Jendi Coursey

  • Sep 05 2017

    Five Tips on Formality in Business Communication

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    In decades past, polite society was full of rules about how to behave. While many of us are happy to say, “Good riddance!” to the stilted formality that once permeated people’s daily lives, the lack of clarity around etiquette these days can leave us wondering just how formal we should be, especially in unfamiliar business settings. At Google, people wear jeans to work and sleep in nap pods during their breaks. At many law firms, even the most junior associates where business suits and no one is napping. So how formal should you be?

    When it comes to business communication, here are some tips.

    1. Respond in Kind – If you have the benefit of responding to—rather than initiating—written correspondence, it is generally safe to mimic the formality afforded to you. If someone addresses you as Mr. or Ms., do the same for them. If they use your first name, it’s usually safe to use theirs. If you are responding to a leader in the field, or to someone who would have authority over you were you to work together, pay attention to how they sign off. If a college professor addresses you, the student, by first name, but signs off with Dr. Jones, use his or her more formal title in your reply.
    2. Contractions – If you are writing a formal proposal, a white paper, or any other formal document, do not use contractions. If you are writing an email, a blog with a casual tone, or a social media post, I think contractions are fine. In fact, I think they can make writing more readable.
    3. Good Grammar – If you are texting a friend, feel free to use abbreviations and forget about capitalization; however, if you’re writing almost ANYTHING else, at least in business, use capital letters and proper punctuation. Foregoing grammar can easily result in miscommunication.
    4. Consider Your Audience – People in the upper echelons of business are often at least 50 years old. Many of them graduated from college without touching a computer, and when they joined the business world, communication was a more formal affair. They are likely to interpret a more formal tone as a sign of respect, which is never a bad thing.
    5. Non-Verbal Communication – While I’ve focused on writing, remember that you communicate in many other ways, consciously and subconsciously. The way you dress, your posture, the formality of your spoken language (“Nice to meet you, sir.” v. “Hey man, great to meet you.”), and many other non-verbal cues will speak volumes about how seriously you take this interaction. A hospital CEO recently told me that a prospective department director showed up for an interview in her “traveling clothes,” which resembled sweat pants. The CEO wondered, “If the prospective employee couldn’t be bothered to dress up for the interview, would she dress up for work? Would she disregard other common courtesies? Did she even care about getting this position?”

    If you feel unsure about your writing and grammar, here are a few of my favorite resources:

    Whether we like it or not, we’re constantly judged on our communication skills, so before you send that email or publish that blog post, consider your audience and communicate with a tone and formality that will help you achieve your communication goals.

    If you would like some coaching to improve your writing, get in touch!

  • Aug 18 2017

    Keep Advertising Copy Short and Focus on Solving Problems

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    Advertising copy must be compelling enough to inspire people to act, but not so annoying that it turns them off. It’s a delicate balance. (In case you’re unfamiliar with the term “copy,” it refers to the main text of an advertisement.)

    The first rule of advertising is to make sure you know who you’re trying to reach. The second rule is to make sure you leave no doubt as to how you solve their problem.

    In an era when attention spans are short and distractions are ever-present, it’s challenging to write a headline that engages people enough to keep them reading through to the fine print. That’s why it’s so important to write with your audience’s perspective in mind. 

    Let’s say you represent a health center that just recruited a new pediatrician, and you want to attract more patients. Your target audience is parents, of course, because kids don’t choose their own doctors. So, how can you help parents meet their goals? Since most parents want to keep their children as healthy as possible, effective ad copy will demonstrate how your pediatrician helps them do so.

    An ad that says, “We have a new pediatrician” or “Now accepting new patients” doesn’t tell parents what they want to know: is the pediatrician well-trained, caring, and dedicated? Does he or she share their values? Will that pediatrician be available to answer questions outside office hours? Does he or she have experience with children like theirs (toddlers, chronically ill, behaviorally challenging, etc.)?

    While you may not be able to answer all those questions in one headline, you can begin to assuage parents’ concerns by addressing a core frustration: feeling rushed. Parents want to know their clinician will listen carefully and give their child’s problem the consideration it deserves. A far more effective ad might say, “Welcoming Dr. Jones, a board-certified pediatrician who takes time with every patient.” This may not seem dramatically different from the headlines above, because you have to distill your message to so few words in an ad, but this one helps reassure parents that Dr. Jones will take the time required to help your child feel better.

    Every time you advertise, consider how you solve your customers’ problems. How are their lives better, easier, healthier, more fun, more stylish, or less stressful as a result of your product or service? Don’t make people figure it out on their own. Spell it out for them.

