Harcourt Lane

Content consultancy.

B. Andrew

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The Copywriter’s toolkit – top tools for writers

Every copywriter has her favourite writing tools. There isn’t a universally acknowledged list, although certain tools will almost always make it to any list. In this post, I would like to share some of my top tools.

1. Gathering data

Nothing beats my trusty iPhone 6 Plus. It is a veritable notebook, and more. I use the Notes function to jot down ideas as they occur, and the handy search function ensures I can find everything.

But what about actual notebooks? I used to carry around a moleskine, but found that this didn’t suit the way I worked. I like notebooks; the leather covers, the smooth feel of the paper, the lines made by a good quality pen. But I just can’t sustain a writing habit that way. I end up with many beautiful, but unused, notebooks lying around my house. It’s a joy to pick one up and read my thoughts from a while ago, but, on a daily basis, a notebook doesn’t work for me.

2. Writing

As I write most of my drafts on the iPhone, it’s only logical that the full writing tends to take place there as well. In fact, I’ve used the iPhone to write whole speeches, articles, blog posts, and stories. Of course, there’s very little in the way of formatting, but that’s OK. I prefer not to be distracted by formatting options while writing. Those can always come later, during the editing process.

Sometimes, though, I write my texts by hand. This normally happens when I’m brainstorming for an article, particularly if I’m thinking about how to structure the article. I tend to draw up the structure by hand, and might then begin the actual writing from that point. Here, my beautiful notebooks do come in handy.

Of course, it’s not always realistic to write with the iPhone, much less by hand. There are times when only a solid computer will do. For instance, I am currently writing a 30,000 word technical report for a client in the accounting industry. For this, I am relying chiefly on my MacBook Air. It’s robust enough to handle the work, and light enough to carry everywhere. Here, I use mainly Microsoft Word. Why? I explain later in this post.

As far as writing apps go, I must mention the amazing iA Writer. It’s been a while since I used this app, but what I like best about it is a brilliant feature called ‘focus mode’. This feature ‘grays out’ all other text on the page, save for the line of text you are writing. This removes the temptation to edit text you have already written. As its name implies, the feature ensures you ‘focus’ only on the line of text you’re writing. As soon as you’re done with that line, it is grayed out as well, and the focus then shifts to your next line.

And while I’m mentioning apps, I should give a special mention to the WordPress for iOS app. I write content for several blogs, and most of them use WordPress as a content management system. This app is solid, and very easy to use. I have it installed on my iPhone and generally blog and publish direct from there. There have been occasions where I have preferred to blog using the laptop, but this happens only rarely.

3. Editing

If I have written my text using something other than Microsoft Word (for example, the Notes function on the iPhone), I generally transfer the text to Microsoft Word when it’s time to edit. Not due to any particular preference, but mainly because I was brought up using Word. It was ubiquitous during my early days as a writer and editor, and I’ve stayed with it ever since. It’s a very sturdy programme, and nimble enough to do whatever I ask of it.

I’ve used some editing apps in the past, but have always found my way back to Microsoft Word. My experience has been that such apps are good for general, light editorial work. However, for heavy duty content review or editing, I usually reach for Microsoft Word.

This is by no means my entire list. Just the basics that get me on my way to creating and editing great content. I’ll share more from my list from time to time.

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Public speaking – discover your natural presenting style

Every one of us has a unique presenting style.

That is a wonderful thing. One of the key ingredients for a super-successful presentation is that the speaker conveys his message with individuality and style.

To be a successful speaker, you must discover and cultivate your own unique style. Copying someone else’s style will not work for you – your presentation will be lacking in authenticity, and you will miss the vital connection with your audience.

So how can you discover and cultivate your own unique style? Here are three tips.

1. Observe yourself daily

In your everyday interactions with family, friends and colleagues, what is your most relaxed way of communicating with people? Your answer will hint at your most natural presenting style. For example, if you tend to prefer a more laid back, conversational and interactive approach, chances are that you would find yourself very much at ease in panel discussions, or in a workshop-type setting. However, if you are more likely to ‘hold forth’ with your views, even in a relaxed setting, you may find yourself more suited to structured speaking engagements, such as speeches and lectures.

