Too much information! Too much information! Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Danger! This has become our mantra. Whether it is by our own devices or the means of others, we are constantly inundated with too much information! Email, e-newsletters, web sites, micro-sites, pop-up windows, banner ads – the incoming stream is constantly increasing. In an effort to drain the rising tide, even the most patient of recipients must quickly mutate -- developing cat-like reflexes in the rapid activation of the “delete key”.
As professional communicators it is our responsibility to filter out rhetoric and prune back any inhibiting undergrowth. We must be sharp, focused and to the point. We must offer a tantalizing hors d’oeuvre that will hopefully encourage the reader to request a follow-up bowl of simmering stew.
In my twenty-plus years of developing my own personal communications manifesto (a work in progress), I have come up with a few points of view. In no specific order, they are as follows:
1. “White space” provides NO danger.
There is often a tenacious urge to fill every bit of white space within a document. “I paid for it, therefore I need to make use of it.” Areas of activity need to be balanced-off with areas of rest. The “white space respites” allow the brain to absorb the important messages contained within the areas of activity.
2. Keep the reader hungry and regulate feeding.
Be selective in the information that you propagate. Small meals at regular intervals will aid in maintaining healthy information appetites.
3. Nurture dissent. Be provocative. Present an interesting point of view.
Look for means of encouraging wholesome discourse. Take the opportunity to observe a situation from several vantage points.
4. “Nothing is more mentally draining than realizing that you are about to experience a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation”.
Telegraph the fact that your information is precise, well organized, and will not require a great commitment of time.
5. “I hate holiday letters.”
The “self-focused” bore me to tears. Make sure that your document contains information that addresses issues that are important to your audience – citing personal/organizational successes as supportive material, when appropriate.
6. Plan for future installments.
Develop your editorial calendar over an extended timeframe – 6 months or more.
7. Dispense some of your best ideas at NO CHARGE.
Don’t be afraid to demonstrate your intellectual capital. It is an extremely competitive environment and prospects are primed to make quick decisions – thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
8. Know your audience and specifically target those with short attention spans.
Accept the fact that you are presenting to an audience with highly regulated time schedules. Provide a platform that guarantees a concise, productive user experience.
9. Own your work.
Let it consume you. Think about it in the car, in the tub and right before you go to sleep. Accept ownership. Put your heart and head into your communications piece.
10. Don’t expect that your audience will be willing to accept advice from strangers.
As lofty as it might sound, allow your communications piece to become like an old pair of jeans or comfortable sneakers. Aim to be honest, forthright and gain your audience’s attention and trust. With any luck, your online friends will anxiously await your next installment.
Doug Eymer is a Principal and Interactive Creative Director at PARTNERS+simons – a cross-media communications located in 25,000 square feet of warehouse space on Boston’s waterfront. Doug was trained as a graphic designer and has practiced the craft in various establishments including Eymer Design a business that he co-founded with his wife, Selene Carlo-Eymer. Since 2000, Doug has wandered the halls of PARTNERS – fighting communications crimes and offering solid design advice. Doug can be reached online at: doug@partnersandsimons.com.