    Want help? Get in touch.

  • Aug 07 2017

    Why Won’t They Publish My Press Release?!

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    When you spend time to write a press release, it’s really frustrating when it doesn’t get published. Here are common reasons press releases don’t get published.

    1. The press release isn’t timely.
    2. It isn’t significant.
    3. It isn’t relevant to the readers (geographically or via some affiliation).
    4. There’s no one famous or prominent involved.
    5. There’s no appeal to human interest.

    Here’s how you can avoid these mistakes.

    Make sure the lede (opening sentence) includes elements that make a press release newsworthy (i.e., timely, significant, relevant, linked to a prominent person, or human-interest related). Then do your best to predict the questions people are likely to ask, and use the press release to answer them. A press release is different from promotional writing–save that for brochures and advertisements. In a press release, if you want to include an opinion, be sure to attribute it to someone. Otherwise, stick to the facts.

    Let’s consider a couple examples.

    In a press release about a high school student garnering a prestigious award, here’s a press-worthy opener:

    Eureka, California – On March 29, Raya Mahony became one of only two South Fork High School seniors ever to receive a coveted “Stellar Student” award from the Rising Stars Foundation.

    In the Southern Humboldt County region of Northern California where the press release was published as a news story, the press release highlighted a remarkable accomplishment by a local student, a verifiable fact. The word “coveted” is a little risky, but if you can prove that many people apply and few people win, it’s a legitimate claim.

    Here’s a lede that would be rejected immediately:

    Eureka, California – On March 29, the Rising Stars Foundation recognized Raya Mahony for her amazing accomplishments; Mahony is the kind of student and human being who makes students around her become better themselves, both academically and personally.

    In fact, Raya is just this type of student and deserves these accolades; but to include them, they must be attributed to the person who said them. As most writing does, press releases benefit from the old adage, “Show, don’t tell.” It’s best to use the student’s accomplishments to demonstrate her exceptional nature, rather than simply saying she’s exceptional. Like this:

    Mahony has maintained an unweighted GPA of 4.0 while serving in several leadership positions. She is the Associated Student Body (ASB) president, and has been an ASB member for three years. She is the president of 4-H, where she has participated in leadership for three years and has shown animals since she was seven years old. For the past two years, Mahony has served as president of the local chapter of the California Scholarship Federation.

    She has served the global community through the local chapter of Interact, holding the position of International Foreign Affairs Director and chairing the Tanzania Solar Energy project, which raised funds to purchase solar panels for a school in Africa.

    Then let someone who knows her bring it all home with a quote. Like this:

    “Academically and personally, Raya Mahony is genuine and committed; she is an impressive young woman. Insightful and diligent, interactive but not demonstrative, Raya is the kind of student and human being who will make students around her become better themselves, both academically and personally,” said English teacher William Richards.

    As long as you stick to the facts and write in the classic inverted pyramid style (putting the most important information first), you should be fine. For more information about how to write a press release that will get published, click here.

    If you would rather have someone write your press releases for you, feel free to get in touch.

  • Jul 21 2017

    Do You Go Directly to the Source or Find Influencers?

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    As you think about how to reach your target audience (the people for whom your product or service is designed), you must decide whether you should create a marketing strategy that reaches out to them directly or whether you would be better off influencing the influencers.

    Let’s say you are a health food store. You believe that food is medicine and good, healthy, organic choices (the very type you sell) would benefit all sorts of people. Who should your target audience be? Those who do the grocery shopping? Yes. But who influences them?

    If a friend with no particular expertise in diet or nutrition suggested you make a change in your diet, you might consider it. If your doctor told you that based on loads of research and his or her personal experience, that making a change in your diet would improve your life, you’d probably be much more likely to make a change. So, as the owner of the health food store, shouldn’t you consider marketing to healthcare professionals as well as those who buy groceries?

    Depending on your budget and other marketing resources, it might be a better return on your investment to focus on the influencers. Who do you align with? Who benefits by promoting your product? When those healthcare professionals promote healthy food (referring patients to your establishment in the process), they reach their goal of enhancing their patients’ health, their patients make better food choices, and you make a profit. It’s a win-win-win.

  • Jul 21 2017

    5 Writing Tips Everyone Should Know

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    Even though most of us sat through countless hours of English instruction, we don’t feel confident in our writing. Why is that, and how can we fix it?

