Legal and Business Writing Consultant : Lori Herz : Write For Clients : Professional Writing and Online Content Consulting

This is the cautionary word from business communications expert Tom Sant, who’s interviewed in the March 2008 edition of Management Consulting News.

Sant’s latest book is The Language of Success. In the interview, he explains that it’s the business writer’s responsibility to “take the reader into account and modify the message to get through—even if your reader is dumb as a post.” Sant sees this obligation as a contract of sorts. If you breach that agreement, he says, readers have an absolute right to be put off.

It seems that this kind of breach often stems from the writer’s unwillingness or inability to communicate in his or her own voice. Sant refers to this as a “lapse into [ ] pseudo language, a nonfunctional way of communicating which they think is somehow superior to what they could produce themselves.” In his book, he identifies four common pseudo-languages:

• Fluff - Using vague generalizations and assertions
• Guff – Using big words, long sentences, lots of passive voice and convoluted constructions to convey superior intelligence or knowledge
• Geek – Using jargon-filled language instead of everyday terms
• Weasel – Using lots of subjunctive construction so that everything comes across as a hypothetical and nothing stands as an assertion
  

In addition to outing these pseudo-languages, Sant quotes a study finding that “comprehension drops dramatically when you substitute a longer synonym for just one out of every six short, everyday words.” Not only do big words make our writing harder to understand, they also make readers question our competence.

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When I started out as a lawyer 16 or so years ago, service professionals who wanted to use their business writing to gain visibility and grow their reputation had a choice of several print platforms, including:

• Trade journals

• Newspapers

• Newsletters

• Books

Among other common features, this traditional media group boasts:

• Static content

• One-way communication

• Space restrictions

• Limited distribution

• Gatekeepers

Fast forward to 2008. Traditional media is now keeping company with, and losing ground to, a host of new media (also called social media or Internet media) outlets such as:

• Blogs 
  

• Vlogs 
  

• Podcasts 
  

• Social Networks 
  

Real-time community, dialog and interactivity are key markers of this growing media space.

Service professionals looking to (1) build business relationships and (2) direct their marketing communications through new media channels will find solid guidance and practical tips via:

• Edith Yeung’s 50 Habits of a Highly Effective Blogger
  

• P.J. Fusco’s Five Getting-Started Blog Questions
  

• Kevin O’Keefe’s post on Why Every Client Should Want an Attorney Who Blogs
  

• Pam Slim’s inquiry into What the heck is a vlog? 
  

• Darren Rowse’s vlog post on how to Differentiate Your Blog

• Openculture's Podcast Primer

• Dennis Kennedy’s Podcasting for Lawyers

• Jessica E Vascellaro's WSJ article on Social Networking Goes Professional

• Business Week’s Social Networking 101
  

• Denise Howell’s and Ernest Svenson’s exchange on Social Networking for Lawyers
  

Although a few of these posts target a lawyer audience, service providers working outside the legal profession will also find them relevant and helpful.

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We’ve all experienced moments when we’d give anything to be invisible. At those times, it seems safer and easier to just disappear. Then there are times when we really want to be noticed. To get that attention, we’ll step on a soapbox, dress flashy or walk on the edge.

Whether we embrace or shun it in our personal lives, visibility has become a prerequisite for success in the business world. Your clients and prospects won’t know the first thing about you or your services until you grab their attention and engage them in a meaningful dialogue. There are many ways to make yourself stand out as a service professional. But, for years, the Web has been a main line to visibility.

Whether you’re a solo professional or practice in a firm, you can create a Web presence and online communications that attract attention and build strong client relationships. Here are some tips and tactics to help you along:

As Kevin O’Keefe reminds us - by channeling Robert Scoble - your goal isn't to attract the widest possible Web audience. A better aim is to become a credible and indispensable resource in your “niche area.” I've found that you can jump-start this process with a who-what-how intake.

Ask yourself and your team these questions:

• Who do you want to draw through your Web door?

• What problems do they have that you can/want to solve?

• How do you solve those problems?

Once you’ve brainstormed the answers; you can design (or re-design) your website and site content for maximum relevance and benefit to your target visitors-clients.

To learn more about the makings of innovative Web content, tune into an ongoing series on the topic at Brian Clark’s Copyblogger. Usability expert Jakob Nielsen is another great source of information on how you should write for the Web.

