We are living in the most technologically advanced period the world has ever known, and it is going to get better. The World Wide Web, e-mails, text messages, and instant messages, for example, have all done their part in bridging the communication gap between us. No matter where we happen to live in the world, we have, in many ways, become next-door neighbors: In a matter of seconds, depending upon the speed of our computer, we can travel the globe and get anything desired, all with the click of a mouse.
Communicating today is almost effortless, and even the telephone has been impacted to such a degree that it has become a virtual office. With so many ways to communicate, I wonder how concerned we are about how we say what we say?
What I mean is this: How much time do we spend on thinking about or composing our messages before we send them around the corner or around the world? Yes, I know: The new technology has developed a language of its own, but even so, do we make sure that we are using the language in a way that best conveys our thoughts? And when our messages, (text, twittered, instant or e-mailed) are received, do they express our intentions in the best way possible?
Let’s take a look at three of the more popular ways to communicate today to answer these questions.
Telephone: Does the receiver of your call know exactly what to do as a result of your message, assuming he or she is not available to answer the phone? Do you pace your speech or talk slowly enough for him or her to write your number, if your message asks for a return call?
E-Mail: Do you check your messages to find and correct errors in spelling and grammar before you hit send?
Text Message: Do you, considering the limited number of characters with which you have to work, choose the best combinations that most accurately convey your ideas in the clearest way possible?
Communicating has been taken to an unusually sophisticated level as a result of our modern technology, but we must still be concerned about how we correspond with each other, since we, too, are improving and experiencing personal growth, right along with technology.
ABOUT THE WRITER: Barbara J. Henry is a published author (Journaling: Twenty Plus Reasons Why You Should Start Now), personal development expert, and avid reader of books on self-growth, self-help, and spirituality—which are the subjects of her blog. Because she has journaled every single day since June of 1995, she describes herself as “the journaling lady.” Visit her website; go to the Titles/Products Page and download a free copy of her very effective tip sheet “9 Write Ways to Solve Problems.”
Showing posts with label communications technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label communications technology. Show all posts
Jun 24, 2009
May 6, 2009
Improve Your Skills with the Help of Your Fairy Godmother
If the Fairy Godmother of Communications came to visit you today and granted you just 2 wishes, what would you have her improve about the way you write or speak? Why?
As a professional speaker, writer, editor, and coach, even I have an answer to this question—because there's always room for improvement, no matter who you are: I’d work on my confidence. And then I’d focus on the way I articulate—not just increasing my vocabulary, but also improving the way I organize my thoughts to find the right words at the right time (and say them in the right order!).
Confidence is one of the key factors in relating to an audience—whether it's an audience of thousands or merely one. (Ever get the jitters when asking your boss for a raise or approaching a critical co-worker for a favor?) But no matter how confident you are, that can only get you so far if you use the wrong words to convey your message.
And speaking of messages, Beyond Talk will soon receive a makeover. Thanks to feedback from our own fairy godmothers—YOU—this blog will launch a new and improved version this month. Check back to see Beyond Talk 2.0!
Speaking of spirit,
Kealah
(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
As a professional speaker, writer, editor, and coach, even I have an answer to this question—because there's always room for improvement, no matter who you are: I’d work on my confidence. And then I’d focus on the way I articulate—not just increasing my vocabulary, but also improving the way I organize my thoughts to find the right words at the right time (and say them in the right order!).
Confidence is one of the key factors in relating to an audience—whether it's an audience of thousands or merely one. (Ever get the jitters when asking your boss for a raise or approaching a critical co-worker for a favor?) But no matter how confident you are, that can only get you so far if you use the wrong words to convey your message.
And speaking of messages, Beyond Talk will soon receive a makeover. Thanks to feedback from our own fairy godmothers—YOU—this blog will launch a new and improved version this month. Check back to see Beyond Talk 2.0!
Speaking of spirit,
Kealah
(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Apr 2, 2009
Of Dinosaurs & Digitization: When Print (Still) Works
This month, the 100-year old international news rag, The Christian Science Monitor, makes history by replacing its print edition with several digital editions: its website, RSS feeds, and handheld PDA and e-mail subscriptions. Founded in November of 1908, the newspaper has won 7 Pulitzer Prizes in journalism, and touts a non-partisan stance on global affairs. Its decision to reach audiences solely through digital means in the year 2009 (and beyond) comes at a time when a number of newspapers are struggling—or folding—in the face of adversity.