    English is a tough language to master. It seems to break the rules as often as it follows them, and if you don’t reinforce those rules constantly, they can slip away from you. Thanks to Microsoft Word, we can figure out when we’ve misspelled a word (that little squiggly red line is a lifesaver). MS Word also recommends helpful hints about sentence structure, but unless you understand the underlying grammar, you accept MS Word’s correction at your peril.

    So, how can you improve your writing? Here are some helpful hints

    1. Avoid mistakes by proofreading. Ideally, you can trade proofreading duties with a trusted colleague, since our brains often trick us into reading what we meant to write rather than what we put on the page.
    2. Be sure you know what you want to say; then say it. By all means, tell a good story; just be careful you don’t get so caught up in the storytelling that your readers can’t figure out what your point is.
    3. Use active voice. Active voice means the subject of the sentence does something rather than having something done to him/her or it.
      Passive voice: The very best cancer is the one that is prevented and the second best is the one that gets caught early.
      Active voice: The very best cancer is the one we prevent and the second best is the one we catch early.
    4. Choose strong verbs and powerful adjectives. Use words that make your writing come to life, words that enliven the senses–help people smell the raindrops as they hit the pavement and feel the watermelon juice as it runs down their chins.
    5. Get rid of your fancy filter. Use straightforward language, and use as few words as possible to drive your point home. People aren’t impressed by a bunch of words they don’t know. They are impressed when you can explain a complex idea clearly and thoughtfully.

    Many grammar rules are black and white; either you’re right or you’re wrong. However, as language evolves, writers have to decide when they want to adopt new words, for example. Remember when the word “email” had a hyphen? And have you noticed that “health care” is becoming “healthcare”? The key to navigating these gray zones is to decide how you want to manage the grammar conundrum and then be consistent. Happily, you do not need to figure out how to proceed on your own. If you’re a journalist or blogger, I recommend the Associated Press Stylebook. If you’re a book author, I’d go with the Chicago Manual of Style.

    If you’re not sure whether your writing is good, try reading it aloud. If it’s awkward to read, then it’s awkward. Period. Rewrite it.

  • Jul 21 2017

    Don’t Panic! Plan Your Crisis Communication Before the Crisis Hits

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    Almost every business must deal with a public relations crisis at some point, whether it’s a data breach, an unscrupulous employee, a problem with the product or service, or a miscommunication. For almost every business, you can usually predict the types of crises you’ll face, so you might as well prepare now.

    Let’s imagine you work in a hospital. A “Code Black” situation means the hospital is overrun with patients–maybe there’s a natural disaster or a terrorist attack or a nurses’ strike leading to an employee shortage. Whatever the cause, you’ll need to communicate with frightened members of the public, desperate to find loved ones. You’ll need to communicate with organizational partners to set up shelters and/or alternative medical care options, and you’ll need to communicate with the media about what’s happening. And that’s only the first hour.

    Before any crisis hits, you can write the press release (mostly).

    The press release’s lede (first paragraph) should provide the who, what, where, and when of the situation. Then you can reinforce your organization’s mission and values, since those are the foundations upon which decisions will be made to guide your organization through the crisis.

    The press release you write to prepare for any Code Black situation could start with something like this:

    At (time of day) on (date), (number of patients) patients arrived at Hometown Hospital (HH) as a result of (description of disaster). The influx of patients quickly filled the 12-bed emergency department, but patients could not be sent to neighboring hospitals because they, too, were overwhelmed with disaster victims. 

    HH President Joe Goodguy said, “We’re triaging patients as quickly as we can, putting patients on gurneys and lining the hallways where our dedicated physicians and hospital staff have worked through the night to stabilize them.

    As always, our mission is to provide excellent health care for everyone in our community, and we’ll continue to do all we can to make this happen.” 

    People concerned about loved ones can visit HometownHospital.org/crisis or call (1-800 Crisis Line) for more information. 

    Clearly, you won’t know every detail ahead of time, but you know you’ll want to 1. Explain what happened, 2. Give kudos to the people in your organization going above and beyond, and 3. Provide answers to people’s most pressing question(s). In this case, people will want to know how to reunite with loved ones, or at least find out whether they’re safe.

    You can go through each crisis scenario your organization is likely to face and brainstorm probable questions and issues; then prepare a press release for each. You can also set up a dark page on your website (one that remains unpublished until it’s needed) with key facts and contact information to keep people informed in the event of a crisis.