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There’s something about being on the edge of a new year. There’s a sense of possibility that compels us to look at things from a fresh perspective. It’s a time that lends itself to renewal and renovation.

Like other aspects of professional life, our business writing can benefit from a new-year-inspired overhaul. Service professionals can accomplish this by trying out new channels of content delivery and distribution, including:

• Blogs
  
• Syndicated articles
  
• Press releases 
• White papers
  

You can also revamp the substance of the written content you produce to market and support your business.

It’s long been said that content is king on the Web. But, it reigns offline, too. As Amber Simmons eloquently writes at A List Apart : “[T]he words that shape the page lie at the very center of an engaging visit. If the words aren’t beautiful and meaningful, the sleekest design in the world won’t compensate for it. The body can never replace a missing heart.” When you write helpful material that engages your clients and prospects, you foster the human-to-human connection that makes you stand out in the crowded field of service providers.

For some more ideas on re-designing your business writing for the New Year, take a look at Bronwyn Jones’ article on Better Writing Through Design and this Dosh Dosh post on Using the Right Content Development Strategy. While both pieces address writing for the Web, their guidance applies to your offline endeavors as well.

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One of my favorite new (to me) blogs is Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits. Among other topics, it covers productivity, organization and simplicity. As a business writer, I appreciate the practical guidance offered in posts like this one outlining 15 Can’t-Miss Ways to Declutter Your Mind.

Babauta’s insights often remind me of a writing lesson I learned in law school.

Lawyers and judges are known for producing written work that’s dense, convoluted and jargon-filled. I experienced this first-hand as a fledgling law student. I spent hours and hours trying to decipher the cases anchoring the curriculum and classroom discussion.

I struggled without much success until a friend suggested that I approach the task like an editor and re-write the case facts and law in plain English; reducing them to their simplest and most essential form. He backed his suggestion by citing the principle of Occam’s razor: given any two approaches to the same problem, the simplest one will be the best.

This is a principle that I still hold near and dear. I often refer to it  when I help clients create content for their Web and print publications. No matter how it’s delivered, business writing benefits from simplicity. There are many ways to simplify your writing without diminishing its quality or impact. Here are some great tips from Mignon Fogarty’s Grammar Girl.

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From time to time, service professionals emerge from the whirlwind that’s work and life to find that they’ve fallen out of touch with people in their business network. Especially at this time of year, when closing out the old and ringing in the new, there’s a pull to fix these broken connections.

Many professionals send out holiday cards and gifts as means to this end. While these offerings certainly can connect you with clients and business associates you’ve lost touch with, they’re largely one-way lines of communication.

The better route to re-connection runs two ways. It’s an organic dialogue that lends a human dimension to business relationships. Face-to-face and phone conversations enable this kind of interaction. But, you can also encourage and evolve it through your business writing.

There are a number of ways to channel your written words of re-connection, including:

• E-mails

• Websites

• Blogs

• E-Newsletters

Whatever channel you choose, it’s important to convey why you’re reaching out to your network and to invite recipients to reciprocate by sharing something about themselves and their work.

Curt Rosengren nicely illustrated this point when he e-mailed me an invitation to his Reconnection Revolution. Curt explained: “[I want to have] “30 conversations in 30 days with people I've never actually spoken with (as in voice) before. No particular agenda to the conversations – just seeing what I learn, how I’m inspired, and what new ideas pop up.”

I know Curt from the blogosphere. Still, ours was an arms-length association at best. We reduced that distance during our hour-long phone conversation. We discussed our personal and professional backgrounds, goals and challenges and offered each other advice and support.

Reflecting on his 30-day mission. Curt said: “People start talking, building relationships, exchanging ideas, even finding ways to collaborate. Next thing you know – hey presto! – the positive potential has just grown exponentially.”

Although Curt’s experiment took place in real-time, his model can be adapted to written communications. If his 30-in-30 formula seems a bit daunting, you can easily customize it so it works for you: think 5-in-5 or even 5-in-10 and see what happens in time.

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This is the time of year when mirth and good cheer abound. With 24-7 Rudolph sightings and carols on the airwaves, negativity can be kept for another day.

When that day rolls around and you have some bad news to deliver to a client, this Legal Times article compels you to ask: What Would Winston Churchill Do?

