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- What to Write When an Employee Dies
- 5 Ways to Get Your Email Read, Remembered and Responded To
- Six Tips for Writing in Easy Reading Season
- 12 Ways to Plug the Email Productivity Drain
- Two Questions to Ask Before You Start Writing
- 6 Ways to Aim Your Arrow for the Heart
- 6 Ways to Become an Idea Machine
- 3 Reasons Why You Need to Improve Your Writing Skills
- Get Personal With Your Holiday Greetings: 3 Tips
- Write to Entertain - 4 Tips
Posts Tagged ‘write to be remembered’
People don’t want to feel like a name on a list when they receive your holiday greetings. They want to feel special.
Although I’m receiving fewer paper Christmas cards, I still toss into the recycle most of the generic ones from my dentist, insurance agent or other acquaintances and ignore mass tweets and updates. But I love receiving snail cards from people I haven’t seen in a while and stunning or original emails and other messages that have a note just for me.
So warm up your holiday greetings by letting people know you are devoting some time to them personally. Don’t think that a mass email, update or tweet will do for most people. Here are some tips:
- Send individual snail mail cards to the people you want to be remembered by. Scarcity makes them more appreciated than ever.
- Let the people you don’t see enough know you’re thinking of them. Be specific about memories and feelings.
- Include individual notes, thanking them for something they did or an experience you shared over the past year.
- If you are using lists, segment them into small groups to make them more personal. Whether you’re using print or email cards, the more tightly you define each group, the more meaningful the message can be. For the best results, add individual references as much as you can. And make sure the content and visuals are so outstanding people will want to share them.
We’re fortunate to have special occasions to remind us to recognize the people who are important to us. So do it right.
No one wants to be just another name on a list. We all want to feel special. Don’t you?
Thanks for the photo from Sibhusky2.
You know what it’s like to have a song stuck in your head? What if you could create those kinds of ear worms with your writing? People would be unable to stop thinking about you.
Okay, perhaps that’s a little extreme, but I think it’s worthwhile to take a closer look. Let’s see how this ultimate stickiness works and how you can apply it to more mundane communication.
A while back, I read a book by musician turned neuroscientist Daniel Levitin called This is Your Brain on Music. I am fascinated by what scientists are learning about the brain and how it affects how we think, feel and act.
According to Professor Levitin, the songs that get stuck usually have a hook that grabs us, emotions that hold us and rhythm that gets us moving.
Hooks grab us
The hook has to be simple enough to easily grasp but not so simple it blends into the background. This hook repeats, varies and returns. The lyrics have to touch deep emotions. And the rhythm should induce a physical response, such as swaying or clapping.
Repetition is, of course, the classic memory-enhancing technique. On its own, repetition becomes boring. But repetition becomes supercharged when the theme varies.
Consider Beethoven’s Fifth, possibly the stickiest piece of classical music ever. It starts with the hook: “Da-da-da-da. Da-da-da-DUM.”
This hook repeats, then varies in note and rhythm. 
After branching into some new themes, the symphony returns to the hook.
Emotions hold us
A great example of the emotional resonance of sticky songs is Adele’s CD 21, this summer’s biggest international hit. All the songs are about a romantic breakup, achy and sad.
One of 21‘s hits, Someone Like You, has been number one around our house because my daughter sings it so well, accompanying herself on the piano.
Few things are sadder than a breakup when you’re the age of Adele or my daughter. And even though it’s been many years since my heart has been broken, I can remember the pain. I’ll bet you can too.
Adele also uses the technique of repeated hook and variation. In Someone Like You, the title phrase is repeated again and again. But what struck me when I paid more attention to the lyrics, which are muffled when my daughter is singing one floor below, is how “Someone” melts into “Sometimes,” for the punch-in-the-gut climax ”Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead.”