    Best Practices for Crisis Communication

    1. Plan ahead. Identify likely crises and create a communication plan for each.
    2. Identify a spokesperson and be sure employees know they should refer all media inquiries to that person.
    3. Be open and honest about the crisis as quickly as possible; then provide accurate, timely updates so people continue to come to you for information.
    4. Use many pathways for communication: social media, traditional news outlets, community partners, and other networks. Use radio, print, broadcast, and web resources.
    5. Be accountable and make things right. If your crisis involves a mistake, admit the mistake and explain the measures your organization is taking to prevent this type of mistake in the future. If appropriate and if possible, make those who are affected by the organization’s actions whole again, to the degree that you can.
  • Jul 13 2017

    10 Tips for Effective Email Every Professional Should Know

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    Email is the most common form of business communication, so it can have a big impact on your productivity and your reputation. Well-written emails that are clear, concise, and compelling can keep projects moving and enhance your relationships. However, when emails include typos, struggle to get to the point, or strike the wrong tone, they can do more harm than good.

    Here are some tips to provide high-impact messages and avoid embarrassing mistakes.

    1. Choose an informative subject line
      Choosing an engaging subject line that describes what your email is about increases the chances your email will be opened promptly. It also makes your email easy to find later. (Don’t forget to change the subject line when replying to an email if the topic of the email has changed.)
      Don’t: Hi! Are you busy on Tuesday?
      Do: Can we meet Tuesday at 3 pm about Project X?
    2. Be casual, but professional
      Although email is more casual than most written correspondence, it should employ a respectful tone and include proper spelling and grammar. As a rule, it’s best to avoid emoticons, all-caps, acronyms, and exclamation points. And don’t be the boy who cried, “Wolf!” If an email is truly urgent, say so; otherwise, just be patient.
      Don’t: Hey! Did you get my message? I TOTALLY need an answer ASAP about Project X.
      Do: Just a quick reminder that the deadline for approval on Project X is this Friday. Have you had an opportunity to review the information I sent?
    3. Only use email when appropriate
      –      Do NOT discuss emotionally charged or controversial issues via email.
      -Do NOT try to manage projects that require extensive discussion via email. Email is good for short, finite communication.
      -Do NOT include confidential information. “Reply All” and “Forward” are many people’s favorite buttons, and hackers love a to add social security numbers or credit card numbers to their collections.
    4. Get right to the point
      The subject line should cue up your message, and your first line in the body of the email should get right to the point–ideally in a compelling or humorous way. Tell your reader who you are (if they don’t already know), and what you want. If you expect them to take action, you’d best demonstrate how that action benefits them.
      Don’t: I started my company ten years ago, and we’ve been growing ever since. I think you’d really like my product, but first, let me tell you about how we got where we are…
      Do: After ten years in the business, we’ve honed our product to meet the needs of clients like you. Here’s how…
    5. Keep attachments small and essential
      If you must attach a file, be sure it is not too big. People are wary of files, as they should be–they’re a great way to share computer viruses. If your attachment is more than a couple megabytes, consider sending it via a file transfer protocol (ftp) site like Hightail.com or Wetransfer.com; or consider setting up a file sharing arrangement like Dropbox.com.
    6. Use a signature line
      I am always stunned when people do not provide contact information in their emails when it is so easy! You can set your email software to include your signature information automatically for each new email (or for all emails, including responses). List your name, title, company, website, and phone number. If you include a logo or image file of any kind, be aware that it may not display properly (if it displays at all).
    7. Proofread
      This is the easiest way to avoid embarrassing mistakes. Read your email slowly at least a couple times. Look at each word individually before allowing your eyes to go to the next word; this allows you to read what you actually wrote (not what your brain thinks you wrote). Click here to see more proofreading tips.
    8. Read from the perspective of your arch enemy
      Before you hit “Send,” read your email as though its recipient will interpret everything in the most negative light. This allows you to edit the message to prevent any misunderstandings. Since emails lack the benefits of body language and verbal tone, carefully choose your words and sentence structure so they leave little room misinterpretation.
    9. Have a friend or colleague read important emails
      There’s nothing worse than finding a mistake after you hit “Send” on a company-wide email or an email to a prospective employer. If you’re writing a high-stakes email, ask a trusted friend or colleague to read it over for you.
    10. Consider implementing a company-wide email etiquette policy so everyone plays by the same rules
      Time-saving protocols work well when everyone understands them. Consider implementing a company-wide policy with accepted abbreviations and protocols about when and how to use email. Include things like requiring out-of-office messages when people are away, so clients and colleagues know what to do in someone’s absence.