Apparently, after the Germans defeated the French army in 1940, Churchill “gave what was probably the greatest example ever of conveying very bad news in an effective way.” He didn’t mince words or sugar-coat the truth. He communicated the information clearly and directly, ending with a rousing call for the British Empire and its Commonwealth to face “their finest hour.”

As the article suggests, inadvertently or not, Churchill used the psychology of communication to command a difficult situation. He seemed to recognize that people are more likely to accept bad news when it’s:

• Candidly presented

• Teamed with a plan for remedial action

Similarly, according to Thom Singer, we can remedy a bad business relationship by candidly communicating a request to clean the slate (post tipped by Chris Bailey). However, as Singer points out, taking the lead on fixing a challenged relationship is "not the same as admitting guilt. Instead it shows you really care about your [business connections] and are willing to give folks a second chance.”

Pamela Slim embraces this kind of openness and honesty in a recent post on the importance of communicating an apology. Slim misused the word “crass” when describing someone in one of her blog posts. Instead of handling his upset behind the scenes, Slim publicized her misstep for all her readers to see and learn from.

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Charles H. Green’s recent post on Faking Customer Centricity is a nice coda to my earlier commentaries on:

• Communicating with Authenticity

• Building Trust Through Your Business Writing

• Communicating Mixed Messages About Client Relationships

Green points out that, although the “language of relationships—feelings, apologies, empathy” is very much in vogue in the business world, many companies only pay lip service to being “customer-centric.” He gives a few examples of how businesses fail to back up their proclamations of customer care. From there, it’s easy to launch into our own experience.

For instance, what happens when a salesperson wearing a cute “I’m happy to serve you” button grumbles at your request for help? You feel slighted, maybe even ticked off. The same holds true when you ask a vendor to make good on their service guarantee and they offer a host of reasons why your particular problem isn’t their responsibility. This disconnect between promise (implied or overt) and action makes an indelible negative impression.

Service professionals often produce marketing materials and other communications stating “we care about you and your business” and “we put you, the client, first.” It’s very easy to embed those words in your business copy. But it’s much harder to prove to your prospects and clients that you mean what you state. The proof comes through their interactions with you.

How are you backing up your written claims of client-centricity?

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Not too long ago, bloggers Michelle Golden and Charles H. Green spent some time outlining why they object to the use of the terms “trust” and “trusted advisor” in professional firm marketing materials.

Green - who co-authored a great book, The Trusted Advisor, and offers programs on the same subject – opined that professionals shouldn’t overtly publicize their status as, or intent to be, trusted advisors to clients. Why? Because trust is “an outcome, not a come-on.”

Reiterating Green’s belief that it’s really up to clients to deem their service providers trust-worthy, Golden adds that “trusted advisor” is used so often in promotional channels that “it’s now cliché.”

I understand and respect Green’s and Golden’s points. But, I'd like to offer a slightly different  perspective.

Trust has become a key concept - and key word - in the service professions for very good reasons. We live in a world where people often don’t live up to their promises. In essence, most business disputes concern a breakdown in trust. So, as professionals, you need to be vigilant about the role of trust in business matters and refrain from giving clients false expectations of your services.

That said, if you’re sincere and determined in your desire to foster trust-based client connections (really, the only kind of client connections there should be), there’s nothing wrong with letting the world in on that authentic intention. People seeking your help will only benefit from your candor about placing a premium on trust.

To be sure, you don’t need to use the words “trust” or “trusted advisor” when describing your offerings in online or print communications (although I see nothing wrong with using them). There’s lots of ways to let clients and prospects know that you’re committed to cultivating trust-filled, meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with them.

Regardless of the words you choose to state your commitment to trust, as Golden and Green suggest, this can’t be an empty promise. You have to team your public words with consistent, professional and personal action. As the very cliché phrase goes: You need to walk your talk.

For more insight into building trust in business relationships, check out Green’s latest Carnival of Trust , a collection of 10 recent blog posts on this important topic.

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Keith Ferrazzi’s Never Eat Alone is one of my favorite books on building business relationships. You’ll find a nice overview of its core messages in this USA Today article.

Ferrazzi recognizes that business relationships are personal. To help us make this connection, he encourages us to find our currency. We all have this particular kind of currency. It’s our “capacity to help somebody else fulfill their mission or vision of themselves in some way.”

In fact, according to Ferrazzi, most of us have multiple currencies. Some are naturally stronger than others. Typically, he says, “our most valuable currencies are things we do that seem as natural as breathing -- natural to us, but to others, these skills are a real rarity!”