Rhythm move us
As I noted earlier, sticky songs usually have a rhythm that induces a physical response. Think about people spontaneously playing air guitar to a driving rock songs, pretending to conduct a symphony orchestra or bursting into tears about lost love.
But prompting actions through rhythm is much more difficult than applying a hook and emotional resonanc.
Written repetition is a time-tested technique. Twist it and you have magic, as in “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” or, recently, Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg on rampage that killed 77 people: “Evil can kill a person, but it cannot conquer a people.”
In fact, listen to any politician who is adept at sound bites and you’ll hear examples of a hook with a twist.
Sweet and sticky
Most people understand the importance of emotional resonanc in writing. The classic children’s tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears wasn’t that popular when it debuted because the protagonist was a snoopy old lady. But when it was rewritten as a tale about an innocent child parents cared and children identified.
That’s why you need to get under the skin of the people you are writing for, making sure you address what keeps them up at night or what get them going in the morning. That’s how you connect, attract like-minded people and build community.
Motivating action through rhythm is more difficult because written words lack most of the auditory impact of music. But not all.
Think of words like squish, swoosh and thump. Think of how sound bites live on in written words. Think of the novelist whose rhythmic style embraces you so tightly you can’t put down the book. Note that you heard “Da-da-da-da” and maybe clicked on Adele’s link.
I’ve heard many speakers who have tried, with varying degress of success, to conjure some of the magic of sound by getting the audience to clap or shout.
Write like you talk
That works only if you’re writing for an audience, not if you’re writing for readers. But you can adapt some of the stickiness of sound by writing like you talk. Please share in the comments your ideas for applying the magic of sound to words that will be read.
You might not be as sticky as those songs that get stuck in your head. But if you pay more attention to repetition and variation, emotional connection and the rhythm of speech, you’ll have much better chance of becoming a hit.
The following post comes from a draft for the new introduction to the second edition of my book, Write like you talk–only better. Do you recognize yourself or people you know in any of the scenarios?
Provide me with feedback and I’ll send you a free copy as soon as it’s ready.
You write.
For you, maybe it’s emails, tweets and collaborations at work; Facebook. texts and instant messaging the rest of the time. Whatever your media, chances are you write a lot.
If you belong to the digital generation, you probably take it for granted that much of your communication is written, not spoken. You probably use your cell phone more for texting than talking– that is, when they’re not writing/chatting on Facebook or online communities.
My parents and their parents wrote a lot too, with letters to far-flung relatives and memos to confirm business agreements. But they didn’t write nearly as much as most people with computers do today.
Despite how important your writing is, it may not accomplish what you want.
Perhaps people aren’t showing up prepared for your meetings. They aren’t grabbing onto your ideas. They aren’t buying your products. They aren’t voting for you. They aren’t telling their friends. Or some other result that’s important to you.
Maybe you recognize yourself in some of these scenarios:
Lauren loves writing. Too bad she doesn’t show the love to her readers by thinking about their interests, terminology and time. That’s why her love is so often unrequited.
Cecil thinks he shows respect and a business-appropriate demeanor by peppering his emails with hollow formalities such as “as per your request” and “warmest regards.” But people don’t warm up to him.
Mel is so used to writing/chatting spontaneously online that she neglects all the planning, improving, tightening and other thinking that would her essays and work reports worth reading. What a waste of her potential.
Joe produces large reports, but few people remember what’s in them. Or who Joe is.
Diane, who spent many years churning out essays and papers, uses long words and sentences, many pages and lots of capital letters. Despite her obvious brains, she has not achieved her dream of becoming a thought leader.
Asif relies so heavily on spell check to find his mistakes that he often confuses sound-alike words, especially it’s and its. This makes some people think he’s stupid and confuses others. Too bad, because he deserves a better job.
Scott churns out number-filled reports about how well his sales team is doing. After all, he’s busy and it’s not a movie script. So why aren’t the executives giving him the credit he craves?
