This Meeting Has Been Changed

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Boss, business, business etiquette, conference room, meetings, reschedule, staff

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a seemingly never-ending meeting change notification? Rescheduled from 2:00–3:00 to 3:30-4:30. Then another one. Moved to Conference Room B. Then  Rescheduled to 2:00-3:00. And maybe another Moved to Jim’s Office. And then Moved to Conference Room A.

How long before you tune out and just skim the notifications until it’s the absolute last change?

With electronic calendar and scheduling programs, we don’t always receive details as to why the meetings times or locations are changed. We just get the basic scheduling information on when and where. The best we can do is be flexible and make necessary adjustments. It can be a problem when the meeting is pushed up and you may not have enough time to prepare material required for the meeting.

Another meeting change problem occurs when the moderator is not fully invested.

I once worked for someone who left his weekly staff meeting on a somewhat regular basis. It wasn’t unusual for him to tell us to carry on as he headed out the door into another executive’s office. It was frustrating seeing as we (his staff) were there to report on our projects to him (the boss) so he would be up to speed. After he left, we would briefly update each other before adjourning early. After the first occurrence, I learned to await the impromptu follow-up because – never fail – our boss would call for one-on-ones so we could report the information he missed the first time.

Once you’ve experienced this, it is not difficult to identify the co-worker or superior who is notorious for changing meetings. You can count on him to reschedule five times before the meeting takes place. Or are you that notorious rescheduler?

Either way, good or bad, I can get used to what happens and, ultimately, find it nice when people don’t let you down.

Figments and Fragments

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complete sentences, map, noun, public speaking, Real Housewives, Real Housewives of Orange County, sentence fragments, speaking, speechwriters, technical writing, verb, wisconsin, writing

I hate to hear myself recorded. Unfortunately for me, I interview people for articles and have to listen to myself when transcribing notes and information. Cringeworthy!

One, I can’t stop hearing my native-Wisconsin nasal tone which comes through loud and clear, especially in contrast when I’m interviewing Southerners. I try to get away from the accent, but the tonal quality is ingrained.

Two, I really need to speak more like I write. Sometimes my sentences are fragments without both the necessary noun and verb.

My only consolation is I’m not alone. If we were to record ourselves speaking, we no doubt discover we speak quite differently than how we write. In composing memos, articles and presentations, we typically construct the work with a beginning, middle, and end. We include supporting subpoints and information. We work toward a logical conclusion that may summarize, reinforce or assign tasks.

However, when it comes to our daily speak, we (myself included) don’t always follow the rules of cohesion. How many times have you overheard a group at another table and thought (not just because they’re discussing the Real Housewives of Orange County but rather the way they speak), “wow – they sound stupid!” Maybe it’s their word choice, perhaps their sentence structures, or just the inability to present a concept. No doubt I have been on the receiving end of that comment.

Sometimes the words just do not come out as intelligently as I hoped.

There are also times I thought, “Boy, I wish I could map this conversation to see just how far off base I travelled.” If I were to edit my daily conversations, I would probably remove about 50%, most of which is fluff or unnecessary details.

Effective speechwriters do a great job, which makes the speaker seem exceptional. Each sentence is crafted as coherently and completely as possible. My goal is work on my daily speak – to make the most of the words I choose to use and the content I discuss. And, hopefully, by editing my language as I go, I can be a quieter but more impactful person as well.

Are You APT to Write it Right?

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APT, audience, business writing, communicate, communications, conventions, effective, engineering, marketing, PR, purpose, sales, technical, technical writing, technique, writing

I’ve seen it hundreds of times. The Boss walks in, says, “I need a report/memo/presentation. It’s due tomorrow afternoon, so give me something to look at by end of day.” Before he’s even out of the room, the team is off and running, crafting sentences and messages, and laying out the work.

That’s when I apply the brakes. Stop!

Sometimes I am faulted for asking many questions on a project, but I prefer the “safe rather than sorry” route of writing. Who is going to receive this information? Where will it be placed? Having as much information as possible at the start creates an effective process to construct the right material, rather than having to scramble and conduct major rewrites in the eleventh hour, turning in a less than polished piece of work or having an unhappy client.

In business writing, it’s key to establish three important components before beginning a project. This doesn’t matter if you’re in PR, Engineering, Sales or Marketing. Begin each project by identifying the APT – Audience, Purpose, Technique. Basically, for whom are you writing? Why are you writing? How will the writing be used?

Audience – Give thought to the audience

• Who are they? What do they value? What words will affect them?
• Make sure you have a solid grasp on the target audience(s).
• What might they know about the subject?
• How much time is available to read your work?
• Choose an approach that is appropriate for your audience

Purpose – Why are you writing?

• To explain
• To persuade
• To entertain
• To express yourself
• Ultimately, you are Selling something – an idea, a product, a corporate value. What will convince each target audience to buy? What do you want to happen?

Technique – Each project may be a different medium, so know the ins and outs to be effective.

• Look at ad formats (left side or right side placement?). Blog formats. Proposal formats. Feature news article formats.
• Look at sentence structure.
• What works for that medium?
  • Do ads use complete sentences or fragments?
  • What kind of language works?
  • What needs to accompany the language?
  • What will catch the eye?

Understanding the Audience, Purpose and Technique lays the groundwork for the project and puts you on the path to effective writing from the start.

When To Stop Editing & Revising

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Carolinas, carrots, creative writing, editor, edits, fiction, Kendra Levin, middle grade, novels, potatoes, project, publishing, put a fork in it, revisions, rewrites, SCBWI, structure, Viking Children's Books, writing, young adult literature

When writing a news release or a shorter document, it’s easy for me to tell when it’s time to stop editing. It usually comes at that point when I begin to change things for change’s sake, but I’m not making the document stronger. (Like rewriting the same sentence three different ways, and it still ends up the same way.)

However, when working on a novel and dealing with 80,000+ words rather than 250, the revision process is a whole lot more encompassing. There are re-writes, revisions, re-constructed scenes, and edits upon edits. One challenge can be how to keep the story fresh when I’ve read it (what feels like) a 1,000 times, and I want to chuck the work into the trash can.

Know When to Stop

This past weekend I attended a writing intensive workshop sponsored by SCBWI-Carolinas. There, a group of writers assembled to work on novels and glean inspiration from industry professionals. One of our key speakers was Kendra Levin, senior editor with Viking Children’s Books. After putting us through a couple writing exercises, she shared publishing stories with us. As everyone in the room is awaiting publication of their first book, it was an excellent opportunity to hear likes, dislikes, and anecdotes of the person who may hold your publishing fate in her hands.

Kendra shared a story of a fellow editor who was finalizing the work of one of her authors. Down to the final round of technical edits before going to publication, the editor sent what should have been minor edits. The author, however, returned a manuscript with those changes and also a whole lot more that turns out were not needed. After something like the 10^th round of intense edits, the author had become trained to make many changes. When she saw the limited number of notes from her editor, she thought it wasn’t enough so she made unnecessary edits that unfortunately set the process back.

“When you change carrots to potatoes, then you know it’s time to put a lid on it.” Kendra Levin, Senior Editor Viking Children’s Books.

So if you’re getting to the point of merely fiddling around with your work because you really can’t find anything else to change and you’re not making the work better, Stop. While it is often true that revisions and editing can go on forever, sometimes you just have to put a fork in it. You are done.

Enjoy the moment, because the next project is about to begin.