Did you interact with anyone in anyway today? Did you choose to avoid anyone today? Did you:
•    Cut someone off on the highway this morning?
•    Not bother to hold the elevator for a stranger because you were in a rush?
•    Ignore the people around you on whatever public transit you took to work today?
•    Forget to change your voice mail this morning?
•    Smile at anyone today?

All these situations are touchpoints that you encounter every day and you can choose to ignore them, bungle them or take advantage of them. It’s all up to you.

What is a Touchpoint?
Here is a textbook definition of a touchpoint:
“the point of contact, especially when products or services come into contact with a customer”

At IWCC, we think a touchpoint is every opportunity you have to interact with – touch - another human being through thoughts, words and deeds.  Examples include phone calls, video conference calls, voice mail messages, feedback to a colleague, how you behave in a meeting, how you conduct yourself during a training workshop/webinar, e-mails, passing a stranger in the hall at work, volunteering (or not) to help.

In our communication skills training workshops, we help people make the most of every possible opportunity to strengthen their personal brand through their interactions with others every day.

The textbook definition above sounds cold and impersonal. IWCC believes that touchpoints are anything but impersonal. When you think about touchpoints in relation to your own personal brand…the Brand called YOU…you need to dig a little deeper into the human psyche to understand why touchpoints are so overwhelmingly important and PERSONAL. 

Just how powerful are “touchpoints” in establishing or strengthening your personal brand? Every interaction or lack of interaction you have creates an emotional reaction in other people. These emotional reactions can be positive or negative and they are seared into our memory. For example, have you ever disliked someone just because they had a bad habit that reminded you of someone you’re not fond of?

Touchpoints are so powerful that they happen whether you want them to or not…whether you are aware of them or not…whether you choose to ignore them or take advantage of them. Through touchpoints, you leave an imprint of who you are every time you communicate, or choose not to communicate with others. Remember that short, curt, angry e-mail you wrote…touchpoint! This BLOG is a “touchpoint” for IWCC with you.

Again we ask you: “How many opportunities have you ignored already today that could have established or strengthened the Brand called  YOU?"

Time to stop ignoring! Here is an exercise out of one of IWCC’s Communication Skills workshops that can help you start capitalizing on the “touchpoints” in your world.

Identifying Your Branding Touchpoints
Your Individual Task — Identify as many communication “touchpoints” as possible where you have the opportunity to establish or strengthen your desired brand.

The Brand called YOU is up to YOU! You can choose it or ignore it, but you are always building it. As Tom Peters says:
 “Everything you do — and everything you choose NOT to do — communicates the value and character of the Brand called You!”

We make New Year’s resolutions about things we feel are important…losing weight, exercising, saving money, planning effectively, etc. What about communication? In order to accomplish anything, we have to be good communicators. Have you made resolutions about that? Maybe you should. Here are some ideas to get you started.

”I vow to stop taking communication for granted and give it the respect it deserves. I will no longer make excuses that I don’t have time to apply the techniques that I know will help my readers, my listeners and me – no matter how busy I am.”

Some “I will stop” Resolutions…
Here are three habits you can vow to stop in 2012:
•    I will stop frivolously sending e-mail without thought or planning.
•    I will stop thinking about what I want and consider what my readers and listeners need.
•    I will stop allowing meetings to just happen without thought or planning.

Some “I will start” Resolutions…
Below are suggestions of habits you can vow to start in 2012:

For Writing E-mail

• I will write descriptive subject lines that tell my reader the topic and the urgency (or non-urgency) so they can decide when to open and read.
• I will take the time to change the subject line of an e-mail as I forward or reply, as the subject changes.
• I will tell the reader exactly what I want them to do, feel, learn, understand or know – in the first paragraph.

For Presenting/Speaking

• I will take care to keep my words, voice & tone and body language in sync so they are all sending the same message.
• I will plan questions ahead of time to ensure I involve my audience.
• I will listen respectfully and actively to others - even when I don’t agree with them.

For Facilitating Meetings

• I will only have a meeting when it is necessary and always ask myself: “Is a meeting the best way to accomplish this task and spend the time we have?”
• I will prepare for every meeting by creating an agenda and sharing it with the meeting members.
• I will ask for help to keep the meeting on time by assigning a timekeeper – and respecting their input.

Let’s make 2012 the year of clear communication. You know what you need to do to improve your communications at work. So stop procrastinating and do it! Or stop doing it!

Governments are charged with knowing and promoting what is best for us all. IWCC is charged with knowing and promoting communication techniques that are best for us all. And when it comes to effective written communication techniques, IWCC and President Barack Obama are promoting the same message. Last year, we let our readers know that President Obama signed the Plain Writing Act on October 13, 2010. The Act emphasizes the importance of using plain language in all written documents.