I could go on with more examples of people failing to meet their objectives because their writing skills need updating, I’ll bet many of you can see yourself somewhere.
Don’t blame your readers for not taking the time or being smart enough to get you. Don’t fall for those no-work internet success pitches. Take responsibility.
Like the amateur handy man whose house falls down because she doesn’t have the right carpentry skills, maybe your writing falls flat because you haven’t learned your trade. Or maybe you’re following stale rules that no longer work in our web 2.0 world.
Writing is a skill you need to achieve your results. Fortunately, it’s not magic. With the guidance and practice, you can improve.
So come back here, as I continue to excerpt the new edition of Write like you talk–only better. Buy the current ebook, which contains the same fundamental advice. If you’re in the Greater Toronto Area, sign up for a workshop. Or wait for the new book, which will also be available in print and for e-readers. People who provide feedback will receive free advance copies.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn how to achieve the results you deserve.
So I can cover your situation, please tell me: What results could sharper writing skills help you achieve?
We all know that laughter reduces stress, increases energy, motivates and makes people feel better about themselves and others. Yet many offices are serious spaces, with people worrying that a joke could offend, inspire ridicule or make them look unworthy of promotion.
Yes, humour can bring risks. But, handled the right way, the risks are outweighed by the rewards of happier people. And don’t forget that funny people attract attention and hotties.
By 2493™ Gavin
After too many years of serious corporate writing, I’ve tried to be funny in some of my blog posts. As some of my readers might agree, often I’m a comedian only in my own mind. In case you didn’t catch on, this is an example of self-deprecating humour. No belly laughs, but maybe you smiled.
From much of the tedious communication that crosses my desk, I know that many others need help to rediscover their inner comedian.
I asked for advice from one of the funniest people I know, Kathleen McAulay, therapeutic clown, stand-up comedian and workplace humour consultant.
That last title is not a joke. She’s worked with many organizations that recognize the benefits of laughter.
Kathleen offered three tips for revving up humour: be yourself, tell stories and interact.
1. Be yourself
Kathleen urges would-be office comics to think about the kind of humour that works for them. “Some people just can not tell a joke, but they’re quick with the one-liners. Other people may want to illustrate their point with a funny story about what their kid did the other day.” Observational humour, satire, exaggeration, fantasy or silliness may also work.
To make my humour work for me, I might leverage the fact that I’m a speed talker. When I get going too fast, I will often pause briefly, telling people I need to breathe and let them catch up. It’s good for a chuckle.
The point is to cultivate your personal brand of humor. As Jerry Seinfeld said: “The whole object of comedy is to be yourself and the closer you get to that, the funnier you will be.”
2. Tell stories
Pick the physical details that will help your audience visualize your story. Share feelings they can identify with. Although the stories should be based on the truth, feel free to exaggerate.
For example, I’ve written about my frustration with my 83-year-old mother who insists on smoking outside of her nursing home in raging blizzards. I point out that she permits me to wheel in her snow-crusted body before hypothermia strikes. I could tear up at how sad my mother’s life is or how pathetic I am to let her control me. I prefer to laugh about her love for cigarettes and my struggle to act like the adult when she’s around. Don’t get me started about my bicycle-riding blind father.
3. Interact
With live humour, you must interact with the audience. Kathleen advises people who want to inject more fun into their presentations or meetings to take courses in improv comedy. “It’s the best way to learn how to read your audience and learn how to communicate through body language, tone and rhythm.”
For written humour, Kathleen recommends writing in a conversational tone, as if you were performing, building in phrases and styles that suggest body language, pauses and other live elements.
Now you’re probably rolling your eyes and making that “tsk” sound between your teeth, while muttering “How can I convey body language and interact?” Hint: I just did.
Kathleen encourages people to test out their comedy, especially if they’re in doubt, with someone who will be brutally honest.
Stay away from the sarcasm and humour that could take a nasty turn. Kathleen promotes humour that builds up, not tears down.
