atkinson advisor

President Obama pledged to release pictures of torture and abuse of prisoners in overseas military prisons. He then reversed that decision and angered many supporters in the process.

The administration’s reputation will take a hit. Those in power obviously made a calculated choice that the confidence President Obama has generated since his inauguration can withstand the downside of not keeping such an emotionally charged promise.

Philip Gourevitch, who is co-authoring a book about Abu Ghraib, has an interesting perspective on the president’s decision, which he supports. He claims to have viewed many of the photos not yet published. And he says he has no plans for publishing any of them in his book. His explanation:

“Crime-scene photographs, for all their power to reveal, can also serve as a distraction, even a deterrent, from precise understanding of the events they depict. Photographs cannot show us a chain of command, or Washington decision making. Photographs cannot tell stories. They can only provide evidence of stories, and evidence is mute; it demands investigation and interpretation.”

If we know anything about Washington, D.C., the photos will eventually come to light. They always do. Let’s hope they also have the perspective that Gourevitch advocates.

Gourevitch’s entire op-ed from the New York Times.

It was a wise person who created the K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, stupid) Principle however many years ago.

Simplicity cuts through clutter in everyday life. It saves time. And it prevents future problems.

The truth is that simplicity is hard work, especially in communications.

Here are some thoughts for simplifying your important communications:

• Open with why your communication is important. How many times have you heard someone talk for 10 minutes only to conclude with, “What I mean to say is…”? The same happens with e-mail and marketing materials. Always start with some perspective.
• Use analogies and examples. People understand symbols and stories. They rarely understand data unless they have history with the subject. Find creative ways to connect your communication with something familiar to your audience.
• Use small words and short sentences. The average business communication is written at a college level or higher. Big words and long sentences require a lot of effort. Save your audience the time by shrinking your words and sentences (see Hits & Bytes below). The Wall Street Journal writes to an 8th-grade level, in case you are wondering.
• Layer. Most poor communication overwhelms the audience out of the gate. Layering information is the antidote. You layer by opening with why your communication is important. You then add a layer with the first supporting point, making sure to connect it to the main premise. Now add the second supporting point and so on. The key is to connect each point back to the premise before adding the next point.

A sales manager for Siemens AG came into a meeting on client relationships with a folding chair. He proceeded to set up the empty chair next to his own chair. Puzzled colleagues asked, “Who are you expecting to join us?”

The sales manager replied, “This is my client’s chair. I brought it into the meeting so my customer can sit right here and listen to our discussion.” As the manager had predicted, the character of the discussion was quite different from their typical sales meetings.

Try this to get the client’s perspective factored into your key discussions and decisions.

The hottest social media tools will come and go. Their impact — namely the ability to converse directly with your key audiences — is here to stay.

Clients frequently ask if they should get into social media. We believe they should, but only by adding social media tools to the mix of their overall communication strategy.

It’s essential to take a step back, understand how each tool works, and map out a strategy before diving in by creating a Twitter account or setting up your company’s Facebook fan page.

Bill Seaver, our friend at MicroExplosion Media, has a three-step model for venturing into social media that we think makes a lot of sense.

1. Monitor. Learn about the different social media tools and find out how people are using them to talk about your company, your competition, and your industry. Are other companies you admire using Twitter to interact with clients? What are bloggers saying about you, and which ones are influential enough to affect opinion? Observe how people interact with one another and the brands that you want to model. Also observe how frequently people post, tweet, comment, etc. so you can assess the time involved.
2. Participate. With a better lay of the land, you can start joining the conversation by commenting on blogs, posting messages on forums, or writing on a Facebook wall.
3. Create. Now you’re ready. Creating involves possibly starting your own blog or launching a Twitter account. You may even decide to host your own social network. At this stage you’ll want to continue monitoring and participating, because new tools—and new conversations—are being created every day.

www.wordscount.info/index.html

WordsCount allows you to assess the grade level of your writing and receive interesting statistics about your writing. For example, the grade level of this newsletter is seven. It has 193 big words that have three or more syllables and 26 hard words (grade 7 and above). WordsCount is a great tool to test and simplify your writing.

by Tom Rath

Success often requires playing to your strengths. But do you really know you’re your strengths are and how to capitalize on them?

StrengthsFinder 2.0 has the answer.

Author Tom Rath has spent his career studying strengths and why people should make the most of them instead of focusing on their shortcomings. His research has identified 34 most common talents (he calls them themes) and created a tool for determining anyone’s top five. Rath believes that discovering your primary talents will have great benefit to you and your work peers.

Each StrengthsFinder 2.0 book includes an access code that allows the reader to take a 45-minute online test to determine his or her strengths. The book includes detailed information on each of the themes, such as Analytical, Focus, Maximizer, and Strategic. It also includes ideas for action and working with others who exhibit that particular strength.