I enjoy going unplugged for a few days here and there, but as soon as I get home I check my email, even before Facebook.

Recently my hard drive suddenly crashed, so I went shopping without doing much research.

I was excited about all the bells and whistles on my new HP, with Windows 8. The sales associate at Best Buy promised it would not only enable me to do the simple stuff like write, but also edit video without the fan coming on and listen to music with a decent sound.

She did not inform me that Windows 8 does not support POP accounts, which most people in Canada have.

I did not occur to me that I would go days without email. The last time I had to switch to a new computer, email was easy. But that was before Windows 8.

Alas!

To make matters worse, my smartphone was in Ecuador, after my daughter’s iPhone was stolen the night before she was leaving. Worse still, my email host Bell was incapable of resetting my forgotten password so I could use their webmail.

From the many comments on Microsoft’s community forum, I know I am not alone. As one said, POP means SOL.

Sure, Microsoft provided some solutions, but they didn’t work for me or the other grumbling commenters.

One of their top suggestions was to get my email host to change my account to a type Microsoft would support. No way, according to Bell, one of the top two Canadian providers. From the responses I got from Bell’s support team, you’d think I was the first person to have this challenge.

Not counting the online password reset attempts, I talked at length to three people at Bell. The first insisted I no longer had an account there, despite the large bills I pay every month. The second tried very hard to help, but did not succeed. The third, the charm named Tim, figured out the work-around to connect me. More than 1200 emails later, I was caught up.

Just before Tim, I tried the Geek Squad at Best Buy. The condescending phone jockey would not help unless I paid  $100, even though it would be much cheaper for somebody to help me than to exchange my computer for one with Windows 7.  In a condescending tone, he insisted it was like paying to have my car repaired, though I cannot imagine any dealership not making sure I could drive off the lot. No wonder the chain is in such trouble.

While I stressed through the problem, I was not out of touch. Thank goodness for Gmail, SkyDrive and Facebook.  And my landline, though I had to race out and replace my portable phones when they konked out in the middle of this crisis.

Every time I could take a break from billable work, I would try again. With each failure, the knot between my shoulders swelled. Yoga, gardening, reading and all my usual de-stressors were no match for the evil force of Windows 8.

I’m thrilled to have email again, though I’m running into the same trouble trying to connect my email to the Windows 8 tiles for contacts and calendars. Tomorrow I’ll crack that nut. I’ll probably also delete a lot of those subscriptions that I didn’t miss.

Mysteriously, some of the subscriptions are going into my spam folder. But when I move them, they appear in the inbox of the POP account I gave up on trying to directly connect. Oh well.

I’m still getting used to a lot of hiccups, such as when my keyboard suddenly starts adding French accents and odd symbols everywhere.

You Mac people are insisting that I would not have suffered these injustices with an Apple. If the loss of Steve Jobs doesn’t lead to a quality decline, I will return to the Apple fold for my next computer.

Others may wonder why I don’t switch to Rogers, the other big Canadian email host. I still haven’t forgiven Rogers for my early email experiences, when I’d have to lie about my television not working so a guy would show up days later, provided I hadn’t nipped out, and fix the cable connection. More recently, I worry that adding services will encourage their telemarketers to pester me more.

I will not be shopping anymore at Best Buy.

Let me admit that I’m not the most tech savvy person. But my tech savvy kids and friends were not able to help.

If anyone in the chain of Microsoft, Bell and Best Buy actually took seriously customer service, instead of pretending to in ad campaigns, I would have been fine.

My story ends with happy enough for now. Tim is not my Prince Charming, as he doesn’t want to move from India. Maybe I should try to find an older Toronto geek on an online dating site.

Then again, I’m too comfortable to consider exchanging sex for tech support.

What’s your new computer battle story?

Consider the example of tablet computers. Many seniors love their touch screens, ease of adjusting font size and light weight. Yet nobody has thought of marketing campaigns for them.

According to web usability guru Jakob Nielsen, the number of older people on the web has grown by 16 per cent each year over the past decade, compared with an annual growth of three per cent for those in the 30 to 49 age group.

Even more important are print, television, radio and personal communication.

