Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

Your Nonprofit Behaves Like a Telemarketer

by Leave a Comment

My friend Tema Nemtzow wrote me, “I just got a call asking if I’d like to have a new source of selling insurance. When I told him that I don’t sell insurance, he asked me if I’d like to start!”

You may groan at this terrible telemarketing. But think a moment. Is your nonprofit acting the same way?

  • Do you send the exact same message to longtime supporters and new acquaintances?
  • Do you add people to your mailing list just because they live in the neighborhood and they have a lot of money?
  • Are you constantly talking about what your organization does instead of what your audience cares about?

Too many nonprofits are making cold calls, even in our writing.  We’re pitching “products” the person on the other end doesn’t want…and making it clear to her that we have no idea who she is.  We need to stop being lame salesmen like the one who called Tema.

Get to know your audience, talk to them about what matters to them, and  they will listen.

Listen like Austen. Write Like Hemingway

by 3 Comments

Jane Austen was one of the most beloved authors of the 19th century.  She wrote all her novels by sitting in company and paying attention to what people said.

Be like Jane Austen. Before you start to write, listen. On social media, in person, every way you can: find out about your audience and what  moves them.

Ernest Hemingway was one of the most read authors of the 20th century. When he sat down to write, he chopped away adverbs, adjectives, and description. He told the whole story through dialogue and action.

Be like Ernest Hemingway. Whether you’re writing a newsletter, blogging, using social media, or asking for money, be brief. Leave out everything your audience doesn’t care to read.

Listen like Austen, to catch every detail. Write like Hemingway, to be read.

Are You as Good a Communicator as Shakespeare’s Fools?

by 1 Comment

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be
a fool.
-Touchstone, As You Like It, V.1.2217

Happy April Fool’s Day!  In Shakespeare’s plays, fools are the great communicators.  They manage to say what no one else has the courage or the insight to say.  They get heard when men of sense get ignored.

Are you as good a communicator as one of Shakespeare’s fools? Take this quiz to find out.

  1. The fools can say what they want because they have official positions at court.  What is your position with your audience?  Do they welcome what you have to say?
  2. The fools are truth tellers, fearlessly making fun of one and all.  Do your audiences know they can count on you for the truth?
  3. The fools keep an eye out for when they are tiring their listeners.  Do you know when your audience is ready to hear from you?
  4. The fools use humor and unexpected turns of the phrase to win their masters’ attention.  Take another look at your writing.  Are you always serious?  Can people predict what you’re going to say before they open the letter or the post? Or are you surprising and delighting them with your communications?

Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.
-Feste, Twelfth Night,  I.5.328

 

Yes, I’d like weekly email from Communicate!

Get more advice

Yes! Please send me tips from Communicate! Consulting.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.