slide 15: Reply or Reply All? Limit use of reply all in emails Move the reply all button to the other side of the toolbar (to prevent unfortunate incidents from occurring) Page 15

Slide 16: Don’t Be A Jerk Review your tone before you send: No Yes Be careful what you say when you write: • Stay away from analogies, expressions or jokes on sensitive topics (politics, religion, etc.) • Sarcasm is next to impossible to convey via the written word, especially emails and IM. • Keep in mind that some lazy person will unintentionally forward your nasty email to the person you're calling an idiot. Page 16

Slide 17: Mailing List Etiquette You are a member of various office and department mailing lists It’s okay to email these lists with a question, but… • Use the Outlook Address Book to choose the correct list • Send to specific offices or departments rather than spamming the entire company • Specify if you want the replies to go to you or the whole list Do not spam the list with requests to be removed, or with complaints about the list Page 17

Slide 18: Today’s Agenda Creating effective presentations

Slide 19: Planning Determine what question you need to answer, or what the client needs to get out of the presentation Write an outline in Word for long, complex presentations Page 19

Slide 20: Font in Presentations Presentations must be readable from 10 feet away • Make sure the font is not too small or too light • Assume the client’s projector will suck Arial is the preferred 24-36 pt typeface You can use other fonts if: • You are a designer 18- 24p • A production designer t formats the deck • The client style guide requires a different typeface Page 20

Slide 21: Images Images should be used to make the presentation more visually interesting (when screenshots or diagrams are not appropriate.) Our presentations use well-styled photography chosen from image database sites No Yes Don’t recycle images without first considering your audience Page 21

Slide 22: Screenshots Take good quality Use alignment tools so screenshots using Snag-it images are orderly Page 22

Slide 23: Builds and Animations Builds should be used to communicate meaning or to focus the viewer’s attention, not for comedic effect Use appear for builds, not one of the swoopy options Slide transitions are Page 23 not recommended

Slide 24: Anatomy of a Slide Three basic types of slides form the foundation of every presentation: Titles & Master Slides Divider Slides Bulleted Slides Page 24

Slide 25: Anatomy of title and master slides Use an AA|RF template or a Set up master slides for template created for your client consistent formatting Include the client’s logo Work with the template and follow the slide layout styles Update the date and contact information Try to work within the outline structure Page 25

Slide 26: Anatomy of divider slides Agenda slides or section dividers: • Act like “signposts” telling the client what to expect and where they’re at in the presentation • Length and complexity of sections reflects their importance Rules of thumb for divider slides: • Any deck longer than 15 pages or so should include dividers • Each section should be at least 5-7 slides (don’t have sections of only 1-2 slides) • Use color or shading to highlight the current section of the agenda Page 26

Slide 27: Anatomy of a bullet point slide Slide Title • Tells the audience why the slide is important – what’s the point? • Ties the slide into the overall flow of the deck and gives context for new information • Titles should use nouns or active verbs ­ not “there is” or “it was” • Titles should use consistent capitalization ­ Sentence case or Title Case Page 27

Slide 28: Anatomy of a bullet point slide Slide Body ● Don’t make too many points ● More slides is better than dense slides ● Don’t use too many words ● High ink-to-value ratio ● Consistency is key ● Begin each bullet with the same type of word, ideally an action verb ● Use the same capitalization style throughout ● If you end one with a period, end all of them with a period ● Highlighting with bold can help draw attention Page 28

Slide 29: Anatomy of a bullet point slide Takeaway box • Bounded box at the bottom of the slide • Draws a conclusion that can only be made after reading the body of the slide • Emphasizes a point – so what? • Provides transition to the next slide – where do we go from here? • Use sparingly, otherwise the emphasis is lost Page 29

Slide 30: Anatomy of a Diagram Some of the diagrams you may encounter in the wild Screenshot with callouts Four Square Venn Diagram Process Flow Page 30 Comparison Chart Trend Chart