Often it’s tempting to build us-against-them cohesion, and laughs, by lampooning politicians and other public figures. But remember this works only if you have the comedic instincts of a Jon Stewart or Roseanne Barr.
Because office humour is risky, you need to be careful. But don’t avoid it. Stick to the humour that works for you with your family and friends. If you’re never funny in your personal life, you can still play the straight man to the guy or gal who grew up as the classroom clown.
Why do we need more laughter at work?
We spend more time with the people at work than we do with our families so there are plenty of reasons to laugh more. Here are a few.
• The bottom line will be served by decreasing stress and increasing motivation, energy and creativity.
• Customer service will be lifted up to a level of personal expression that warms customers, suppliers and prospects. Bosses, project leaders, customer service reps and sales people will connect with their teams and customers.
• People are far more likely to remember what you’ve said. “It’s like a highlighter,” Kathleen says.
• Humour makes us less likely to want to shoot one another.
Now that everyone writes so much every day, we corporate writers often feel the urge to help people who don’t have our training, experience and DNA.
Our skin crawls when they write it’s instead of its, especially in 44-point font on a PowerPoint slide. Our stomachs churn when we try to make sense of a jargon-filled plan. Our brain synapses dim as we struggle through a long-winded email.
We are needed. We want to help.
But how? This subject comes up a lot at IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) gatherings, where my fellow professionals keep saying that we should coach more.
What is coaching?
However, I’m not always clear on what my colleagues mean by coaching. It’s not the same as sports coaches screaming at sweaty athletes. That would get us fired. And it’s not like those life coaches, with their perky aphorisms and acronyms.
So I asked a career coach, Lee Weisser, who has invested a lot of energy into training and coach certification. She also has a master’s degree in adult education. Better still, she has many years’ experience as a corporate writer. She gets us — and the people we want to help.
How performance management differs
The first thing to understand, Lee insisted, is the difference between coaching and performance management.
Coaching is about asking people questions until they come up with the answers themselves and reveal truths. That way, they’ll gain insight and take ownership, she pointed out.
Performance management is about setting objectives in collaboration with people who need to improve, then working with them to determine how to best to achieve those objectives.
Coaching strengthens the positives; performance management fixes the negatives.
My telling tale
The trouble is that coaching doesn’t always work, I replied, citing the example of the coach-style psychiatrist I visited back when I was a stressed member of the corporate world. I would rant about all the obstacles and injustices in my life, while he would nod.
While the outbursts had a temporary calming effect, nothing much changed. Until he gave me some performance management-style advice.
One day when I was going on about how frustrated I would get when the subway was late, the shrink finally spoke up and said: “Leave 10 minutes earlier.”
My life changed. I became more punctual and less stressed.
A pure coaching approach is even less likely to work with many of the people you want to help because they think their writing is just fine. They will point to the many splendid diplomas on their walls as proof.
Focus on results
To coach people like that, Lee advised, you need to go beyond writing and ask them about the results they want to achieve.
For example, with a professional who is frustrated by his difficulties in becoming a well-recognized expert, you might ask about the people he wants to impress. Then you could ask him about the writing style that would appeal to them.
After that, you could tilt to the performance management side, giving him tips on what to do and what to avoid. You could offer to go over his next attempts until he gets the hang of it.
Shifting balance
I combine the coaching and performance management approaches when I’m training people about writing, based on my ebook Write like you talk–only better.
I start out as a coach, asking workshop participants what makes them really connect with people in conversation. Here, I’m uncovering a positive truth, the talent for communicating most people honed as a kid. Then I ask them how they might apply that to their work writing.
Because many can’t fully answer the second question, I have a list of tips, which means I’ve tilted the scale from coaching to telling them what to do, performance management.
Then the balance shifts back to coaching, as I ask the participants about the person they most want to connect with. I feed them two questions to focus on: What gets her up in the morning? What keeps him up at night?
