Don Heymann

I’m often asked to write about subjects I know very little about. But with my experience, this ignorance can be a blessing in disguise. Why would ignorance be a blessing? Because I have to ask very basic questions, and that can often uncover compelling new insights or an interesting way to position the “story” for maximum impact. As a professional corporate writer – a keyboard for hire – I get smart quickly by asking good questions.

People in general, and experts in particular, tend to have firm views on various subjects – including a limited set of words to discuss them – and sometimes these views haven’t been questioned in years. With a little honest prying, you might strike gold.

Metaphors like “striking gold” lead me to another reason why ignorance can be a blessing. If good writing is supposed to shed light on a subject, and if the writer is not “an expert,” he or she can help let in the sunlight – and a fresh breeze – by creating interesting and memorable associations. Metaphors. People listen and understand more when metaphors are used. And, by the way, understanding metaphors is one of the characteristics that make us human.

To support this point, subjects in one recent neurological study read metaphors involving texture – which stimulate the sensory cortex, the part of the brain responsible for perceiving texture through touch. Phrases like “The singer had a velvet voice” and “He has leathery hands” roused the sensory cortex, while phrases like “The singer had a pleasing voice” and “He had strong hands” did not.

But check out this other study. It turns out that the brain does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life!

When study participants read sentences like “John grasped the object” and “Pablo kicked the ball,” their MRI scans revealed activity in the brain’s motor cortex, which coordinates the body’s movements. This means that words describing motion stimulate regions of the brain that are distinct from language-processing areas.

Even more amazing: sentences that described arm movement activated the arm-related part of the motor cortex, and sentences describing leg movement activated the leg-related part of the motor cortex.

Wow. Science is now substantiating the remarkable power of words. And that means a good writer can help you (and your expertise) enlighten and move people – from the inside out.

For me, the point is clear. You don’t have to be an expert to write effectively about a subject. You just have to know the right questions to ask – and maybe have the touch of a poet.

Cultural Communication

I was just like, ya know, talking to this client about stuff to do with work and she was like really, no way, and my boss couldn’t like handle that, when her boss came into the room and said, “We’re sort of in the sustainability space bringing synergistic value-add to people working in a kind of, ya know, paradigm shift.”

Do you have trouble understanding what people are saying these days?  And do you find people in business using vague words with little meaning, without mentioning real people, actions or thoughts?

Heritage languages like N’Ko and Urdu have been threatened for years by urbanization, formal education and technology (though the Internet is now playing a role in preserving them).  English, on the other hand, has become more pervasive than ever as the language of international business, yet its vitality is being threatened right here at home.

Keeping it real.

Today we use too many abstractions, not words about real things or clear ideas.  For example, every business these days says it can or wants to “exceed customer expectations.”  But that doesn’t mean a thing to customers or employees if you don’t say what the expectations are and what you’re going to do to exceed them.

Corporations also want to be known for being innovative, but the word innovation has become meaningless because it’s not often tied to something real.  An “innovation in patient care” or an “innovation in automotive design” are abstractions.  Have we forgotten how to use the names of real things? If you’ve got a new product that is truly different, then say what it is and explain how it’s different or better.  You can only be recognized for innovation if you show HOW you’re innovative.  Anyone can just say it.

Cracking acronyms.

Companies and industries have their shorthand communications, but acronym-itis has become epidemic. As a corporate writer, I’m asked to attend meetings or events with and for clients, and too often I have no idea what’s being said – until I get some kind of glossary. “We can’t deal with the RPC until our VNBs sit down with KOLs to make sure the STLs are on board.”

Sound familiar?  This kind of communication is off-putting and insular.  Is that how you want your company to be thought of?

Using razor sharp language.

I found this great example of lazy language in a Harvard Business Review blog on the subject: “You should meet this guy with the SIO. He’s sort of this kind of social entrepreneur thinking outside the box in the sustainability space and working on these ideas around sort of web-based social media, and he’s in a round-two capital raise in the VP space with the people at SVNP.”