Slide 31: Screenshot with callouts Use callouts to draw attention to specific areas of the page • Use pointers and text to reference specific areas • Try to align the text so it looks neat • Or, use numbers to reference areas of the screen Use screenshots that fill the entire page if callouts aren’t needed Page 31

Slide 32: Four Square Four squares show relationships along two axes • Emphasize where a point falls on the axis • Focus on which quadrant a point falls in • Show progression (always to upper right) Page 32

Slide 33: Venn Diagram Venn diagrams show relationships between entities • Focus on overlap between two things • Show mutual exclusion of things • Sometimes, just things shown in circles for visual interest Page 33

Slide 34: Process Flow Process flows show a sequential relationship • Present steps in a series • Illustrated with circles, squares, or chevrons • Usually linear, but sometimes show a circular process that repeats itself Page 34

Slide 35: Other Charts Information can sometimes be presented in a table more easily Comparison charts • Show relationships among many categories • Can be coded with shading or with circles Comparison Chart Trend charts • Show movement and direction Trend Chart Page 35

Slide 36: Review your slides • Consider your client’s communication style and attention span – have you said too much or too little? • How does each slide contribute to the overall story? • Does the client need to know what’s on each slide? • Is the point of the slide clear from reading the title? • Are the title and the body clearly connected? • Is the body of the slide easy to read or understand? • Is there a clear “so what?” for the client? Page 36

Slide 37: QA your slides Make sure there are no mistakes • Read for typos • Run spell check • Clients notice errors! Be internally consistent in structure, formatting, and style • Are all the bullet points parallel? • Is capitalization style consistent? • Have you followed the template formatting? • Are all the graphics neatly aligned? Be extra careful if you are repurposing slides from another client or pitch Page 37

Slide 38: PowerPoint Tips Get to the punch line (fast!) • Less is more in presentations – people retain little of what they hear • It's better to present three things well than nine things poorly • Executives are less interested in the details of the methodology • Put the detail in an appendix for people who are interested Take most of the bullet points off your slides and put them in the notes section • This does mean that you need to know what you are talking about when you present! Use the notes function to create a leave-behind document • Focus the presentation on your delivery and on images • Summarize your points for later reading Page 38

Slide 39: Document Production Book time in advance for a production designer to format your presentation, if needed Alert office services in advance if you need presentations printed and bound – leave enough time Page 39

Slide 40: Today’s Agenda Using IM at work

Slide 41: Appropriate IM handles Which of these are appropriate IM names to use when communicating with a client? JGordonNY IAmDrunkAllTheTime Carlisle95 ATCooperman LisaSteinRF HamsterPantz AmputeeBoy YourMother Anderson1970 SnotGrobbin HarryP10011 BellBottom69 Consider different names for work and personal use Page 41

Slide 42: IMing Tips IM is OK to do on conference calls, but pay attention Be very careful when IMing with clients! • Don’t get lulled into a false sense of unprofessionalism • Don’t accidentally send a message to the wrong window • Spell out all words Page 42

Slide 43: Conclusion

Slide 44: The Medium for the Message Emails Phone calls or Meetings • When you need to • When the discussion is distribute information sensitive, complex, or quickly to a large group emotional Good • When you need to • When a group needs to document something come to a shared that has already been consensus discussed • When you are trying to • When the sound quality avoid personal contact for the speakerphone isn’t • When you say good enough Bad something you wouldn’t • When you’re doing a say to someone’s face conference call from your • When you need to have cell phone a back-and-forth • When there’s no clear discussion agenda for the meeting Page 44

Slide 45: The Medium for the Message Slides Documents • When you need to walk • When you need to present a group of people the logic of an argument through the flow of an more fully Good argument • When information is • When information purely text and not visual requires a combination at all of text and images • When you will distract • When your clients don’t the meeting attendees read from having a • When the logic of your Bad conversation message will be lost in the • When you risk “death- details of the text by-PowerPoint” Page 45

Slide 46: Thank You