For corporate objectives
Performance management would carry more weight than coaching if you are training about a corporate objective the individuals don’t necessarily own. For example, likely your organization knows that people are squandering too much time reading and writing long emails.
By pointing out the personal benefits of improved productivity, understanding and retention, you can try to persuade employees to own the objective of writing concisely, which would move the conversation back to coaching.
You could also ask them to come up with their own strategies for accomplishing this. But soon you’d return to the performance management style of advising them how to do it.
Strength to build on
The weight you place on performance management is also determined by how much strength they have to build on.
For example, it’s unproductive and probably futile, for me to figure out on my own how to assemble my new shed. No matter how deeply I long for protection for our bicycles and garden tools, I suck at mechanical tasks. I don’t have enough positives to build on. I need performance management, not coaching. Or probably outsourcing.
Unfortunately, your co-workers probably can’t outsource all their work writing, not only because of the potential cost, but also because of all the expertise, thinking and personality that must be pulled out of their brains.
Although coaching is trendier, Lee concluded, it needs to be balanced with performance management. The big challenge is to keep fine tuning the balance for the individual you want to help.
Because most people are so busy, I’ve pulled out the two most popular modules from my one-day workshop and turned each of them into two-hour live workshop for employees in the Greater Toronto Area. They address the two biggest priorities for most people who write at work: (1) how to say more in fewer words and (2) how to connect with their readers.
Write tight
Just as your favorite jeans have to fit perfectly, so does your writing need to show off your expertise in the most flattering and comfortable way.
With the character limits of Twitter and other social media, writing tightly is becoming more of a requirement and less of a choice.
What’s more, the vast volume of email most people read and write daily makes writing tightly a productivity priority. If your email, report or anything else is too long, people won’t read through it, let alone remember. They won’t click on links. They won’t engage.
But feed them a tasty information snack and they may well come back for the feast.
In the workshop, I’ll show you how to plan what you’re going to write so you can use just enough words to meet your objectives. I’ll show you how to trim the fat from what you’ve written. And we’ll put this into practice, tightening some examples until they fit like your favorite jeans.
For groups up to 20 people. Cost: $500
For more information, contact me at barb@stickycommunication.ca.
From mouth to mouse
To truly engage your readers, you need to write like you’re having a live conversation with them. This way, you’ll also attract like-minded people. Soon you’ll be building an enthusiatic tribe.
Before you start writing, you need to think about the person you most want to connect with, real or imagined, and figure out what gets them up in the morning and what keeps them up at night.
You should also think about how to convey in writing your personality or the personality of the person or organization you’re writing for. Then the conversation can begin.
In addition to walking you through this process, I’ll provide some tips on how to write in a more conversational style. You’ll practice writing this way, with some participants sharing their work so everyone can learn from each other.
For groups up to 20 people. Cost: $500
For more information, contact me at barb@stickycommunication.ca.
Photo credit: Evil Erin
I’ve struggled with controlling how much I eat ever since I was a kid. Friends will tell you I also have trouble limiting how much I talk. Nothing succeeds like excess, it seems.
Except with writing. I’ve rarely had trouble staying fit and trim, a great asset at a time when people snack on information, feasting only on subjects of intense interest.
Here are my 10 tips:
1. Know exactly what you want to say before you start to write. Just as a diet involves meal planning and shopping, so lean writing lean requires advance thinking about what you want to say and how to say it. Don’t risk rambling down long roads that won’t take you directly to your destination.
2. When you revise, delete any words that are redundant or not vital to your mission, especially buzz words and jargon. Watch for fatty adverbs and adjectives. Replace fuzzy descriptions with one precise word. Keep the best, but leave the rest.
3. Reorganize words more logically and you’ll reveal redundancies to chop.
4. Don’t try to force food, or words, down people’s throats. Entice them to follow the links, rather than making them struggle through nonessential information first.