This is, however, just a rule of thumb. Some people, when speaking in public, take on a completely different persona from their normal, everyday one. I am one such, actually. My energetic presenting style is completely different from my everyday soft spoken manner. Both styles are entirely mine, however, and merely reflect different parts of my character. The key thing is authenticity. As long as you are speaking from your true self, you will connect with your audience.

This brings us neatly to our next point.

2. Rehearse

How can you know your ‘true self’ as a presenter?

The answer is simple: rehearse!

It is very good practice to rehearse your presentation. I do it every single time I have a speaking engagement. Of course, there are circumstances (for example, interviews and panel discussions) which call for a greater degree of spontaneity, but my focus here is on lectures and other structured presentations.

It is vital to rehearse. Rehearsals afford you a safe environment to discover your natural presenting style, and to assess whether and how your style conveys the message you wish to send. In rehearsal, you are free to experiment with your voice, your tone, your arms, your gait, your steps. Here you learn what works best for you. Feel a bit silly standing on one spot? Than move around and see how that feels. Think you’re moving too much? Slow down and match your movements to the tempo of your speech. Everything is possible. Everything is testable.

Through rehearsal, you will begin to discover what works best for you. Experimenting in a safe place will do wonders for your public speaking.

3. Gain experience

The more experience you gain as a presenter, the better you come to know your own style. Even with so many years’ experience as a public speaker, I learn something new about myself every single time I give a presentation. The things that I have learnt include the following: rather than stand behind the lectern, I prefer to move and ‘claim’ my space; I would rather wear a mike than hold one; and I prefer questions to come at the end. I have also learnt that I need some quiet time immediately before my presentation. It helps me to ‘internalise’ my material, and to centre myself in the zone from which I need to operate.

A lot of these things I learnt through rehearsal and experience. The great thing about public speaking is that you can always revise as you go along. If, while speaking, you discover that something is not working out for you, there is almost always a way to fix it. For example, if you suddenly discover the lectern too limiting, step out from behind it! Or, if the acoustics are poor, – and the circumstances permit, – move closer to the audience. With experience, you become attuned to yourself, your audience and your environment. Experience will also teach you how best to respond.

Conclusion

Your presenting style is unique to you. Don’t waste any more time trying to conform to a particular template, or trying to copy someone else. You have a story to tell, and no-one else can tell it in the way that you do. That is the key to authenticity and authority as a public speaker, and this key is in your own hands. Once again: observe yourself, rehearse often, and gain solid experience. You will discover your own style, and excel as a presenter.

To sign up to one of our public speaking courses, contact us here.

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Twitter can be risky! Context-proof your tweets

It is difficult to communicate complex ideas in a tweet due to the 140-character limit. One approach is to make “tweet threads”. This is done conveying your thoughts in a series of tweets, each linked to the next by clicking “reply”. The danger of threads is they allow individual tweets to be read out of context, separate from the preferring and following parts of the thread. Any single tweet can be retweeted, or copied into a website or blog, where it takes on a new life divorced from its original thread.

Recently, Abike Dabiri, Senior Special Assistant to Nigeria’s President on The Diaspora, got into some trouble over a tweet. She was having a discussion with Nigerians abroad, when a doctor in Canada cited infrastructure and security challenges as a reason many do not wish to return. Mrs Dabiri tweeted in response:

“But who is asking you to come?” (See tweet here)

The backlash was immediate and fierce. The narrative that emerged was that the Government’s point person on the Diaspora was telling Nigerians abroad that they were not needed. After the fact, Mrs Dabiri and her aides explained her intended point: returning home was not the only way Nigerians abroad could make an impact and be part of developing the nation. They tried to draw attention to previous tweets that provided context:

“No one is saying come home. But rather, let’s all partner together.. it’s all about Nigeria.” (See tweet here)

The controversial tweet has been retweeted more than 400 times; this earlier one that gives it context, only 40.