It’s pretty funny – and completely ridiculous – but this is how people write and speak. I’m not some old-school English professor – I think English remains vital because it’s always changing.  But as a professional corporate writer, I also want to make sure English is vital because it’s precise and beautiful and clear as a bell.

Let’s start by making sense.  Be specific with your language and you’ll be understood, appreciated, and more productive. And you won’t have to spend time with someone like me who keeps asking, “What did you just say?”

Cultural Communication business writing, clear communication, culture, keeping it real, plain language, precise language

Here’s my dilemma. A consultant and friend (an expert in SEO) is trying to convince me to start using a bunch of key words regularly and often in my blog – so my name and website will rise to the top of the Google chain. “This is the way to get business online,” she said, matter of factly.

As a reasonably astute entrepreneur and marketer, I’ve known this for quite some time. But if you’re dedicated to, and known for, producing tight, engaging copy – it’s quite the challenge to insert into your lilting prose such charming terms as corporate writer, annual report copywriting, annual report writer, marketing communications writing, corporate newsletter writing, web writer, professional corporate writer, professional speechwriter and, let’s not forget, professional speechwriting.

I do, however, want to increase my profile and reach more prospective clients, so here it goes:

As a respected and professional corporate writer, I have often been perplexed by the lack of good corporate writing. So much of it – whether it’s annual report copywriting, corporate newsletter copywriting, or web writing – lacks depth and compelling storytelling that will resonate with readers.

Besides the talent question, a key problem – which I discuss in the marketing communications writing class I teach at NYU – is that a lot of professional corporate writers don’t do the necessary legwork, like establishing key objectives for their work, or understanding the needs and perspectives of their audience, or tailoring their key messages accordingly. As a result, especially for professional speechwriters who are doing professional speechwriting, the material falls flat.

I’ve learned these lessons from my many years as professional corporate writer, which I have put to use as an annual report copywriter, web writer, corporate newsletter copywriter and professional speechwriter. And let’s not forget my experience in marketing communications writing.

OK, done. Award-winning prose? Nah. But I’ll take comfort in watching my Google profile climb to the top!

Marketing Communications keywords, marketing communications, professional corporate writer, seo, website copywriting

Many people compare and contrast the Great Depression with our current economic troubles, to gain some perspective and perhaps find solutions from past experience. But the words used to describe our plight today almost sound like a different language.

During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt looked for solutions that would place “the security of the men, women and children of the nation first.” He said that all Americans “want decent homes to live in; they want to locate them where they can engage in productive work; and they want some safeguards against misfortune which cannot be wholly eliminated in this man-made world of ours.”

Today, both the president and members of Congress talk about “improving our fiscal situation,” “achieving financial sustainability,” and addressing “the growth of entitlement spending.”

As two leading academics put in a recent New York Times essay, “the desperate situation of many Americans (is) reduced to the clinical language of budgetary accounting.” They continue: “In 1934, the focus was on people, family security and the risks to family economic well-being that we all share. Today, the people have disappeared.”

The language of economics and individualism has replaced the language of our common circumstances and shared risks. That’s why what used to be considered social insurance is now noted as “entitlements,” viewed by some as a threat to our national well-being instead of as a safety net for family-income security.

In the highly emotional issue of illegal immigration, we also see dehumanizing language. Just look at the now-common term “illegals.” Not “illegal immigrants” or “undocumented immigrants” or “undocumented workers.” Actions are illegal, people aren’t. Again, no matter how you feel about the issue, the dehumanizing language is uncalled for.

As a writer of corporate reports and speeches, I see plenty of this dehumanizing language in the business world – and I try to steer my clients away from it. At a time when companies are cutting workforces, for example, phrases like “workforce imbalance correction,” “constructive discharge,” and “career alternative enhancement” don’t fool anyone and serve to inflame the cynicism that is already pervasive.

Even if the economic news is bad, let’s respect our fellow citizens and talk about policies with some humanity and simple language. Sure, we need to use technical terms and data to work through the very complex economic mess we’re in. But when decisions are based solely on numbers and calculations, we tend to leave flesh-and-blood people, families and shared social concerns out in the cold.