5. Embed your links into your copy, rather than frittering away words that add no value such as Click here.
6. Pretend you have to pay for each word you use. Or choose them as carefully as you would the food for your Weight Watchers’ points.
7. Keep practising. Summarizing is a brain function that can improve.
8. If you have trouble letting go of a word or section, cut and then paste it on the end of your document. You can snatch it back if you absolutely need it, but you’ll probably end up deleting.
9. Assume that your readers have too much to read. They will appreciate your brevity. And they’re more likely to understand and remember you if your writing is lean and focused.
10. Remember, it’s not about you. It’s about your readers. And showing off your buff writing to them.
Photo credit: Gino Carteciano
Readers make snap decisions about whether they will open your email, read your report or check out your blog. So you have to hook them right away.
First impressions count. So take the extra time, like you would for a first date, job interview or new school.
To do that, your title, subject line or head and the first paragraph or two should include:
1. a quick summary of what you’re going to explain
2. the most important details
3. the benefits to the reader
4. a balance of keywords and interest generators
5. how you’re going to explain
1. Summarize
Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Chop up any unnecessary verbiage.
No setting the scene, providing background or personal chitchat. Cut to the chase.
For most people reading email, remember you start communicating with the subject line, then continue with the section that’s viewed in the preview pane, usually in text only. While the specifics may vary with the media, the most important part is always what people read first.
2. The most important details
Because so many people stop reading after the first paragraph or two, you have to pack in the vital information up front. Don’t wait to tell them which day your meeting will be.
Think about the W5s (Who, What, When, Where and Why) and make sure you cover all or at least the most important ones as soon as you can.
This creates an inverted pyramid style, where information is presented from the most important to least important. It works any time you think some people will not read through till the end.
3. What’s in it for me?
With so much writing clamoring for attention, you need to give readers a clear reason to start and continue by clearly stating reader benefits in the lead, or lede as some people still spell it.
Think about specific people you’re writing for or the people you would most like to read your work.
4. Keywords and interest
The challenge is to strike the right balance between an opening that captures the attention of readers and the bots. I favor the people, but thousands of SEO experts would disagree.
Ideally, you need clear titles and first sentences that help people find what they’re searching for combined with teasers, drama, memorable phrases and other ways to reel in readers.
Try balancing a catchy title with a first sentence with keywords or a simple title with keywords and a wild and crazy first paragraph.
5. Structure
Your title and lead will also introduce your logical structure. For example, you might be providing three tips to stay fit or five steps to set up your Facebook page or telling a story about a dog saving a baby from a cougar.
So you’ll need to know not only what you’re going to communicate and who you’re trying to reach, but also how you’re going to organize it.
This helps your readers and gives you a map to follow for the rest of your writing. Much easier than wandering aimlessly.
First impressions count most
Writing a great lead can be the most thought and time-consuming part of your writing. But by attracting readers and encouraging them to continue, it’s worthwhile.
It’s like spending extra time to get ready for a party or your first day of kindergarten. First impressions are everything.
The person who coined the phrase thinking outside the box deserves a linguistic medal of honor.
The next person who uses it with me will get a punch in the nose. OK, I’m small and nonviolent. A dirty look.
A dirty, disgusted look because I am so weary of hearing it. Especially from people who haven’t had an original idea in years, which is why they are so fond of overused catch phrases.
What wiki says
According to my friend Wikipedia (I know, too much time online), thinking outside the box simply means “thinking differently, unconventionally or from a new perspective. This phrase often refers to novel, creative and smart thinking.”
The term is especially loved, wiki notes, by management consultants and executive coaches.
Although many of these people are brilliant, some poseurs try to sneak in by speaking the language. You can spot them easily because they all start their presentations by talking about Starbucks or Facebook. 
Before out of the box thinking, the management consultants talked about paradigm shifts, which resulted from people thinking outside the box, only they didn’t have a catch phrase for it then.