Your business writing provides a clear channel for conveying your currencies to clients and prospects. But, to optimize these communications, you first need to pinpoint what your currencies are.

To do this, Ferrazzi suggests that you consider the following questions:

• What things do you say about yourself and your interests that excite or intrigue people you meet?

• When did you help make someone else a success at something?

• Of the times you were able to give, which worked the best and which felt the best?

• How can you purposely incorporate those currencies into your sales and networking plans?

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A few years back, consultant Elise Bauer introduced me to the term thought leader, which she defines as “a recognized leader in one’s field.” Bauer says that this recognition comes when “the outside world” acknowledges you for freely and generously sharing your intelligence and expertise to meet the needs of your clients and the “broader marketplace” in which you operate.

Picking up on this theme, author and consultant David Meerman Scott provides some great tips on producing thought leadership content. He notes that - whether presented via white papers, blogs, newsletters or reports – this kind of written material:

• Addresses issues of interest to your clients and prospects

• Aims to educate and entertain, but not to sell

• Solves problems and answers questions

• Shows that you and your firm “are smart and worth doing business with”

Scott is one of my favorite sources of information on creating excellent Web and print content. He offers his insights through his blog, webink now, and his terrific book, Cashing In with Content.

For the visual learners among us, Brian Carroll has a post on Using Thought Leader Content As A Lead Generation Tool that includes a great mindmap of client-centric content that can position you as a thought leader.

Rounding out the tips is Scott Ginsberg’s post on 17 ways to become a thought leader. My favorite, of course, is “write, write, write” because, as Ginsberg puts it, “[i]f you’re not capturing your thoughts, ideas, experiences, stories, advice and insights, forget all about this whole thought leader thing."

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Garr Reynolds of Presentation Zen proffers an interesting question about slide presentations that applies equally well to our everyday business writing. He asks: “What can you do to consciously reduce the nonessential?” In other words, how can you trim your language and messages so that they’re “simple yet not watered down, trivialized, or compromised?”

Reynolds gives us a taste of this “elimination of the superfluous” by sharing the story of a fish monger who pares down the words on his store’s sign until he realizes that they’re entirely unnecessary - the store, by its very nature (and odor), speaks for itself.

I really like this post, story and the accompanying comments thread because they highlight how simplicity can be a powerful ally in our effort to create memorable communications.

Dan Pink takes another look at simplicity in his Wired Magazine article on Pecha Kucha. Pecha Kucha (the Japanese term for chatter) is a streamlined form of presentation design and delivery. It requires communicators to convey their message using 20 slides displayed for 20 seconds each. That’s a whopping six minutes and 40 seconds for the entire presentation.

Pink, an accomplished writer and speaker, tries his hand at Pecha Kucha and posts the clip of his endeavor. It shows that achieving this kind of simplicity when communicating is not as simple as it seems.

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My daughter came home from school last week and enthusiastically told me how her middle school science teacher brings class lessons to life by sharing anecdotes that relate to the curriculum. I wasn't surprised by her enthusiasm.

In my post on sticky business writing, I cited a list of attributes that make our communications durable and memorable. Among those attributes are stories.

Most of us have experienced first-hand how facts and ideas conveyed through engaging stories come alive and linger in our thoughts and memories. Media producers, public relations professionals and marketers routinely harness the power of story to channel their messages to audiences.

The importance of storytelling is also gaining a foothold in other business sectors. In his Forbes.com article on The Power of Stories, John Kotter notes that some business leaders are coming to recognize that “we learn best--and change--from hearing stories that strike a chord within us.” They understand that the stories a firm broadcasts --deliberately or inadvertently -- about itself, its employees or its clients can have a big impact on its business culture and bottom line.

To evaluate how stories infuse our business, Kotter suggests that we consider these questions:

• What are the stories that define us in light of our customers, employees and shareholders?

• Are these the stories we want to tell--and have others tell about us?

If the answer to these questions is "No," he recommends that we take steps “to replace the old stories” with ones that genuinely support our business values and success.