    Remember, email is great, but it’s not the right tool for every type of communication. Before writing an email, be sure the message you want to convey is 1. Not emotionally charged, 2. Not easy to misinterpret 3. Doesn’t require an immediate response, and 4. Not attempting to manage a long-term, complex issue. If email is the right tool, follow these tips and you should enjoy the benefits of higher productivity and enhanced relationships.

  • Jul 10 2017

    Do What You Love, and Let a Public Relations Professional Promote Your Reputation

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    As a small business owner, you may hope to be good at all aspects of your business. Even as you read this, you know you can’t be, but the idea of giving up control of any part of your business makes many of us feel dreadfully uncomfortable. One of the areas where business owners typically need help is with publicity. Regardless of how confident they are in their product or service, they don’t like to promote themselves, or they don’t know how. This is why it can be so beneficial to work with a public relations professional.

    Those of us in PR love our business as much as you love yours, and our business only thrives if we succeed in continually enhancing your reputation. This is the synergistic effect that occurs with the right public relations consultancy.

    What is Public Relations?

    Public relations deals with relationship management–making sure you have a good reputation in your industry and among key stakeholders–including the media. It involves internal and external audiences, and it focuses on unpaid sources to enhance your credibility. For example, when you buy something at Amazon, do you trust the promotional text written by the company or the customer ratings? Most of us want to know what consumers like us think. A PR professional’s job is to influence people so they want to help you tell your story.

    A reputable PR professional will walk you through a process that helps define your key audiences and messages, aligning them with your strategic goals. He or she will then work with you to review budget constraints and set realistic goals. The public relations consultant will write press releases, speeches, and blogs; develop speaking engagements and foster strategic alliances; and make pitches to the media and influential opinion leaders. Working behind the scenes, the PR professional helps you earn prominent coverage where it matters most.

  • Apr 26 2017

    Who Are You Actually Talking To?

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    Whether you call them key stakeholders, ideal clients, or your target audience, you need to be clear about who you’re trying to reach. We all know that you can’t please everyone, so “everyone” should not be your target audience.

    Who are you best suited to help? Why? How?

    If you have clear answers to those messages, you are well on your way to developing a communication strategy that will attract the right people for your service or product.

    When I begin working with a new client, I ask, “Who, precisely, are you hoping to communicate with and what do you want them to do as a result of this communication?” Goals can be big or small, short-term or long-term, but they cannot be vague if they are to be useful.

    Are you better suited to work with men or women? Young or old? Rich or poor? Socially conservative or liberal? Active or sedentary? Are they parents or grandparents? Twenty-somethings or teens? Are they college educated? Are they white collar or blue collar? Are they building their future or thinking about their legacy?

    Depending on the answers to these questions, your approach should vary widely. A message that will strike gold with a rebellious teenager probably won’t impress his or her conservative grandparents.

    Of course, a single organization can serve more than one audience. Just be clear about your communication goals each time you communicate, whether you’re writing a blog post, publishing a press release, placing a paid advertisement, or hosting a booth at a community outreach event.

    I work with a philanthropic foundation focused on helping people extend their legacies in perpetuity through charitable giving. That same foundation wants those looking for grants to apply. The messages to these two audiences are quite different, yet completely consistent with the overall goal of “offering people effective ways to engage in advancing the well-being of our communities.”

    Now, I know there are those of you out there saying, “But I really do want to reach everyone. My (fill-in-the-blank-with-your-product-or-service) can help everyone.” While that may be true, your messages won’t hit their mark if you don’t narrow your approach, so pick a few audiences you most want to work with and develop messages for them. It’s okay if those messages don’t resonate with everyone. They’re not meant to.

    Want to hone your messages? Let’s chat.

     

  • Apr 18 2017

    Consistency Builds Trust

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    Public relations is about building a relationship with your public, and relationships are built on trust. What builds trust? Consistency.

    As you consider how to promote your product or service, think about what your work means to your clients. If you’re a banker, people want you to be extremely reliable. If you represent a fashion brand, they want you to be stylish. If you’re a graphic designer, they expect you to be creative. If you’re in the tech industry, embrace your inner nerd–the more tape on your glasses the better.

    Ask yourself, how does my  product or service benefit my client? What do they want from me? What problem do I solve for them? Then look at your advertising and other promotional efforts–do they address your clients’ core needs?

    We all have biases, and when someone behaves in an unexpected way, it can make us feel uncomfortable. That’s not to say you can’t bust out of your industry’s box–but be aware of the effect it may have on your business. When you think about your branding, be clear and consistent. Help your clients understand what they should expect from you, and then deliver it over and over.