Clear Communication Archives - Page 7 of 9

Ethical issues in commercial research

I've been doing the rounds of car yards lately One sign at a car yard took me by surprise, and got me thinking about the ethical standards relevant for commercial research The car yard displayed a copy of the customer-satisfaction survey I would receive if I purchased a new car from them And next to the displayed survey was a sign stating that the car yard didn't want customers to complete the survey if they didn't feel able to answer 'strongly agree' to every question The sign urged customers...

Involving listeners in a presentation

Presenters often use techniques that are intended to involve listeners in their presentation - including things like asking questions, encouraging listeners to talk about an issue to the person sitting next to them, or asking for a show of hands about listeners' opinionsSome presenters use these techniques successfully but, at times, they seem to fall flatI was listening to a presentation yesterday, and I found that the involvement techniques really didn't work for me As my mind wandered, I got...

Which direction?

Here's a sign that's guaranteed to either confuse or get you thinking:Presumably, you follow the direction of the road (to the right), turn first left, turn left again, and then turn right But is that what the sign says Do the three right-facing arrows simply mean that you follow the road to the right before taking the first turn left Is it confusing to write 'first left' while giving the visual signal to go straight to the right Are you supposed to follow these instructions in sequence to lead...

Alignment as a design tool

I was reminded this morning just how important alignment is as a design tool - as a way of making design elements look as though they belong together (and communicate the same message)I was at Hoyts - watching the endless pre-session ads before being captured by Puss in Boots (one of the joys of this school holidays!) Every time the Hoyts logo appeared on the screen, it bothered me The logo is the Hoyts name, with little red boxes on the left, and the URL printed underneath with a little open...

Editing difficulties caused by layout

I've been sidetracked this holiday season with a few editing projects - all interesting documents that I couldn't say no to I often think that my working time is privileged - I get to read and think about fascinating topics, work on documents that are written with some social justice purpose, and help the authors find ways to make the work easier to read (And yes, I recognise that this sounds kind of cheesy, but it really is the way I feel about my work)But over the last few weeks...

Avoiding euphemism

I noticed this sign last week, in the breakfast room of a small hotel:I couldn't help but wonder what hygiene regulations might apply here Is the hotel reception, which is right next to the breakfast room, somehow an inappropriate place to have food Will the food either become contaminated or contaminate something elseOf course, the real meaning is fairly obvious: don't eat breakfast here and then load yourself up with a second breakfast to eat later Or, to put it another way, don't be...

Electronic dictionary hunt

A few times lately, I've thought about how useful it would be to have a dictionary on my computerI facilitate quite a few workshops, and I'm often asked questions about word definitions and word usage that I'd like the check before answering How handy it would be to have my trusty Oxford dictionary loaded onto my computer for a quick search And how much better for workshop participants than to have me give a slightly uncertain response with the promise that I'll check the answer and get back to...

Background information that encourages action

I received a letter last week that got me thinking about how much background information writers should provide when they're asking their reader to take some actionI received a letter from my home insurance company, telling me that I needed to phone them within two days There was no explanation of why I should make the call I did what I was told - but only because the letter was about my insurance, and I didn't want to run the risk of my insurance policy being cancelled If I received a similar...

Emails that get opened (and read)

There are a few basic rules of email that most professional communicators can recite at the drop of a hat Things like:Clear subject line Most important information first Relevant to the reader Simple and easy to read Conversational tone Now, I recognise that nobody is perfect and it's only too easy to make mistakes But I was astonished by the email I received recently from an international professional communication association It was confusing, the main message was buried, and I...