Here’s another installment in my continuing my series on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Communicators.

HABIT 2: BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND
Know what you want to say and what point you’re trying to make before you communicate it. Begin with the End in Mind means to make a conscious effort to visualize what you’re trying to communicate and how you’d like it to be received. It means spending time collecting your thoughts before communicating and envisioning the gist of your message.

How to incorporate it:
One of the best ways to do this is to create what I call “one sentence to clarity.” It means stepping back, either literally or figuratively, from the words to create a single-topic sentence that quickly, clearly and succinctly explains what you’re trying to communicate. Create a headline, if you will, that will help you keep your message and thoughts on track and, consequently, make it easier for your listener or reader to understand. For example, my one sentence to clarity for this blog post might be: “Give my readers practical steps for better communication based on Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits book.”

Possibly related posts

• 3 Ways to Become a Better Writer (0)
• The Fourth Habit of Highly Effective Communicators (0)
• Write with care (0)

So it’s Friday the 13th.

Now, I am not, in any way, superstitious, but I thought it might be fun to use this “holiday,” as it were, to address some copywriting superstitions.

According to Merriam-Webster.com, the word superstition means, “a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation.”

Hmm. Great lead in because I always teach my coaching clients that great copywriting is not magic — but it is magical.

What I mean by that is that great copywriting doesn’t happen by accident. It does, however, differ from mediocre or bad copywriting in that it stirs something in the reader. Maybe that “something” is buying your product or maybe it’s thinking of your company in a new way or maybe it’s appreciating the value your services bring to the world. Whatever it is, great copywriting has an impact and that’s what makes it magical.

Now let’s get onto the superstitions. Okay, confession time. These aren’t really superstitions, they’re old, passé writing rules that you can let go of right now no matter what Mrs. English Teacher said or says. At least in the real world, when you’re not writing for a letter grade. Books have been written about new grammar rules and there are similar lists posted on dozens of other writing sites. I’m calling attention to the ones that I let go of a long time ago. And you’ll see evidence of it in my writing on client sites like the North Market and on my blog.

1. Never start a sentence with “and” or “but.”
2. Never end a sentence with a preposition like “to.”
3. Never use contractions.
4. Always write complete sentences and paragraphs.
5. Always put two spaces after a period.

The point of letting go of these antiquated rules is to get you to loosen up and write conversationally. All that formality is not only unnecessary; it clutters the core idea or message. And that, after all, is what your readers want to read.

Possibly related posts

• Where’s the information? (Web content mistakes and how to avoid them.) (0)
• What kind of writer are you? (0)
• Punctuation conundrum (0)

“I wish I were a better writer.”

That’s a refrain I hear all the time. Fact is, anyone can become a better writer. Now that doesn’t mean you’ll become a great novelist, award-winning author or sought-after copywriter. It does mean, however, that you can improve your skill level.

Like anything, becoming a better writer takes practice. So the first way to become a better writer is to write. Then write some more. Write, write, write, write, write.

World-famous author Ray Bradbury confesses that his first attempts at storytelling were atrocious. He says it took him from the age of 12 to 22 – ten full years — to begin developing his talent.

I’ve seen this in my own writing. My first published article in a regional magazine was mostly the work of my editor. But over time, I’ve developed my skill so that my editors don’t have to touch my copy much, if at all.

#1: The more you write the better you’ll write.

The second way to become a better writer is to read other writers. If you’re a copywriter, study the work of other copywriters you admire. If you’re itching to write a mystery, study the work of great mystery writers. Same with magazine articles, novels, children’s books, short stories, non-fiction, etc.

One of my favorite books is New York Times columnist Dan Barry’s, Pull Me Up: A Memoir. In it, Barry tells the story of his life and childhood while quietly telling the story of my own with beautifully crafted sentences and haunting word visuals. We are strangers. Our lives are not the same. And yet his words tell my story. That’s the power of brilliant and masterful writing and soaking it into the marrow of your bones I promise will make you a better writer. (But not without practice!)
 
#2: Read and study great work.

The third way to improve your writing skill is to practice writing like those you admire — both literally and figuratively. Start by writing someone else’s work in long hand. (No computers, please!) Do it again and again until you get a flow and a rhythm and a pace. Feel the writing. Then move into crafting your version of the same work. How would you rewrite the paragraph? What words might you choose for a headline?

Remember, these are exercises to help build your skill; not teach you how to plagiarize. Take note of another writer’s word choice, length of sentence and whether the adjectives are present or absent. Don’t worry about taking on someone else’s “voice.” Your voice will come over time and in time.

#3: Emulate great work.

Certainly, there are more ways to improve your writing skills, but start with these and be committed about doing them. You will see a difference in the pace, speed and clarity of your writing.

Possibly related posts

• The world’s best writing tip (0)
• The Second Habit of Highly Effective Communicators (0)
• Why Starbucks needs a new copywriter (0)

My guest  blogger Marcia Yudkin shares how to spark creative thinking when faced with writing about the boring, the mundane and the tedious.

Spruce Up Boring Product/Service Descriptions With Variety, Voice and Verve
by Marcia Yudkin

Sigh. You have another 17 product descriptions to go for your web site or catalog. You realize the reader was yawning long ago, and you’re going to scream for not knowing how to avoid making every widget sound the same.

To the rescue! Here’s a quick checklist to help you inject variety and freshness into your copy:

• What problem does the widget solve, and for whom?
• How long has the widget been selling steadily, and why?
• What uses or occasions is the widget especially appropriate for?
• Where would you normally find one of its ingredients or components being used?
• What doesn’t the widget have, which makes it superior?
• It’s a cross between a what and a what?
• How will the user feel when using it?
• What does this widget go well with?
• What kind of testing went into making the widget?
• Why might you want more than one widget?
• Why is the price so reasonable?

Now look at your list of answers and choose one or more ideas that provide an appealing angle. Add the practical facts like how big and how much, and you’re done.

No matter how prosaic the item, no matter how similar it is to other items, ingenuity can make it stand up and wave “Buy me!” to a shopper.

Marcia Yudkin, author of Persuading on Paper and 10 other books, specializes in compelling, yet hype-free copywriting. This article is adapted from her report, 73 Ways to Describe a Widget: Never Be Brain Dead Again When Having to Write Catalog Copy or Sales Material.

Possibly related posts

• Where’s the information? (Web content mistakes and how to avoid them.) (0)
• Big copy challenges we don’t talk enough about (0)
• 10 Secrets to Great Copy (0)