It isn’t just economy pressures that push the envelope for newspaper budgets. When I entered college as a journalism student in 1991, the internet was a little-known portal dubbed “the information superhighway;” praised by forward-thinkers, but mystifying to many others. Even then, visionaries were proclaiming “the death of the daily newspaper”: Glossy magazines were more appealing to the color-television generation of the day.
Now, with the myriad of technological advances in business and society that continue to occur each year, today’s news audience has little time to thumb through the newsprint as in days of yore. Fast receipt of information is top-of-mind to most businesses—including newspapers—in this fast-paced world.
But there are some times when print pieces still succeed over their digital counterparts. While print journalism struggles to remain valid in the current electronic age, print advertising continues to have a home. As electronic communications sources become prolific, tangible items are a valuable commodity—especially to the younger set, who are more likely to have fewer print pieces on-hand or in their homes.
Whether you choose e-format or print versions of your communiqués, consistency is key: Studies show that the more successful ads are those delivered on a regular basis, from daily blogs to monthly mailers. And don’t forget to weave your promotions into your information, so that your product or service is always a major takeaway—even alongside any educational info. you may provide (such as in white papers, newsletters and magazines). Marrying the two formats is still a valid option. With the right design, e-mail and print newsletters can consistently share the same information with similar-to-identical looks and feels.
Small businesses, along with groups and organizations with low budgets, particularly benefit from local mailings. The Toastmasters speakers' club I belong to in Chicago succeeded in more than tripling its membership with a year-long campaign that included publishing a newsletter, where print pieces were given to visitors, as well as left behind in area offices, coffee shops, and gyms. The dual electronic component of the newsletter (PDF downloads available on the club’s website) provided the right tandem push to excel the campaign. Furthermore, direct-mail industry giant The Ballantine Corporation reported via blog in 2008 that the local auto, retail, and hospitality industries were just a few that could directly benefit from direct-mail campaigns—especially when both print and electronic options were available to audiences.
Has your print marketing campaign gone the way of the dinosaurs? KiKi Productions, Inc., offers newsletter creation to individuals, non-profit organizations, and businesses of all sizes, featuring both print and online formats that fit your solutions. Talk about timely!
(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
It isn’t just economy pressures that push the envelope for newspaper budgets. When I entered college as a journalism student in 1991, the internet was a little-known portal dubbed “the information superhighway;” praised by forward-thinkers, but mystifying to many others. Even then, visionaries were proclaiming “the death of the daily newspaper”: Glossy magazines were more appealing to the color-television generation of the day.
Now, with the myriad of technological advances in business and society that continue to occur each year, today’s news audience has little time to thumb through the newsprint as in days of yore. Fast receipt of information is top-of-mind to most businesses—including newspapers—in this fast-paced world.
But there are some times when print pieces still succeed over their digital counterparts. While print journalism struggles to remain valid in the current electronic age, print advertising continues to have a home. As electronic communications sources become prolific, tangible items are a valuable commodity—especially to the younger set, who are more likely to have fewer print pieces on-hand or in their homes.
Whether you choose e-format or print versions of your communiqués, consistency is key: Studies show that the more successful ads are those delivered on a regular basis, from daily blogs to monthly mailers. And don’t forget to weave your promotions into your information, so that your product or service is always a major takeaway—even alongside any educational info. you may provide (such as in white papers, newsletters and magazines). Marrying the two formats is still a valid option. With the right design, e-mail and print newsletters can consistently share the same information with similar-to-identical looks and feels.
Small businesses, along with groups and organizations with low budgets, particularly benefit from local mailings. The Toastmasters speakers' club I belong to in Chicago succeeded in more than tripling its membership with a year-long campaign that included publishing a newsletter, where print pieces were given to visitors, as well as left behind in area offices, coffee shops, and gyms. The dual electronic component of the newsletter (PDF downloads available on the club’s website) provided the right tandem push to excel the campaign. Furthermore, direct-mail industry giant The Ballantine Corporation reported via blog in 2008 that the local auto, retail, and hospitality industries were just a few that could directly benefit from direct-mail campaigns—especially when both print and electronic options were available to audiences.
Has your print marketing campaign gone the way of the dinosaurs? KiKi Productions, Inc., offers newsletter creation to individuals, non-profit organizations, and businesses of all sizes, featuring both print and online formats that fit your solutions. Talk about timely!
(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