In many cultures, people show great respect for the wisdom of their elders.  Not ours, unless you are Betty White, though that may change once us boomers start to work less and impart more.

Because I’m working on a project that involves communicating with seniors, I’ve been researching how to communicate better with people who are climbing, but not necessarily over, the hill. Not only am I finding few surprises, but also many tips that would enhance communication for the rest of the world too.

Take my friend Donna Papacosta, a sharp communicator a hair older than the coveted demographic. The other morning, broken-footed Donna was lamenting on Facebook about the lack of information she received about her “walking boot,” a cast she’s been removing when she’s in bed. As in, not walking.

Turns out she was supposed to keep it on all the time, despite the ease and relief of removal. Now she’s worried she might have messed up the healing. Why did nobody tell her?

If Donna could not figure this out, how are older people supposed to understand?  As confirmed in this study discussed in Forbes magazine, this kind of poor communication is the reason why so many older people end up back in the hospital.

If healthcare people, who should be preoccupied with the aging population, don’t get it, what hope is there for other marketers? The onslaught on digital marketing jargon may explain why more seniors are not buying tablet computers.

Rant

I have many simple tips on how to improve your communication with people older than 50 and seniors. First let me rant a little more.

Because aging can involve unpleasant realities and difficult conversations, healthcare professionals sometimes distance themselves with big words. For example, in a recent meeting with me and my 86-year-old dad, the nursing home director talked about “risk management.” Why didn’t she just talk say “my dad’s safety?”

And why does the gerontologist spell out the medical term for my dad’s problem? Instead of explaining it in plain language my dad can understand, he expects me to search and explain it to him. At least that’s better the mumbo jumbo some specialists dish out.

And here’s a question asked by everyone who lacks microscopic vision: why can’t anyone over 40 read government-mandated ingredient lists on drugs and food?

If the information is important, then people should be able to read it. For most, vision starts to decline after 40.

Although memory and dexterity start to go down hill later, they don’t suddenly plummet on a specific birthday. Aging is individual and usually gradual. To be on the safe side, marketers and communicators start adjusting as soon as the reading glasses appear.

Of course many of the dwarf-font companies have help lines to call. But too often these numbers send people to phone hell, the unending buttons that lead to more confusion and time on hold. When, and if, they get a live person, seniors often have to repeat the information to a stranger whose first language is not English. This bothers people younger than 30 too.

Why can’t they do better?

The answers are out there. Most would improve communication with people of almost any age.

Here are some of the answers I’ve gleaned from usability expert  Jakob Nielsen, Health Canada and David Solie, author of How To Say It To Seniors: Closing the Communication Gap with Our Elders.

This advice is aimed at making it easier to understand, see, hear, follow instructions, keep pace and connect with the people who are moving onto bifocals or canes.  

Understand

Provide details. Don’t assume people understand. Questions may arise later. To get answers, don’t send us to phone hell or the web equivalent.

Express yourself in plain language, not healthcare, tech or other jargon.

Offer communication options, for example a choice of text, images, audio and live communication, where body language and personality also speak.

See

Employ larger fonts, 12 points or more, in simple, sans serif fonts. Avoid italics and ALL CAPS.

Use sharp color contrasts, more black on white backgrounds with green or blue, less reverse type with white on black, rarely red.

Redesign screens for less glare, especially on card readers, bank machines and mobile phones. I’ll bet that company with the non-glare screen tablet would sell more if they’d tailor a campaign to seniors.

Hear

Allow people to crank up the volume higher.

Eliminate background noise and sounds that may be difficult to distinguish.

Follow instructions

As people age, they become less adept at multi-tasking and more methodical in their thinking. Seniors’ error rates have declined dramatically in the past 10 years, probably as a result of better web design and increased online experience. Still, error rates, which have a big influence on who makes it to the checkout, are more than double those experienced by people in the age 21 to 55 group. Older adults are also more likely to give up than to continue trying.

Use detailed but simple, step-by-step instructions. Don’t expect older people to think of more than one task at a time.

Make forms and fields easy to complete. For example, if you want somebody to enter a date, give them a calendar to click or show how you want the numbers recorded.

