Kathy Magrino – The Write Way, LLC

We need to be good at doing BOTH: working alone and working in teams. Successful teamwork is based on good communication skills — the ability to effectively express our thoughts, and the ability to interact with others.

Lately, I’ve noticed that some of my students are uncomfortable with teamwork and they resist team-building activities. In one of my classes, several students have either talked to me after class or emailed me about the “issues” they’re having with their teams. In each of these instances, I’ve noticed (and pointed out to them) that the issues are being caused by a lack of communication with their teammates. The solution is simple: better communication, especially via face-to-face interaction.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately: Maybe “face-to-face” communication is now becoming a neglected form of communication? Many younger students (approximately 20 years old) don’t want to, or prefer not to, work in teams. Is this a new trend?…

Are we becoming too reliant on texting, postings and emails? Are we creating a society of people who have become too comfortable “hiding behind” their computers and devices? Yes, we need to work independently, but we also need to know how to work with others…What’s happening to us?… And do you agree that face-to-face communication (or at least a phone call where we hear each other’s voice) is becoming a lost art or neglected activity?

I’m curious to hear your ideas about this… Maybe we can team up to brainstorm some solutions? … Or maybe we should Skype — taking advantage of the newest form of face-to-face communication? Please let me know what you think by posting your comments here. Thanks!

Until next time,

Kathy

This semester, my students at Rider University have been doing lots of presentations in our classes. I’ll be sharing these tips for preparing presentations with them, so I thought I’d share them with you, too:

1. Know your audience! Before you start writing, try to “get inside the heads” of the people you’ll be presenting to — your audience. Know their likes and dislikes — and try to know what will grab their attention.

2. Don’t forget that you’re writing for an AUDIENCE, not for readers! (Generally, readers have the luxury of taking their time with words and concepts…) An audience likes to be “entertained.”

3. Use repetition. Don’t be afraid to repeat key messsages, concepts and benefits to hammer home the messages you want to convey.

4. Be organized. Follow a logical progression — I usually create an outline or “map” for a presentation’s journey, from start to finish.

5. Be consistent. Use the same writing style and the same design throughout the entire presentation — everything should match. Sometimes, this is difficult when several people are working on the same presentation. Make sure you get together beforehand to merge your parts into one cohesive presentation.

Follow these tips, and you’ll be on your way to a good, professional presentation!

Until next time,

Kathy Magrino