Here are some tips to avoid writing tweets in a thread or a conversation that can be taken out of context:

  1. Don’t compose your threads on Twitter. It is tempting to tweet your big ideas as they come to you, direct from mind to app, hitting “reply” when the 140 run out. This approach makes it easier to write loaded tweets. It is more advisable to write your thoughts in a note, distill them into bullet points, and turn those into tweets.
  2. Read each draft on its own before sending. Try and think about the tweet-to-be without the others. Ask yourself “what would someone who saw ONLY this tweet think I’m saying?
  3. Repeat yourself, but only a little. Don’t be afraid to spend some of your 140 characters repeating context you have given elsewhere. Your tweet may end up travelling alone. This approach will slow you down since it reduces the amount of new information in each tweet, but may be worth it if it is a sensitive topic or one prone to misunderstanding.
  4. Don’t tweet “heated”. It is very easy for conversations on Twitter to become heated. This at times leads to off the cuff remarks almost designed to be retweeted out of context. It is best to develop the habit of reviewing every tweet a minute or two after drafting it (writing drafts outside the app/site helps with this).
  5. Tweet in aphorisms. Try and think of each tweet as a proverb, an aphorism or a verse of scripture. These pieces of literature stand alone, but are also linked to a larger narrative. This is a very nuanced writing skill to master, but will help you create tweets that resonate with the reader.

Twitter is changing not just the way we reach audiences, but also the way we write to them, and how they consume what we write. Discipline is needed to avoid getting so drawn in by the conversational, streaming aspect of the platform that we forget the permanence of our written words.

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Create a user guide your customers would love

I am one of those people who typically unpack a new appliance and immediately get to work installing it, without bothering to consult the supplied user manual. And of course, something invariably goes wrong, and I am then forced to fish out the manual and retrace my steps.

Of course I am not alone in this. I know very few people who meticulously consult the user manual before figuring out their newly purchased appliance. It could be that most of us are either so excited about our new appliance, or simply too impatient to read the manual.

But reading the manual does pay. It saves time we spend trying to figure something out, when the answer was there, all this time, staring at us, in black and white. It also ensures that we install the product properly, thereby avoiding costly mistakes in set-up and use. Also, in the case of electrical or electronic appliances, it is definitely the safe thing to do.

But manufacturers could do more to ensure that their product manuals actually do get read. People often don’t bother with manuals because they can sometimes seem too technical and turgid in language. If they were made more accessible, customers would not discard them quite so easily. To go one step further, I would say that they should be made in such a way that customers would be tempted to read them.

So here are three tips for creating a user manual that will actually get read:

1. Focus on the customer. Remember, it’s all about her. She wants to get her product working as soon as possible, so don’t let her path be blocked by a long, detailed boring guide. You want her to love your product, so introduce it in a way that attracts. Let her see the benefits of reading your manual. Words such as ‘Quick Start Guide’ generally work; ‘quick’ is obviously what your customer wants, and ‘start’ implies that the product will be up and running as soon as she follows the basic steps set out in the guide. Also, the idea of a ‘Quick Start Guide’ is a psychologically attractive one. It tells the customer that, while there might be a thick booklet with detailed instructions somewhere in the box, you have however selected the most important instructions for getting the product working as soon as possible, and presented these to her as a ‘Quick Start Guide’. So as not to delay her too much from enjoying her purchase, you see? Customers love that.

2. Use pictures. Even a ‘Quick Start Guide’ will not hold a customer’s interest for long, and where installation is necessary, showing is generally better than telling.

3. Use good English. I cannot stress this enough. I have seen so many user manuals written in very poor English, very likely resulting from inept translation. Not only does a poorly written manual dissuade the customer from reading the manual, there is also the risk that it could undermine confidence in the product itself. The customer’s reasoning would run thus: if they have paid scant attention to detail in describing their product and processes, how sure am I that they have given due care and attention to the manufacture of the product itself? You don’t want your customer thinking this as she stands in front of a newly-opened box of your product. Don’t kill her joy; use good English.

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Corporate identity – who do your customers think you are?

One of the challenges facing a growing company is the creation of a sound corporate identity.

Picture the scenario: a company starts off very small, with a clearly defined product or service, and with a well targeted customer base. Years go by, and the company becomes very successful. It expands into new products and services.

The company’s success has led it away from its initial strategy. That’s no bad thing, necessarily. However, in order to position itself properly in the marketplace, it is necessary for the company to revisit its strategy.

Crucial to any discussion of corporate strategy is the question of identity. A company must be able to state its identity in clear and unequivocal language. The message must be the same, whether delivered by employees, management, or by customers.