Keep pace

Slow down the speed. As Jakob found in his latest seniors’ usability study, people older than 65 are 43 per cent slower at web tasks. They are frustrated if a page times out before they have figured out seating and purchased their pricey theater tickets.

Marketers also need to avoid artificial deadlines and high-pressure closings. Give them alternatives that will allow them to ask questions and decide later.

Connect

Seniors prefer face-to-face communication. If you can’t meet them in person, try simple, quick videos, Skype, your photo on your brochure or site so they can picture who they are communicating with.

Seniors can be more in tune with their intuition, emotional cues and shared experience and insight. So tell stories that support the point you want to make. Ask questions about their experience.

Metaphors work well too.

Remember that the biggest fear of most seniors is losing control. Remind them of how your products or services will help them stay in charge of their bodies, finances, homes or lives.

As people age, they also become more concerned about leaving a legacy, whether it’s money for grandchildren or wisdom to pass on. If you can help, show them how.

After you’ve tried these techniques, remember to test, improve, then test again with many demographic groups. You’ll  find that many of the improvements you made for older people are a hit with those in the coveted demographic too.

Respect

Let  me return to my rant, this time about what people older than 50 are called. The first time I was offered a seniors discount, I was offended. Sure, the deal was for people older than 50, but I don’t like to be called a senior. And of course I look much younger.

I can’t call myself middle aged any more, unless I plan to crack the triple digits. Older middle aged or baby boomer is fine. Seniors should be restricted to people closer to my dad’s age, or at least retired.

And don’t call seniors patients, unless they are sick in the hospital. That’s not how healthy people see themselves, even if their eye sight, dexterity and memory aren’t what they used to be.

What suggestions can you add?

How can busy people get their face in front of customers? Video.

Customers want to see who is running the businesses. But you can’t constantly stay in the store or hand-deliver products. You can, however, produce and upload social media videos.

While YouTube has been around for a while, the new kids on the block, Keek and  Vine, let you share shorter, simpler clips through Facebook, Twitter or other social media.

Keek

Keek  allows users to upload short 36-second videos using their mobile smart phone. Business owners can use this to update customers in real time about product supply, news, sales and more.

Customers can easily “keekback” to your business to ask questions or post comments. And just like other social networking sites, Keek uses a “@mention” option to directly reply to your customers. This back and forth of videos can create a conversation-like atmosphere for your customers even if you are on a different side of the country.

You can include a link on your website, blog, Facebook page and more for customers to follow you on Keek to get instant notifications when you upload a new video. Even the busiest business owner can spare 36 seconds, right? And don’t worry; Keek is easy to maintain as well with a simple alert system they call Keekmail. Users can rate your videos in a variety of categories to bring more attention to your business as well.

Vine

Originally only for iPhones but just recently expanded to Androids, you can create a new Vine account or sign up using your existing Twitter account. At six seconds, Vine videos are even shorter than Keek. Post a video of you holding a product, turning it on, greeting customers in the morning.

Six seconds is both shorter and longer than you think. Don’t be discouraged by the short length of time. Your business can have a lot of fun with these snippets.

To choose your options, you want to read this  pretty extensive comparison between the two services.  You could easily use both services as well as YouTube.

Have some fun with the videos and enjoy showing your face around town –and the world–without having to leave your office.

Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide. 

What better time to share my advice on how to make the most of fair-weather writing. With the May long weekend behind us, summer is officially here.

That brings the challenge of concentrating on work when you’d rather be out there cycling, reading on the dock, playing beach volleyball or whatever outdoor activity you adore. Your readers are distracted too.

So here are 10 tips, to keep your writing hot and your readers happy.

1. Plan for vacations,  extra-long weekends or impulse days off. Your writing improves when you’re refreshed.

2. Work flexible summer hours, if you can. For example, I am starting earlier but taking longer a longer midday break so I can garden, swim or walk my dog in the ravine. When I return, I usually have a second wind. Or I could be spirited away by the call of the patio.   I will make up for some lost weekday hours on rainy weekends.

3. Draft an editorial schedule, based on your priorities. This way, you’ll make sure the important stuff is covered when you get sidetracked by that can’t-miss cottage invitation.

