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Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of Less Chatter More Matter. It is great to have you here for another episode, and I will continue to get excited by the feedback and the questions you're sending through, so please keep them coming. Before we get into today's episode, just a friendly ask of me.

As always, please, please, please like rate to subscribe and review the podcast on your app of choice. It makes a huge. In how many people are able to see and access the learning I'm sharing. And to those of you who have already rated and reviewed, you have my eternal gratitude. So today's episode is to be honest, about a bit of a bug bear of mine: that is long, boring, written comms.

We've all been [00:02:00] there, you get a long email or message or a message on a message app and you just don't read it. And why not? Well, because it's not interesting or relevant. It doesn't look enticing to read. It doesn't grip you in the first couple of lines, or you just don't have the time for that. And all of these reasons are more, are perfectly valid for ignoring the long, boring message.

Now, given I have ADHD, I'm right at the end of the spectrum when it comes to losing interest really quickly, but I know it's not just me. If you also tune out or ignore long messages, send me a little message so I don't feel alone, and I know this episode has been worthwhile. So as comms pros, we need to be aware of how our audience takes in information.

That's what we've talked about in a previous episode about adapting your communication style. If you won't read a long, boring message, why the heck would they? And yet we continue to see long, boring messages being written by comms people or people responsible for communication [00:03:00] like leaders. And again, this comes back to what I've mentioned way back in episode one, we have to start with who, not what or why. So put your audience hat on and ask, how would I want to receive this information? Would I actually read this email or message or internet article? What would make me want to read it? Given the context I work in and the time I have available, what would entice me to actually engage with?

Now, having worked in corporate comms for so long, I totally get that when we're involved in a project or a piece of work, we do tend to think it's far more interesting than it actually is. I'm not gonna lie. We do that. I've done that. It's like anybody who's involved in any project, we all think our project is like the centre of the universe at the time, but also sometimes the leaders we're supporting tend to communicate in long-winded and very detailed ways, and it can be hard to coach them out of that [00:04:00] habit.

So I do get that. I feel your pain, but all is not lost. Today I'm going to share some top tips for formatting your written communication to give it a much better chance of being read , even when it's boring. These are tips you can apply and you can apply them to other people's writing with hopefully very little resistance.

So let's get into it. Tip number one, use white space. There is nothing worse than really long paragraphs all bunched up together. So look at the paragraphs you've written or someone else has written and see if you can break them up into smaller, more bite-sized paragraphs, maximum of two sentences with space between them, like a full space between them.

When people first glance at the piece of communication, they're more likely to continue scrolling through if the paragraphs look shorter. So I know that seems weird, but there it is. So if you get some white space in between your paragraphs, your headings, your images, it makes a [00:05:00] huge difference in how likely it is to be read.

So that's tip number one. Use white space. Tip number two, use dot points, especially if you're listing out items or activities or ideas, whatever it might be. Dot points are gold. They help to simplify long strings of ideas and items, and that makes it much easier for people to follow, especially for those who are visual learners.

Remember though, first you need to shorten and simplify those sentences. They're actual dot points, not paragraphs with a dot in front of them, or a really long sentence. So cut it down, make it short, make it succinct. Cut out the fluff. Our eyes find it easier to follow dot points. So even if people don't remember exactly word for word what was written, they will remember there was a list.

So that's good. They'll refer back to that. Also on dot point lists, I also avoid using numbered lists [00:06:00] unless I'm talking about a process or there is actually a hierarchy to it. And that's the reason why I avoid it, because they give the impression of a hierarchy of information. But for the most part, it's rarely the case that there is a hierarchy.

And so having those numbers there might be a bit confusing. And look, you might also have some precious stakeholders who get a bit cranky about where their information comes in that list. So keep everyone happy. Just use dot points. Tip number three, and this is one of my favorite things to do, replace lengthy explanations with a visual.

This is gold, especially for our visual learners out there and our strategic thinkers. And remember from last week's episode, the majority of people are predominantly visual learners, so we need to take that into consideration when we think about our audiences and how we tailor our content accordingly.

Visuals are really great for explaining processes and they make complex ideas [00:07:00] so much easier to understand. They can also show how different items or ideas relate to each other. So you do not need a graphic designer to do this for you. You don't, and I'm sure everyone is well aware of Canva. It has some great ideas you can use as a starting point.

Google some ideas or even just use the charts and graphics available in PowerPoint. They're actually pretty good. It doesn't need to be a work of art or overly complex. Actually, the simpler the better because remember, we just want people to understand what you're saying at just a glance as they're skimming through.