It is not uncommon for companies to launch in-house projects aimed at shaping their corporate identity. Such projects would typically include management and key staff members from the relevant departments. These are good exercises, as they bring together the constituent parts of the business, and ensure a unified approach to the identity question. However, one must be careful not to focus too much inward, defining identity mainly from the perspective of the management and staff. Ultimately, what matters more is how the customer views the company. If the management and staff of a company have a different view of their business than the view held by their customers, the corporate strategy will misfire.

So, instead of asking, ‘what does my company do?’, it might be more apt to ask, ‘what do our customers actually see as our core business?’

What do your customers think that you provide? I have come across many cases where the customers’ view of the core business is completely different from that of the management and staff of the company.

Sometime ago, I worked with a company on this aspect of corporate identity. The company’s business was the provision of financial information to the financial services sector. It had launched a whole portfolio of products and services, but their main customers had seemed not to notice. This was worrying.

After some research, we discovered the problem: the customers saw the company as a traditional publisher, and not as an information provider, as it now described itself. This distinction was vital: customers came to the company when they needed to buy good, solid, reference books and journals. However, when it came to other products and services not typical of a traditional publisher, for example, webinars and software solutions, the customers seemed to have a blind spot – they just did not ‘see’ these services, however big the advertisement. They did not ‘see’ these services being offered, because they did not expect to see them being offered. The reason for this was simple: the company had started life as a traditional publisher, and, had, along the way, branched into these other services. However, it had not made a conscious effort to redefine its corporate identity, and to bring its customers along in the process.

The company thus came to realize that there was a misalignment between how it saw itself, and how it was seen by its customers. It then set itself the critical task of repositioning itself in the eyes of its customers. Its efforts have paid off very well. Its enhanced products and services are now very popular, and the company is making a name for itself as a brilliant innovator in its field. However, this could not have happened if it did not act to change the perception of its customers. Now that this company is regarded as a leading information provider, its customers expect precisely the goods and services that such a company is expected to provide. The alignment is total, and success is guaranteed.

What do your customers regard as your business? Is this the same as what you provide? Know what your customers think of your corporate identity. That is a vital task.

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Defining your business strategy – the Identity Question

I was recently involved in a project to define and communicate the strategy of a specialist library. The institution was an established and well respected one. However, it had not kept pace with advances in technology within the last two decades. There were serious challenges regarding the acquisition and provision of digital materials and services, such as e-books and online databases.

The new Manager was keen to bring the library back up to speed. He compiled a list of very impressive project proposals, all of which answered to the need for more digital services from the library.

Yet something was missing. There was no thread running through these projects, no unifying vision beyond the vague (but worthy) need to ‘go digital’. All that the entire strategy appeared to consist was this long (albeit impressive) list of projects.

The Manager asked me what more he could do. I looked at the list. Everything seemed to make sense. I could see that he had made a thorough analysis of the situation, and had identified possible solutions to the main issues. Yet something was lacking.

‘What’s your story?’ I asked him. ‘What is the aim of this library?’

He pondered the question for a short while, and then responded:

‘The library provides materials on life sciences to academic researchers and scientists working in the sector’.

That was indeed the case, but his answer addressed what the library currently does, and not what it aims to be. There is a vital difference between doing and being. A successful strategy is born out of ‘doing what you are’. So it is important first to work out what the business is, or aims to be, before turning to what it does. His answer depicted the library to be nothing too special. Just one of perhaps several such organizations providing these materials to the relevant readership. How then would he be able to define its strategy, much less measure its success?

He understood the distinction, and gave it another go:

‘The library aims to be the number-one information portal in the life sciences field for academic researchers and scientists.’

What he had done now was to give some thought to the identity of the library, and then, having formulated clearly what he wished for the library to become, he was then in a position, together with his team, to draw up a strategy to get them there. For example, by focusing on the words ‘number one’, they could begin to benchmark the library against similar institutions with a view to emerging on top. By focusing on the words ‘information portal’, they could analyze what sort of material they needed to source, and in what format. This could entail, for example, the creation of a comprehensive acquisition policy for relevant materials on life sciences. By focusing on ‘academic researchers and scientists’, they could begin to ask if this actually covered the entire range of clients they wished to reach. All of these questions would lead them towards a proper examination of their identity. And then, having settled this point, they could go forward with implementing a successful strategy.

Know who you are before determining what you will do. A clear sense of identity is essential to business development.

*Some details have been changed.