4. Break your schedule. When another topic or inspiration comes to mind, go for it.

5. Build others’ holidays into your planning. Remember that many clients and bosses will be away, so interviews and approvals may take longer. There’s nothing worse than smacking your head against an urgent deadline, only to discover that the key person is away for another week.

6. Prepare in advance some posts and other content so you’re able to publish when you’re on holidays or spontaneously opt for a day on the trails.

7. Play. Because your readers are laid back too, often you can take a more light-hearted, entertaining approach. You—and your readers—want to have fun.

8. If you have bosses or clients away on vacation, or bad weather ruins your plans, catch up on learning, bookkeeping, clearing out files or anything else you’ve been procrastinating on.

9. As your readers head outdoors, they’ll stay connected with mobile technologies and social media. So make sure everything you do can be easily shared.

10. Use your inspiration and downtime to lift your content to the next level. As search algorithms continue to tilt more to quality content and away from crass manipulation, you need to create your best yet.

Rise to the challenge. Seize the season. Enjoy.

Any hot, happy writing tips to share?

I say “smashing,” not to mimic my British friends, but to stress how we often benefit from blowing up the templates that usually guide our daily work. Templates are a necessary force of both good and evil. They give us a model to follow, based on techniques that have worked well for others.

As soon as a video goes viral or a business strategy succeeds, people develop the template, telling you how to do it. These templates are useful. Like you, I frequently follow them. Sometimes I try to create them.

But templates can confine. They can keep you at the same level. They can wear out. They may reek of laziness and mediocrity.

If you’re serious about reaching the next level, try smashing the template first.

Destroy then rebuild

Many would call this “thinking outside the box” or “disrupting.” Aside from my aversion to tired jargon, I prefer “smash the template” because it implies the energy required to demolish the old wall.

The workshop participants talked about the popular media they enjoy most: hockey, mysteries, video games, talk radio, Twitter, classical music, internet surfing, Bollywood  and more. Then they formed groups, clustered around their shared interests.

I asked them to apply techniques from their favorite media to rewriting a news release about an art student who slowly killed a chicken as a performance art project. I picked a topic that was controversial, with many possible angles. To my surprise, no one was so grossed out to insist on my vegan alternative.

At first, a few people clung to the standard communication templates, but soon joined in the fun. The results were impressive, from a court room drama where the victim was revealed only in the last scene, to the artist and the fowl protector who donned chicken costumes to duke it out in a pay-per-view fundraiser.

The woe of status quo

Early in my career, my suggestions for fresh approaches were often met with “but we’ve always done it this way.” I was elated when globalization and other pressures heated up competition and innovation.

Even in our constantly mutating media, it seems to be human nature to crack the code and develop best practices and templates. But touch screens, disposable mop heads and other game changers go way beyond best practices and templates.

I love the freedom to play with new approaches that blogging can encourage. Although I often follow templates, I also seek out opportunities to adapt novel techniques from popular media, such as advancing levels from video games or the story structure of crime dramas. I’ve started another blog and a Facebook page, where I can wander off topic, get personal or experiment with my web cam or other things that do not always go well.

When you rely on templates, you reduce the risk of failure. But you raise the risk of getting stuck.

Smashing the template is no guarantee that you’ll go viral or even make it to the next level.  But it can be the first step.

Thanks for the image. 

Especially if your business is based on knowledge that is in your head or driven by a passion that’s deep in your DNA.

Deanne’s story

Like Deanne Kelleher, owner of Kaos Group. As a professional organizer, Deanne loves sharing her passion for imposing order, from de-cluttering kitchen cupboards to streamlining digital files.

A born talker, Deanne has always been comfortable with live presentations and TV appearances. But the newsletters, posts and other written communication she relies on to attract customers do not come so easily.

One night, after a long day with clients and kids, she fell asleep at her desk writing. The next morning her young daughter found her slumped over, asleep. Deanne vowed to change.

She knew there had to be a way to organize her ideas and her writing. She found it in my book Write Like You Talk Only Better. Soon she was using the worksheets to guide her.

No longer did Deanne fall asleep in front of the computer. Her readers stayed awake too.

Your story?