So in the show notes, I'll put a link to a blog article I've written on this topic where you can see an example of where I've taken a list of dot points on a PowerPoint slide, and I've turned that into a visual, and I've done that through a process. So I've taken that list of dot points, which was about a process, and I made it a decision tree.

But then I went, you know what? We can simplify this even more to make it at a very simple diagram of [00:08:00] just two circles. And especially when you're using a visual, uh, not just so much for written communication, but also presentations and those sorts of things, you don't want people to get caught up on the detail in the visual.

So if you can have a really simple visual and then talk to it even better. So again, have a look at the link and go to that for some inspiration. Personally, I'm very much a visual learner, so if you can explain something to me in a visual, you will have my attention. Even if we don't remember exactly what's in that visual, we will get the concept.

Also, I've seen people print out these pictures and graphs and those sorts of things for really easy reference. They print them out and stick them up next to their desk or wherever, or even on their phone, they've taken a screenshot, and that's really cool because then we know those messages are staying front of mind.

So again, think about when you might be able to use a visual instead of a lot of words. Usually it's a process or a strategy or a complex [00:09:00] idea that you need to explain. And again, just keep it really, really simple. Okay, next tip, and I love this one: add a key points or a summary section right at the top, whether it's an email or an internet article, whatever it might be.

ABC News online does this really well, so if you're not an ABC News follower, go and have a look and it's something I've incorporated myself into executive emails, newsletters, internet articles. It's such a good method for getting people to read the communication. So essentially this method recognises that people are time poor and they're looking to see if the rest of the message is worth their time.

I mean, I do it, I look at a news article, I read the summary or the dot points and go, nah, nah, I'm good. Or, ah, interesting, I'll read on. And having that key point section right at the top gives people a quick understanding of what's in the rest of the email or the article and the great part about [00:10:00] this is the key points can be your key messages.

These are the messages you want people to get across quickly. So again, if they don't read the rest of the email or the article, they've at least read your key messages. I would limit this list to a maximum of three to five dot points and keep them short because again, it might become too long and overwhelming.

Also, if there is an action you need people to take, then this summary is a great way of making that clear right up front. So, for example, in your key points, the first item might be "action required: click here to complete your leave form" or whatever. And then you can just provide a link to more info if people want it.

So I really highly recommend putting in that key points or summary section right at the top. And again, if they don't read the whole thing, at least they've read that summary section and from the get-go, they can tell how this is relevant to them. [00:11:00]

Now, my final tip for today's episode, it's a basic one, but it's a good one: use subheadings. Even though it's basic, it's still amazing how little subheadings are used in long pieces of text when there's such a great tool. They break up the flow of content so it's not just one long piece of written comms, one long series of paragraphs, and that helps the reader follow the flow of the email or the article, whatever it might.

It's also a really great way to sign post relevant information so they can search for what's most relevant to them as they're skimming through. So again, come back to the audience. Make it easy for them. Now, this is a great tip here, and if you've been tuning out a little bit, come back to me. Here's the tip.

Take your key messages, shorten them and make them your subheadings. So again, if your audience is just scanning the writing and reads nothing but the subheadings, they've at least read your key [00:12:00] messages. So there's a good chance they will stick, and because they're bold and they're big, people are more likely to remember them.

So those are my top five tips. Just to recap. Number one, use white space. Break up those paragraphs. Number two, use dot points. But make sure they're short. Number three, replace words with visuals where it makes sense. Number four, add a key points or summary section right at the top of your written communication.

And number five, use subheadings. At the end of the day though, we really should be thinking about why a long piece of communication is even necessary. Like go back to what I said at the beginning. If you're really approaching your comms with an audience first focus, then what would work for your audience?

If you were your audience, what would you actually have time to read? What would entice you to read anything longer than a few paragraphs? Could the information be [00:13:00] better communicated in like a team meeting or a webinar for example, or maybe it's a series of shorter written comps, rather than trying to cover everything at once.

These are all questions to ponder as you map out your com strategy and your plan before you even get to this point. So just remember that. So if you have any other tips to share on formatting to write, make your writing easier to digest. I of course would love to hear them. I love all these ideas. You can contact me via my website on Instagram or LinkedIn.

I'm not hard to find and links are in the show. And if you have any topics you would love me to cover or any burning questions, send them through. This is the people's show; your wish is my command. Have a stellar week and I'll meet you back here next week for more matter less chatter.