1. CONTENT / COMMUNICATION
@HALVORSON • LAVACON 2014

11. AUDIT THE CONTENT.
!
REWORK THE IA.
!
MAKE SOME
METADATA.
!
REWRITE THE COPY.

12. YOUR COMPANY IS
BROKEN.
!
YOUR TOOLS SUCK.
!
YOU’RE WAY BEHIND.
!
YOU ARE DUMB.

13. My content is terrible!
It’s not your
content. It’s you.
*sobs*

15. PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS
PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS
THERE’S SOME
FOUNDATIONAL STUFF
WE NEED TO (REMEMBER
TO) TALK ABOUT.

16. A PRINCIPLE internally
motivates us to do things
that seem good and right.
A RULE externally compels
you to do things someone
else has deemed good and
right.
!
!
!
!
!
!

22. ANONYMOUS
CLIENT STORY
#1

24. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mononoke/225965762/

26. OUR CONTENT PRINCIPLES
!
1. This content is not for us.
2. “Responsive” does not equal “reactive.”
3. The story informs the format.
4. Numbers aren’t everything.
!
!

27. MOVE FAST AND
BREAK THINGS
http://hillaryfox.com/inside-facebook-headquarters/

28. *

29. PRINCIPLES UNITE US
IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY
WORK.

30. PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS

31. GOAL
STRATEGY
TACTIC

33. ANONYMOUS
CLIENT STORY
#2

34. “We will become the industry leader in the
[INDUSTRY] services arena by providing
our clients with superior service, world-class
financial services arena by providing our
clients with superior service, world-class
products, products, and a and commitment a commitment to excellence
to
at excellence every touchpoint at every touchpoint along the customer
along the
lifecycle.”
customer lifecycle.”
!
!

35. STRATEGY
We will share user-facing, task-based content that
makes our customers feel smart and safe, both
personally and professionally.

36. • Rewrite “About Us” copy
• Improve “Help” section
• Create interactive company history
timeline
• Restructure home page around top
tasks
• Start some content marketing
• Get some user personas
!

38. STRATEGERY

40. STRATEGY KEEPS US
ACCOUNTABLE.

41. PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS

42. ANONYMOUS
CLIENT STORY
#3

50. Content?

51. DO NOT MAKE PROCESS YOUR GOD.

52. “Different methods work or fail because of
people, not because they are universally
good or bad.
!
– Pawel Brodzinski, Agile Bullshit
!

53. http://www.matthiasshapiro.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IngebretsenDeliverablesWithPictures1.png

54. ARTIFACTS ARE TOOLS, NOT OUTCOMES.

55. GOOD PROCESS
HELPS US MOVE
TOGETHER.

56. PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS

57. ANONYMOUS
CLIENT STORY
#4

59. !
1. Take away everyone’s job titles.
2. Have a series of four-hour working sessions to break
out “big tasks” and “little tasks.”
3. Managers go away and come back with “team
missions.”
4. Employees pick a team and write their own job
descriptions.
5. Select goals, review quarterly.
6. Go!
!
!
THE BIG PLAN

63. !
R – Who is responsible for completing a task?
A – Who is accountable for the work’s success?
C – Who must be consulted before work can be
signed-off on?
I – Who must be kept informed along the way?
!
!
THE RACI MODEL

65. EVERY PROJECT, EVERY TIME
!
1. At some point, invite All the People
2. Make sure everyone’s aligned on terminology (e.g. audit vs.
inventory, wireframe vs. prototype)
3. Identify timing issues, agendas, overlapping responsibilities

66. ROLES GIVE US A
PLACE.

67. PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS

68. http://projectcartoon.com

69. “In content strategy, our master skills must
include translating and negotiating, so we
can facilitate communication between
disparate disciplines and help them to
communicate.
!
– Rachel Lovinger,
“Tinker, Tailor, Content Strategist”

71. PERCEPTIONS GIVE
WAY TO
PERSPECTIVE.

72. PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS

73. 200,000 years
1760
1 billion people
210 years
37 years:
+4 billion people
2011
7 billion people

74. 1995:
The Internet is
formally commercialized

75. WE ARE PERPETUALLY CATCHING UP.

76. “This multi-device web design increases
stress exponentially.
!
– Trent Walton, .net Magazine

77. ALL THE FEELINGS

78. “A study of over 350
people in 6 business units
at a financial services
company found that the
greatest predictor of a
team’s achievement was
how the members felt
about one another.”
!

79. TOGETHER.
OUR WORK IS PERSONAL.

81. WHO’S AWESOME?
You’re awesome.

82. !
THANK YOU • kristina@braintraffic.com