Using plain language in written documents is still as important as it was a year ago. As the tools and technology we use to write evolve, it is important for writers to write clear and succinct messages that can be easily read and understood.

The Act is simply defined as guidelines that help produce clear, concise, well-organized writing that is focused on the appropriate audience. Did they take that definition right out of IWCC’s effective business writing workshops? IWCC Training’s mantra has always been to teach others to focus on the needs of their audience and communicate clearly and concisely when speaking, writing or meeting.

Plain language, or as we like to call it, High Impact Writing style, is the BEST way to get your message across clearly and get work done right the first time! We were surprised and delighted to see that our effective business writing fundamentals echo the US Government’s newly released list of Federal Plain Writing Guidelines.

So, what are the overriding guidelines that IWCC Training and the American Federal Government suggest you follow to be an effective writer? The answer is simple, go back to basics by following three steps for every document you write:

Step 1: Know your audience

Step 2: Organize your message to meet your reader’s needs

Step 3: Write your document in a High Impact style - use plain language

Remember to follow these basic steps next time you write an e-mail, report, letter or any other type of written document. Your readers will thank you!

IWCC Training’s Tips for Writing

US Federal Government’s Plain Writing Guidelines

As business professionals, we see dozens of automatic “out-of-office” replies fly through our inbox each week. Do you cringe when you see that out-of-office reply bounce back from an e-mail you just sent? You likely start whining: “Oh no, I need it now!” And, an out-of-office reply usually means you won’t be getting the response you need anytime soon.

What’s worse than that? The out-of-office reply may be poorly written and lack any personal touch at all. Poorly written replies can leave you asking questions such as: “When will they return to the office?” “Can I contact someone else in the meantime?” “Will they be accessing their e-mail at all?”

How can you prevent these annoyances from happening to your clients and colleagues when you are out of the office? Try using these helpful templates to inspire you:

If you are going on vacation with no access to e-mail, try something like:

Hello,

Thank you for your e-mail. I will be on vacation with no access to e-mail from Monday, September 19 to Friday, September 23. I will be happy to reply to your e-mail when I return on Monday, September 26.

If you require immediate assistance, please contact Betty Coworker at (555) 555–1234 or betty.coworker@company.com.

Warm regards,

Bill Vacationer
Sales Manager

Out for the day at a meeting? Try something like:

Hello,

Thank you for your e-mail. I will out of the office at an all day meeting on Thursday, September 22. I will be happy to reply to your e-mail when I return on Monday, September 23.

Warm regards,

Jane Meeting
Finance Manager

Out of town with smart phone access only? Try something like:

Hello,

Thank you for your e-mail. I will be out of the country on business from Monday, September 19 to Friday, September 23. I will only have blackberry access to e-mail and will be checking my e-mail periodically. I will be happy to reply to your e-mail as quickly as I can.

If you require immediate assistance, please contact my assistant John Assistant at (555) 555–1234 or john.assistant@company.com

Warm regards,

Richard Traveller
President & CEO

Your company uses an out-of-office template you say…

Suggest to the decision makers in your company that your out-of-office reply needs tweaking. Show them how the reply confuses readers and leaves them asking more questions than it answers. Remind them that poor out-of-office replies can jeopardize sales, projects, partnerships and business relationships.

Try using the templates above the next time you set up your office reply. Your clients and colleagues will thank you!

Participants in our writing workshops are complaining more and more about reading complex, long e-mails on their BlackBerry, iPhone or any other smartphone. They are now asking one question more often…”Do we need to write differently for smartphones?”

The short answer is NO. You should be writing clearly and concisely for every business document. You should be helping your reader with every technique you choose. However, you can adopt a few techniques specifically for smartphones.

Our readers are becoming more and more mobile. Speed and keeping in-the-know are vital. Here are some “smartwriting” tips to help your smartphone readers.

1. Write subject lines that clearly state the topic and the urgency. (Check IWCC’s recent BLOG on writing good subject lines)
2. Tell the reader, in the first two sentences, why you are writing and what you want them to do or know when they finish reading your e-mail.
3. Eliminate/minimize images. Some phones won’t display them and others display them poorly.
4. Summarize the key points of must-read attachments in the e-mail text. (Large attachments display poorly on most phones and some documents won’t open.)
5. Don’t assume your reader will click on a link to the internet or be able to access an intranet.  Include the key points from the link in your e-mail if it is “must know” information.
6. Copy readers on “must-read” e-mail only, when all they can access is their smartphone. (You can forward the message to them later if necessary.)
7. Ask your readers how they want you to deal with e-mail when all they can access is their smartphone.
8. If the message is urgent and critical, consider calling their smartphone rather than writing to it.

As we continue to evolve in this mobile world of high technology, IWCC believes the key to communicating successfully is to focus on this core concept “Help Your Reader”. Think like a reader and ask yourself what would make reading this e-mail easier for you. Now that’s “smartwriting”!