Use of Language Arizona's immigration law, business writing, clear communication, culture, the danger of euphemisms

Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” a term that has inspired countless activists in our troubled times. Only one problem: Gandhi never said it.

In a recent Op-Ed piece in the New York Times, inspiring quotes from such leading lights as Henry David Thoreau and Nelson Mandela have also been proven to be frauds – or at least they’ve been simplified beyond recognition. Who are the culprits? Probably enthusiastic idealists who massaged complex ideas into gauzy slogans, but kept the heavyweight names for their gravitas.

On a totally different topic (you’ll see where I’m going with this in a moment), we learn that many serious locavores – foodies who believe we should eat only locally grown produce – may be in for a shock. The righteous cry to “buy local” is trickier than it seems because, it turns out, many of the foods we consider local, well, aren’t. They’re the result of a globalization process that has been underway since Columbus landed in the New World.

You probably didn’t know that soybeans and sugar originated in Asia. I didn’t. Tomatoes aren’t native to Italy. And bananas? They started in Africa. Turns out, there’s almost no such thing as local, since many of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy come from someplace else. It also turns out we’re much healthier for it.

It’s perfectly fine to pay more for fresh produce grown by local farmers. Nothing compares with the freshness and taste of a just-picked whatever. But getting the most food at the lowest cost – a big concern for most people on a tight budget – makes a lot of sense too.

What’s the point? Bumper-sticker slogans are fine, but they can’t simplify the complexities of life, where sacrifices must be made and shades of grey are often the most color we can hope for. Even a subject as basic as food is much more complicated when we’re trying to feed a population that’s growing by the minute.

The use of simple language to explain complexity can help us get closer to the truth, as long as we’re careful not to be simplistic.

Cultural Communication clear communication, Gandhi, globalization, personal voice, plain language

Can they hear you?

We should always keep our ears and eyes open, because there’s no telling where we can learn fundamental lessons in marketing communications – from long-gone presidents to tattooed bikers. Here’s what I mean:

In words:

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of D-Day, President Reagan used almost his entire speech to tell the story of a single World War II private, who didn’t live long enough to join the ceremony, but who was represented by his daughter.

“Quoting the daughter, Reagan said, “He made me feel the fear of being on that boat waiting to land. I can smell the ocean and feel the seasickness. I can see the looks on his fellow soldiers’ faces – the fear, the anguish, the uncertainty of what lay ahead. And when they landed, I can feel the strength and courage of the men who took those first steps through the tide to what must have surely looked like instant death.”

When I think about this speech, I’m bouncing in rough waves off the French coast, fate unknown. One lowly private whose story represents a huge piece of history.

In images:

In a PowerPoint presentation on the importance of building brands, a marketing executive clicked on a single image – a close-up of a burly biker’s forearm, which featured a tattoo of the Harley Davidson logo. No words (or word slides) could ever convey the power of brands better than this single, memorable photograph. This one image created a wonderful platform for the speaker to make his few key points clearly and succinctly.

A single image that speaks volumes about the much-hyped word “branding.” And high marks from a guy who’d never get onto a vehicle missing two wheels.

Abe Lincoln: marketing genius

Strong, compelling communications is a huge challenge these rough-and-tumble days. Just ask Abraham Lincoln. OK that’s impossible, but this wartime president, with only one year of formal schooling, understood how to communicate in tough times, better than just about anyone.

One could argue that Lincoln was our best president BECAUSE he was the best writer to live in the White House. He knew in his bones that words mattered. His writing skills not only helped to keep the Union together when it was at risk of crumbling, but his careful and at times poetic use of language – and his understanding of its impact on the public at a precise moment – eventually changed the direction of the nation. A great storyteller, as well, he would leave his friends and colleagues laughing – and thinking about the point he was making long after the silly tale was told.

In the book Abraham Lincoln, The Biography of a Writer, the author Fred Kaplan explains that Lincoln knew how to interweave precise language, concise phrasing and logical tightness with a “personal voice that was sincere, colloquial, anecdotal, and humorous, projecting a persona of dignified but amiable authenticity.”