Thinking outside the box works because it’s a simple metaphor, with a twist, eschewing the confines of inside for the freedom of outside.
Shiny and new
But can’t we do better or at least shinier and newer?
To be original, we can’t use a metaphor that relates to a box. Unless we add depth to the box, which is usually portrayed on those Power Point slides as a two-dimensional square.
Let’s turn it into a cube and give 3-D glasses to everyone at the presentation. We could probably pick them up cheap, as soon as the 3-D movie trend dies.
Think outside the cube. No, too similar. Cube the square. Square the cube. No, that’s not it.
Circular logic
Another shape, perhaps. What about a circle? But how do you go beyond the circle? Look at the auras. Too new agey for those management consultants, though maybe not for some of the executive coaches.
Or maybe we need to rise above the circle to appreciate how it connects. Spring out of the circle. Rise above the circle. Encircle the circle.
Could be something profound like the circle of life. Or we could get stuck going around in circles, the dog chasing its tail.
A spiral could take us places, but people usually refer to downwad spirals. Slinkies go down the stairs, but never up, though slinky thinking would be be quite memorable if that gravity problem could be solved.
Let’s try triangles, another popular shape. No, we see them too much in pie charts and slice-of-the-pie metaphors.
We could add another corner, but then we’re back to the box.
Beyond space and time
Or maybe we should leave space and hop over to the other dimension, time.
Think beyond the moment. No. I’m trying to do less of that. Besides, you can’t see time so it doesn’t inspire metaphors.
Perhaps what we need to change is the verb. Those folks who had so much success with The Secret talked about visualizing, which combines imagining with seeing.
Visualize a new box? Too close.
Hmmm….
Accelerate the thought particles. Too scary.
Spark some new synapses. Too sciencey.
Kidnap the status quo. No, the management consultants would ponder the ROR, or return on ransom.
Think Outside the Box 2.0. Too last year.
Locked in our consciousness box
Maybe the problem is not with the phrase, tired as it is, but with the difficulty of actually thinking outside the box. People like to say they do, but how many really succeed?
The truth is we are all stuck in the box of our own consciousness. That’s why we can’t know for certain whether there’s an after life or black holes. It’s all faith or theory.
If we want to take a fresh look, we have to forget about the impossible, thinking outside the box, and embrace the possible by enlarging the box. No, I can’t take credit for that term. I came across it this morning in Copyblogger. Sonia Siimone quoted it from The Art of Possibiliity by Bernard and Roz Zander.
Although I like the concept, enlarging is not a catchy term.
I’m changing it to maxing the box.
It’s similar to that seventies’ expression, expandiing your consciousness, but without the LSD.
Speaking of hallucinations,or taking a page from those Secret people, I can just see it: management consultants, executive coaches and wikipedia talking about maxing the box. Maxing the box on everyone’s Power Point slides.
You can tell them you read it here first. Or you can come up with a better expression. Just, don’t try to think out of the box, please.
You know when a tune gets stuck on replay in your head? How can apply that ear worm’s stickiness to your writing?
The songs that stick usually have a hook that keeps repeating, the classic memory technique. But there’s more.
They can’t be so simple that they blend in with everything else crammed into your memory. Yet, they can’t be so difficult that the mind is challenged to remember them. They seem to find a brain groove and dig in.
Usually they have a catchy rhythm. They rhyme.
Often the lyrics tap into a deep, strong emotion, but not always.
Sometimes I love the song, but frequently the songs that get stuck in my head become annoying.
To help you remember this ultimate memory glue, let’s review:
Simple, yet not too simple
Rhythm
Rhyme
Repetition
Similar, but different in an unexpected way
Emotionally compelling
Possibly annoying
Yes, you read correctly. To write words this sticky, you also have to be open to being regarded as annoying. Just like the people who wrote those songs that get stuck in your heads or the commercials that succeed in getting you to remember and try their products, your feelings will recover once you check your bank balance.