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Don Heymann - Clear & Persuasive Written Communications

Don Heymann

Clear & Persuasive Written Communications

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Don’s Blog

Assume People Don’t Read or Listen

July 2, 2009 by Don Heymann Leave a Comment

As a writer, I came to the conclusion a long time ago that it was in my best interest to assume that most people don’t read very much or listen very well. Short attention spans, busy lives and almost constant distractions create enormous challenges for communicators. It’s an undeniable fact that audiences bore easily.

Filed Under: Speech Writing Tagged With: creating mental pictures, Obama, telling stories

Obama in Cairo: Finding Our Common Humanity

June 10, 2009 by Don Heymann 1 Comment

President Obama waded into the treacherous waters of Middle East politics last week with his speech to the Muslim world in Cairo. In so doing, he gave us a simple lesson in bridge-building leadership that we can learn from.  What made it a success were words and ideas that valued honesty, fairness and respect in an effort to find common ground – no easy feat in a region torn by division and violence for more than 50 years.

Filed Under: Speech Writing Tagged With: high standards, Obama, soft power, trust and transparency

The dangers of euphemisms: people aren’t stupid

May 14, 2009 by Don Heymann Leave a Comment

Enhanced Interrogation Techniques. Torture. Whatever your political point of view, the words “enhanced interrogation techniques” are inaccurate and purposely designed to mislead. For one thing, the term has nothing to do with interrogation; it’s all about physical coercion.

Filed Under: Marketing Communications Tagged With: plain language, the danger of euphemisms

Lincoln: A Master at Making Ideas “Sticky”

April 14, 2009 by Don Heymann 1 Comment

A recent book entitled Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, written by brothers Chip and Dan Heath, focuses on the six characteristics that make ideas memorable (“sticky”).  To be sticky, they say, ideas have to be: • Simple • Unexpected • Concrete
• Credible • Emotional • And tell a story. While it’s kind of hokey that these key words spell out SUCCESS, the authors have hit it on the head in more ways than one; the six characteristics that make ideas sticky make writing sticky too.

Filed Under: Writing Skills Tagged With: making ideas sticky, personal voice, precise language

Working backwards

March 31, 2009 by Don Heymann Leave a Comment

How often do you hear a speech, read a blog, watch a commercial, or peruse an email blast and say, huh??  What is this about? Or, what does this have to do with me? Keep that confusion in mind the next time you need to communicate. The point is, you’ll be wasting your time… unless you’re crystal clear, from the outset, about the outcome you want.

Filed Under: Writing Skills Tagged With: clear communication, engaging audiences

Creating a reality that rings true

March 5, 2009 by Don Heymann Leave a Comment

President Obama’s recent speech before a joint session of Congress last week couldn’t have contrasted more sharply with the rebuttal given by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. But the stark differences in style and political substance were only part of what set these two speeches apart.   The other key difference was the choice of words and images they used to build a “reality” for the audience that they could easily comprehend, given the complexity of our economic difficulties.

Filed Under: Speech Writing Tagged With: images, keeping it real, Obama, reality

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About Don

Don Heymann - Communications WriterDon Heymann launched his business in 1985, drawing on his broad communications experience as a writer, consultant, corporate official and agency executive.

Learn more about Don…

Recent Blog Posts

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