Writing Mucle

Good writing is a critical component for success, I'm convinced. Few people realize how our writing skills affects our lives.

Imagine that you've received a performance evaluation. If it contains grammatical errors or poor compositional structure it dilutes the message even if everything is factually correct. Consciously or subconsciously it would be natural to think the reviewer was a fool. There might be important feedback in the review that is getting discounted because the reviewer can't write. Too bad.

Few things will sink a sale faster than a poorly constructed proposal. A few months ago I received a quote for some upholstery work. They may have been good upholsters, but they didn't get the business because their quote was crap. The writing was crap, the content was crap. Unreadable. I couldn't help but think it could be representative of the quality of their work.

"But I'm not in Sales," you say. "I don't do proposals or quotes." Ah, but you are in sales. We all are. We sell ourselves, our ideas. If you missed out on a job or promotion you really wanted, think of all the places where your writing has represented you: cover letters, applications, written tests, or even posts to your favorite social media tool. Maybe, just maybe you would have landed that job had your writing been a little stronger.

Last week I wrote a specification document, which is like a blueprint that precedes the construction of a program. It sat over the weekend, and today I picked it up to review and edit it. Pee-yew! I wrote this steaming pile? Although it is factually and technically correct, the writing is awful. If it were a proposal, it would never get approved.

It has been said that writing is like a muscle that gets stronger with use. I didn't have to create the spec document, I wrote it for practice. These blog entries are writing exercises too. Like the trainer who helps people tone up in gym workouts, critiques of these blog postings will help me develop writing muscle. That means I welcome all feedback.

Now to edit that specification document, the writing equivalent of squats.

Kindle for Free

Last week Amazon made my Kindle even more useful. They added a service where all the books I've purchased through the Kindle store can be downloaded and viewed through a PC.

This is is not a browser based application. The client application can be downloaded from http://www.amazon.com/KindleforPC . Installation is painless; you will be prompted for your Amazon account and password.

Once you're up and running, how useful the KindleForPC service depends on what type of books you Kindle. A lot of my purchases are technical books, and the illustrations often do not render well on the small e-Reader.


Graphics on the KindleForPC can be expanded making illustrations easier to read.

Amazon takes care of page synchronization. If the same book is downloaded to both the KindleForPC and the Kindle, Amazon keeps track of your most recently read page. If you are reading from the PC and stop on page 63, pick up the Kindle and it will take you to that page automatically. Naturally, the same goes for annotations (notes and highlights) - they are synchronized too.

One minor variation between the platforms is newspapers. I really like buying single editions of newspapers for my Kindle. But the KindleForPC only offers the subscription option.

Will KindleforPC sell more Kindles? Will people download the application to their PC for access to cheaper books but not buy the Kindle? I don't know. For those of us that have already purchased a Kindle, providing yet another way for us to access our purchased Kindle content is a good thing.

Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

CIO Insight magazine ran a post entitled, Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs. I liked the article so much I've recapped the slide content here:


Plan in Analog

Jobs prepares presentation in the world of pen and paper. He brainstorms, sketches and draws on whiteboards. Exact messages are decided for new products, and used consistently across all platforms: presentations, web sites, advertisments, press releases, an even the banners that are unfurled after keynote presentations.


Create Twitter-friendly Headlines

Can you describe your product or service in 140 characters? Jobs offers a headline, or description, for every product; each fits in a Twitter post. Introducing the MacBook Air in January 2008, he said, "The world's thinnest notebook." More information was available, but you already knew a lot.


Introduce the Antagonist

In every classic story, the hero fights the villain. The same holds true for a Steve Jobs presentation. Before he introduced the famous "1984" ad, Jobs said, "IBM wants it all." Apple would be the only company to stand in its way. A villain allows the audience to rally around the hero - you, your ideas and your product.


Stick to the Rule of Three

The human brain can absorb three or four chunks of information at any one time. Too much information, people won't remember a thing. Every Steve Jobs presentation is divided into three parts. On September 9 2009, Jobs returned after a medical leave. He had three things to discuss: iPhone, iTunes, and iPods.


Strive for Simplicity

Apple chief design architect Jonathan ive said Apple's products eliminate clutter. The same philosophy applies to Apple's marketing and sales material. Most of Steve Jobs' slides are visuals - photographs or images. When there are words, they are astonishingly sparce. Steve Jobs tells the Apple story. The slides complement the story.


Reveal a "Holy Smokes" Moment

People forget words and actions, but now how you made them feel. Jobs creates water-cooler moments that everyone talks about later. These show stoppers are completely scripted. Jobs unveiled the MacBook Air at Macworld 2008 by removing the computer from an inter-office envelope. Everyone who saw it, or read about it, remembered it.


Sell Dreams, Not Products

Great leaders cultivate a sense of mission among their employees and customers. Jobs says he wants to put a "dent in the universe." True evangelists are driven by a zeal to create new experiences. Jobs, launching the iPod: "in our own small way we're going to make the world a better place." Most people saw a music player, Jobs saw a tool to enrich lives. Great products matter, but passion, enthusiasm and emotion set you apart.

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Value Defined

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

We have all heard that phrase many times and in many variations. What is your major? Where have you applied? Where do you work? Invariably we meet people that know with absolute certainty what they want to do and how they want to get there. I envy that clear thinking.

Many people are less certain. More than half of all college students change their majors at least once before graduation. Changing career goals does not just happen in college. There are instances of people who, after decades in one field, will change careers because they decided they wanted to be something else when they grow up.

On my desk is a Craftsman 3/16" slotted (flat head) screwdriver. It is a simple device that can be used for many things beyond inserting or removing screws. It can pry the lid off a paint can. Scrape gum off the sidewalk. Break a block of ice. Remove dried snot from hard surfaces. It is valuable because it has broad utility. It is useful.

Last year I was saying that I wanted to create something of value. At the time, value was defined as creating a company that I could sell (cash out). What kind of company? I didn't know, but it would be the valuable kind. What product or service would the company produce? I didn't know that either.

This morning I was marveling at this screwdriver on my desk. The design is simple. It is easy to use and inexpensive to purchase. It is a great tool for many things. It allows the user to create things.

Simple. Affordable. Useful.

That's when I realized that the focus of my definition of value was misplaced. Instead of creating a company that is valuable, a better goal is to focus on creating a product or service that is valuable to the market. A screwdriver doesn't drive a screw or scrape gum by itself, it is the tool that helps someone do that function better.

The difference is subtle but important. Create something of value, but of value to the customers or the users to help them to do something better. Do not focus on the company, focus on the product or service provided.

When I grow up, I still want to create something of value; I just have to find out what that is.