Although I was happy with how the book was helping small business owners like Deanne, I realized that many of you don’t have time to read how-to books. So I took the key sections and turned them into an online series that you can fit into your schedule and apply directly to what you’re doing. That way, you can learn and cross a task off your list at the same time.

I’m a small business owner too, so I understand just how busy you are. From my small business clients, I understand many of the writing challenges you face. Getting started… rambling … not sounding like yourself… mixing up words …standing out from the crowd… using time productively… getting results.

If you want to grow your business, you need to inform, persuade, influence, coach and inspire others.  Often this is often accomplished through the written word. Even when you’re preparing a spoken presentation, you begin by writing.

On the web, there’s lots of fantastic copy writing advice. Too much, it sometimes seems.

Borrowing from this advice, and tested through my 30 years’ experience writing for businesses large and small, I’ve broken this powerful knowledge into steps. This way, you can cover the main areas, build your skill and track your progress.

You may not be a Margaret Atwood or a David Ogilvy. But if you connect with people online, you write.

Update your  power

So sharpen one of today’s most important business skills.

Because they learned to write in school, most people figure they know how. But the rules have changed in the online world. Maybe they’ve picked up some bad habits.

So start updating your knowledge today.

This post is based on the  first section of uLearn, Write Like You Talk Only Better, small business edition. 

Thanks for the image.

]]> http://www.stickycommunication.ca/2013/05/you-are-a-writer/feed/ 0 http://www.stickycommunication.ca/2013/05/six-tips-for-motivational-speakers/ http://www.stickycommunication.ca/2013/05/six-tips-for-motivational-speakers/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 18:47:04 +0000 Barbsawyers http://www.stickycommunication.ca/?p=4979 I’ve heard countless motivational speakers, but through listening to seven speakers an evening at many MoMondays in Toronto, I have figured out the magic formula.

I realize that most people don’t expect to build a career or business on motivational speaking. But anyone who talks to more than one person at a time can benefit from these techniques.

The MoMonday events, which are spreading to other North American cities, mix people who earn their livings as keynote speakers with folks who look they have never before held a microphone. Between acts, the old friends I bring and the new friends I make at our table chat about who we like best.

Secretly, I think most of us would love to be reality talent show celebrity judges or at least  phone in our votes. But impresario Michel Neray knows that turning motivational speaking into a competitive sport would deter people like to the teacher who moved us about the joy of amputees in Rwanda or the young wrestler who let us feel her jubilation at winning an Olympic medal.

Still, it seems natural to compare when you hear so many speakers back-to-back. Because they talk for only 10 minutes each, I can pay close attention. From several MoMonday evenings, here are the six tips I’ve come up with for aspiring motivational speakers:

1. Tell a story. Lists, acronyms and other presentation techniques do not work in motivational talks. Your point, the motivation, will flow from the story.
2. Include enough details so that we can relate but not so many that we are grossed out. For example, the speaker who disclosed his childhood sexual abuse told us just enough that we could feel his pain and marvel at his forgiveness. The woman who complained generally about her crappy year did not win our sympathy or entice us to follow her formula for success.
3. Be funny. Almost all the best speakers have opened my heart with laughter, then punched me in the gut with their truth.
4. Paint pictures. I can still see the woman who talked about making a successful sales call in a cat woman costume. Seeing as PowerPoint is not available and props are seldom used effectively, the speakers chosen by my judging panels rely on their words to create lasting images.
5. Avoid “early Oprah,” as fellow judge Leslie called it this week — woo-woo words, pseudo scientific jargon, meaningless certifications and other high-fallutin’ terms most of us are reluctant to admit we don’t really understand. Plus “early Oprah” does not mix well with alcoholic beverages and macho men.
6. Be yourself. Often the professional speakers are not as compelling as the amateurs. Our judging panels set the bar higher. We usually roll our eyes, shake our heads or mutter “too slick.” We don’t want to hear a canned talk you have given to thousands; we want an intimate conversation with you.

Of course, it’s easier to judge than do. So today I submitted my speaker application for MoMonday.

From my first ballet recital at four to my recent gigs motivating people to write like they talk only better, I love an audience. But can I win over this crowd? What will those celebrity judging panels say?

Got any advice?