Firstly, apologies if you’re a vegetarian, or would generally prefer to blank out oven-ready connotations. Sensitivities aside, as a phrase, it works though doesn’t it? Rubber-ish or not.
So, how memorable is your professional messaging? Do people get what you have to say, or do your important points tend to get lost in the fog of too much information?
Experimenting with headline messages or finding clean, snappy phrases doesn’t have to equate to crass sloganeering. Used appropriately, they can help us convey dense and important information, making it more accessible, so that it’s, wait for it - easy to read, easy to understand and easy to act upon.
Good news when attention spans are shortening by the minute and the currency of academic expertise is allegedly not what it used to be. To be fair, TMI has always been anathema to most busy professionals, so we better be brief…
rein yourself in
Over the years, we’ve coached many clever people, cajoling at least 90% of them to dig out vital facts or recommendations they have inadvertently buried on a busy slide or page 29 of their report. Often, the more expert they are, the bigger the cuplrit.
Edward de Bono long espoused the importance of simplicity. He asked why most product manuals are still steeped in such impenetrable jargon, when most of us will only access 20% of the capacity of our technology. He had much more to say than this about using plain English, but you get the gist - it’s about time we said less, without dumbing down our knowledge.
So, word to the wise, even if you do have a Phd in your area, help the rest of us out here. First, just share the best bits and then stop. Let us want to hear more, to ask questions so that we can properly digest the subject you’ve had longer to understand.
tasty messages
Speaking of digestion, we could all try to think more like chefs by anticipating who we’re catering for. To engage them by serving our most delicious points early on, or else providing them with advance appetisers or takeaways if there’s too much for one sitting, We could also try not to milk a metaphor to death - and vary the appearance, flavours and textures of our content. Indigestible already, Ed
So, if you’re in, commit to making your next report, update or presentation dazzlingly fit for purpose. Anticipate the appetites of your readers or audience. Plan, redraft, ask for a second opinion if the stakes are high, or employ a coach - be oven ready. And if you’re not? Brace yourself - it’s time to see it, say it, sorted.