Seth Godin adds to this point in a post on how to tell a great story. Drawing from an Ode Magazine article he wrote on the same topic, Godin sets out the underpinnings of all great stories. Among other common denominators, he says, all great stories:

• Capture the imagination

• Are consistent and authentic

• Don’t contradict themselves

• Agree with what the audience already believes

• Make people feel smart and secure

Many of us are comfortable with the idea of incorporating stories into conventional business writing and communications. At the MarketingProfs Daily Fix blog, Jennifer Jones shares that storytelling is also the key to making social media work for us. Jones recognizes that, even in the new media universe, information delivered via stories is much more vibrant and indelible than dry presentations of fact.

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An often-cited building block of successful and enduring client relationships is authenticity – the desire and ability to lay down our shield, open up and let our clients get to know who we are and what’s important to us.

Authentic exchanges can take place during face-to-face conversations with clients and prospects. But, our everyday business writing – in emails, articles, blogs and other Web and print publications – can also be a channel for authentic expression.

Steve Pavlina offers a great post on authentic communication. Describing his visceral reaction to inauthentic written communications, he states: “I just don’t want to spend time dealing with people who aren’t willing to communicate like real human beings.” Pavlina also directs us to John Kinde’s commentary on the power of authenticity.

Kinde, in turn, wraps his thoughts on the subject around inspiring footage of the late Fred Rogers. The footage transports us to a 1969 senate hearing at which Rogers talks about funding for the newly formed Corporation for Public Broadcasting. You can click here to view the clip.

As Kinde points out, what’s remarkable about this interaction is how Mr. Rogers’ authenticity affects the hard-nosed politician he’s addressing. It’s moving and, yes, instructive, to see a person who’s so genuine and so crystal clear about why he’s here and what he stands for.

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There’s a big buzz about sticky ideas - ideas that catch on like wildfire and take up residence in our minds. Malcolm Gladwell introduced the concept of stickiness in his bestselling book, The Tipping Point.

Building on his introduction, brothers Chip and Dan Heath reverse engineer sticky ideas in their book, Made to Stick. Informed by the work of political scientists, psychologists and educators, the Heaths conclude that there’s a blueprint for communicating ideas so that they’ll stick. It’s s-u-c-c-e-s-s:

• Simplicity
• Unexpectedness
• Concreteness
• Credibility
• Emotion
• Stories

Garr Reynolds picks up on this theme at his terrific blog, Presentation Zen. He discusses how the six key elements of stickiness “are easy to incorporate into messages – including presentations and keynote addresses.”

The same holds true for business writing. People are likely to remember and respond to our messages when we deliver them through simple, concrete and credible written content that tells a story with some emotion and offers an unexpected benefit to the reader.

For another interesting look at stickiness, you can check out this Inc.com piece on Marketing made Sticky.

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I’m a big proponent of the belief that business relationships are personal. But, many service professionals find it hard to drop the mantle of authority and sincerely relate to their clients as human beings who have fears, hopes and challenges.

While most of us write cards, letters and e-mails to meaningfully connect with family and friends, the common view is that business writing is the cool, aloof, dull and dry second-cousin of our personal communications.

That’s a misperception.

Business writing and intimacy mix very well. By intimacy, I’m referring to a desire to get to know the people behind the issues or needs that come across our desk (or computer screen). I’m also referring to a willingness to throw our genuine and empathic selves into the mix.

So, how can you better relate to your prospects and clients through your business writing?

Here are some tips via an acronym I created for a recent presentation:

• Reframe your focus. People seek out service professionals when they have issues that need solutions. They want to know that you understand their problems and can help them. They’re looking for themselves in your writing, not a reflection of your greatness and accomplishments.

• Enter your readers’ emotional space. There’s an emotional component to every business issue. Whether it’s allaying concerns about financial projections or employee attrition, prospects and clients want to know that you recognize and relate to their fears, anger and upset.

• Listen. Listening skills are critical to effective business writing. To meaningfully relate to others, we need to hear what they have to say about themselves, their situation and what they want from us. Pretend or selective listening just doesn’t cut it.

• Ask questions. One of the best ways to fine tune your writing is to regularly ask prospects and clients questions about their business needs and concerns. Use the information they provide as a guide for creating compelling online and print content.

• Tune in to conversations. There are many avenues for staying informed on matters that affect your current and prospective clients. Identify pertinent topics and follow the discussion thread through trade journals, blogs, mainstream media outlets and professional groups.

• Erase the jargon. I’m not referring to industry terms that your clients regularly use. I’m talking about legalese and other professional dialects that hamper clear, direct and meaningful written communications.

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