Lincoln also understood – when photography was the new communications technology of its day – that images would create an intimacy with citizens he would surely never meet in person. So he sat for many portraits and had them distributed widely, starting with his campaign for the White House. Today we remember Lincoln as a brilliant, pivotal figure, largely because we know that craggy face so well. The man AND his story are still sticky 150 years later. In short, he was a heck of a marketer.

What are Abe’s lessons for today when most people have short attention spans, get bored easily, and don’t read very much or listen very well? Our best bet is to paint mental pictures and tell stories to capture their imaginations and keep them from zoning out. As Abe would show us, be sincere, colloquial, anecdotal, and humorous (when possible). Make each word count in projecting a “dignified but amiable authenticity.”

One story and one mental picture can often say it all. That’s really how people relate, understand, and remember. Abe knew. “With malice toward none, with charity for all…”

Have a story to tell? Give me a call. I may not be Abe… but together we will get, and keep, the attention of your audience.

Marketing Communications business writing, engaging audiences, images, making ideas sticky, profiles in leadership, story telling

Twitter finished what the 30-second commercial started in the 1990s – reducing our attention spans from minutes to microseconds. The visualization of content hasn’t helped. It’s so difficult to get and keep someone’s attention these days that our political leaders are resorting to ludicrous visualizations to create hysteria, rather than clarity and reason.

Take the healthcare/Medicare debate. The right wing’s description of “death panels” for the elderly, to derail President Obama’s health plan in 2009, started it. Then the left countered with a commercial showing a helpless, wheel-chair-bound “grandma” being pushed off a cliff – to express outrage over Congressman Ryan’s plan to privatize Medicare.

Once again, each side is casting the other side as evil. Come on, folks, this isn’t helping anyone. I’m reminded of the time when I had to tell my young sons to “use your words” when they were angry or scared about something or someone.

As far as healthcare is concerned, private enterprise in our free-market system and government-funded safety-net programs for seniors will continue to work in tandem in the future. Refinements will be made according to economic and political necessity. Everyone knows this, so why play games.

In his book, “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,” Malcolm Gladwell writes about “rapid cognition… the kind of thinking that happens in the blink of an eye.” In many ways, he captures the real power of visual communications. But because that power can be used to oversimplify and distort, we’ve got to go elsewhere for solid information.

Is a picture still worth a thousand words? Not anymore. By being bombarded by special-effected visuals at almost every turn, we don’t know what’s real, what’s true. As I told my sons, words are the answer. Which is why reading is still the best way to clearly understand an issue, an idea or even a brand.

What’s also needed: a more literate electorate. That’s why places like the Mercy Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut, are so important, providing basic literacy and life skills for low-income women. As their motto states, “Educate a woman…Educate a family.” I might add, “Educate a woman…Educate a community.” We also need guidance from organizations like The Media Literacy Project, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which provides training in how to understand media bias in all forms.

And you may want to find someone, like me, who can use language effectively to make the critical distinctions between issues, ideas or brands, so yours stands out – without resorting to distortion and hyperbole.

As the writer Rita Mae Brown once said, “Language exerts hidden power like the moon on the tides.” People hunger for clarity, for reality, nuance, even heartfelt disagreement, so they can make the best choices for themselves and the nation. Discuss.

Cultural Communication culture, Malcolm Gladwell, Obama, politics, social media, twitter

Can the publicity machine known as “The Donald” actually succeed in propelling Trump to the White House after his sudden leap onto the campaign trail? While the answer ultimately rests with the public, the first place to look is the media, which has changed dramatically since the last major election. Trump may be making the headlines he adores, but in my opinion, he’s making all the wrong moves in the long run, because he doesn’t understand the media in 2011.

Donald’s approach is simply very 1990s, a one-way blast of messages without nuance (or much substance) with little, if any, interest in who’s absorbing this information or how they feel about anything. It looks like the only thing he’s tracking is the gaggle of 24-hour news-cycled reporters of mainstream print or TV.

