As most of my readers know, I’m a HUGE fan of the swipe file. So why it took me so long to find and use Evernote, I’ll never know.

I’ve had it on my iPhone for weeks now and only started using it last night started. Wowza! This is the electronic swipe file application I dreamed up in my head in the late 80s. Seriously.

Now there’s no excuse not to start and keep a swipe file. And Evernote makes it far easier to sort and find that little piece of information you just know you put somewhere.

I refer to my swipe file several times a month but I recently purged my office and made the mistake of purging some things I hadn’t used in years — just to save file cabinet space. Had I scanned it and put it on Evernote, well, you see where this is going. I would’ve had what I needed.

That’s it. Just wanted to make you aware of Evernote if you weren’t already. I’m off to start filling up my own Evernote swipe file …

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Since hubby turned 50, we’ve become members of AARP; which means we receive (and enjoy) their excellent publications.

In the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of the AARP Bulletin, there’s a short article about a British survey commissioned by financial company AXA, and the subsequent renaming contest surrounding the word “pension.”

Turns out that nearly a fifth of 18- to 24-year-old Brits think the word pension is stodgy. (No duh.)

The winning replacement, submitted by 29-year-old Donna Wood of Hampshire, England is:

Save Now. Play Later.

Genius.

But what this really brings to mind is how we get stuck using words and phrases that have lost their relevancy. With business writing and marketing/communications, it’s far too easy to lapse into same-old, same-old boilerplate language.

No word or phrase should be sacred. Everything should be, at least periodically, rethought. Step back now and then and ask this question: “What does this word or phrase really mean to my reader?”

P.S. Hey, State Farm Insurance, are you listening? With the transient culture we live in, I’m pretty sure “Like a good neighbor” doesn’t resonate like it used to.

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The all-time favorite question of kids everywhere is, “But, why?”

Every mom, dad, aunt, uncle, babysitter or neighbor who’s been inundated with “But, why?” will invariably answer (usually out of sheer frustration), “Because.”

But when it comes to branding, marketing and strategic communications, asking “But, why?” is not only important, it’s essential.

Talk to any of my clients, and you’ll quickly find that I like to ask questions. A lot of questions. (I consider it a badge of honor that in my former life as a corporate communicator, I got kicked off a strategic planning team for being “too enthusiastic” and “generating too many ideas” with my questions!)

For me, asking questions is absolutely necessary for me to do my job. I typically ask more questions than a lot of my clients expect, and certainly more than they have answers for.

I don’t expect them to know the answer to every question I ask. That’s part of what we work through together. It’s the thinking part of strategic communications.

We ask questions, explore various answers, and then come up with the best solution to the problem.

When it comes to marketing and communicating your business or product, become a bit childish by continually ask “But, why?” – and do so without settling for the pat answer, “Because.”

“Because” may get you a pretty brochure or a new web site, but, I promise it will never get you more sales leads, new customers or top-of-mind name awareness.

For that, dear readers, you must ask, “But, why?” until you can ask it no more.

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We went to my husband’s family reunion over the weekend and had a wonderful time. We spent nearly every waking minute laughing, joking and telling stories.

I love my husband’s family and look forward to our annual get-together.

But as wonderful as they are, my husband’s family is famous for miscommunication.

Much of the past weekend was spent sorting out a long-standing feud between an uncle and his former son-in-law and grandchildren.

The details are boring and irrelevant here, but I did observe some fundamental communication mistakes I see people make in both life and business.

• Communication happened via surrogates. The two people that should have been talking didn’t talk. Then or now. Solution? Always engage in direct and honest communication.
• Some of the parties involved didn’t pay attention to their audience. One person made an offhand remark that offended several others. Solution? Choose your words carefully and demonstrate a respectful attitude.
• There was more talking than listening. Interrupting, interjecting and formulating your next thought while someone else is talking are all no-nos. Solution? Remember that effective communication is always a two-way street.

And although the two central parties did not reconcile their differences in the least, there was definitely some bridge building that went on between the former in-law and the rest of us – thanks to a willingness to be open to hearing the other side and to let love and forgiveness reign.

Perhaps that is the greatest communication lesson of all.

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