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.”

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“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.

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I just finished writing a recommendation for a business partner’s LinkedIn profile.

What I wrote was my perception and experience with her and her services. I happen to think she’s amazing, fantastic and gifted in what she does. And I said so.

As I was writing the recommendation, it occurred to me that writing it was very much like writing a book review, which I recently did for a non-fiction book called Rest by Keri Wyatt Kent.

How interesting — and, perhaps, enlightening — it would be to have someone else write an honest review of your web copy.

What would an impartial third-party say? What would your customer say? What would you say? Would any of the reviews say what you want them to?

Write your own honest and fair review of your web copy. And then ask someone else to write an objective four- or five-sentence review, too. You just may be surprised at what you learn.

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If you’re a corporate communicator, creative director, marketing manager, small or medium business owner, solopreneur, marketer, blogger or writer of any type, please take heed.

Stop — right now, right this minute — writing, saying or speaking these words or any variation, thereof:

In these tough economic times …

In times of uncertainty …

In these interesting times ..

Please, just stop. These words are overused, not to mention highly annoying. Why? Because they mean absolutely nothing to your customer, reader, client or audience. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Nyet.

Let me be blunt about what using these words means. It means someone (you or your writer) is lazy. It means you’re not taking the time to think about your customer’s need. It means you don’t know how to communicate how current events relate to your customer through you or your product or service.

What precipitated this bold and forceful blog post? Just the umpteenth email newsletter that began with some of those very same words. Aargh. I cannot differentiate one company or offer from another. And I cannot relate to, nor care about, what these companies want to tell me. I’m doubing their perceived value in my life and my business. I may click “unsubscribe.” I may not read their next few newsletters. I may miss the important offer that was buried beneath the mumbo jumbo filler copy.

So, before you put another word in front of your customer, take 30 seconds to think about what really needs to be said. Then say it. Simply and clearly. Speak to the point from their perspective, not yours — and certainly not from some vague collective “we.”

Here’s a made-up example to illustrate my point:

Save $50 today only.

Now that is lead copy that’ll get attention a lot faster than this, wouldn’t you say?

In these tough economic times, everyone is looking to save money.

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