And when he’s criticized for his policies, intellect or hairstyle, he fights back like an angry Rottweiler, tearing apart the critic’s perceived weaknesses, whether it’s Rosie O’Donnell’s weight or, more recently, Jerry Seinfeld’s failed TV show. Seinfeld dared to excuse himself from a Trump charity event because he couldn’t, in good conscience, stomach the Donald’s divisive campaign tactics.

This “I’m-great-and-tough” style will not work today. Despite the fact that no one wants a president who’s primed for a brawl any time he’s criticized, his response to criticism will backfire now that the “story” can spin for days and practically everyone on the planet can chime in.

You’re already seeing reporters and bloggers digging deeply into Trump’s business success, the one thing people think they know about him. Scorching information on past bankruptcies and poor business decisions are starting to hit the Ethernet like a swarm of angry bees. It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts when they’re stinging him from all sides.

The fact is, our society consumes information and images more profoundly and rapidly than we can gauge, and the explosion of online and mobile images is transforming the way politicians or corporations operate. So much is out there, in fact, that a bunch of web start-ups have launched just to help journalists and others sift through the explosion of online content to publish and amplify the most relevant information. There are even talk shows in the works based on perspectives collected from the social media.

If you can exploit this shift intelligently, you can gain and keep the attention of people whose impressions, decisions and behavior will determine your success. It’s no longer about how loud you can rant.

The opportunities can be great when we reach audiences on their terms, target them more narrowly, and interact with them continually. But the downside is just as great, when we – and the Donald – don’t.

The new technologies, especially video, are democratizing the media to such a degree that virtually no politician, celebrity or corporation will be able to communicate in the future without a clear, two-way strategy.

Donald Trump doesn’t do two-way, and at this point, I’m convinced this will be his downfall as a candidate.

With his one-way, two-decade old approach to communicating, in fact, Donald Trump won’t be able to win an election to dog catcher, let alone the presidency, though it’ll have nothing to do with his birther rants.

Public Relations business experience, candidate, donald trump, engaging audiences, presidential election, publicity machine

Photo of Charlie Sheen Courtesy of TGDaily
Art Composite by Coldfire Inc.

Charlie: Muammar, you troll. You should be tweeting to reach your people. I got over a million followers on my first day!

Gaddafi: That may be true, hot shot, but you still come across like a lunatic – a state of mind I know something about. Besides, people can connect with each other and organize revolutions. It’s best to pull the plug on the whole thing. You might want to consider lying low too.

Different online strategies, for sure. But neither of these high-profile, “breaking news” stars is “winning” the hearts and minds of the public. Why?

First, they’re delusional, and that doesn’t help. And with one a murderous dictator and the other a drug-addled sitcom star, you’d think they’d know a thing or two about effective PR. Tirades from both, repeated 24/7 online, tend to garner little sympathy. Read more…

Cultural Communication Charlie Sheen, followers, Gaddafi, Koch Brothers, online strategies, social media

Nobody likes a liar, but some lies carry more hurt than others. When your boss says definitely no layoffs and you get canned the next week, just when you were planning a nice vacation, the news can be, shall we say, disappointing. When your good friend says your haircut looks great, and you know otherwise, well, no harm, no foul. Just a little sugar-coating to get you through the day.

The same is true in the world of public affairs. Some lies are better than others.

The Corn Refiners Association recently petitioned the Food & Drug Administration to change the name of “high-fructose corn syrup” to “corn sugar,” arguing that it’s the only way to clear up consumer confusion about the product.

This kind of name change, while not common, has been allowed before. What used to be known as low erucic acid rapeseed oil is now canola oil. And prunes are now called dried plums. Much nicer, right?

But there’s a problem if the name change is more cover-up than clarification. The public perception of high-fructose corn syrup is considered by many to be unhealthful, so many food companies stopped using it in their products. Experts, however, tend to agree with the trade association, saying that high-fructose corn syrup is basically a sugar, like other forms – and all sugars should be consumed in moderation. They seem to have no problem with the change. So, a little PR massaging is no biggie.

But here’s where it gets tricky. Read more…

Use of Language career alternative enhancement, copywriting, corn sugar, enhanced interrogation techniques, euphemisms, pre-owned vehicle, words matter