And they say they CAYRE

Kwik Kopy, Kidz Kutz, Koffee King ... These not-so-kute variations of common words have certainly made their way into the world of branding. While I can’t say I’m terribly in favour of their existence, they don’t usually get my goat, but every now and then … grrrrrrrr … my goat gets got.

CAYRE (Community Alliance for York Region Education) is a community-based registered charity that funds opportunities and advantages to enhance learning for York Region students in Ontario. I have absolutely nothing against their acronym. In fact, I think it’s rather clever. But there’s a time and place for clever, and the bag in which young children carry their library books is not, in my opinion, the smartest surface on which to write “We CAYRE about reading.”

Well, that brings my little rant to a close. Agree? Disagree? Got one of your own? Have your say here. 

What kind of listener are you?

Communication refers to the exchange of information between individuals, exchange being the operative word. Effective communication should, therefore, focus as much on receiving a message as it does on delivering one. What kind of listener are you?

Are you a mind reader? If you're constantly trying to second-guess others, you can't be giving them your full attention.

Are you an adviser? If you go in already focused on what you think is best, you're unlikely to be open to the suggestions of others.

Are you a cherry picker? Cherry pickers listen out for what they want to hear and tune everything else out, which causes them to miss out on valuable details.

Are you a daydreamer? I said, are you a daydreamer?

Even if you think you're a good listener, why not shoot for better? Maximize the success of presentations, new business pitches - and even dates - by following these effective listening tips:

1. Always give whoever is speaking your full attention. (Note: Checking out their spiffy new shoes doesn't qualify.)
2. Stay focused. Listen to every word the speaker is saying instead of anticipating what they're going to say next. If you find yourself glazing over, give your body a quick wake-up call by shifting your position.
3. Don't jump ahead. If you're busy thinking about what you're going to say next, you can't be giving the speaker your full attention.
4. Don't interrupt. If you think of a question, jot it down, let the speaker finish their thought and pose the question during a suitable break.
5. Play it back. If you're not certain you've understood the message correctly, say something along the lines of: If I understand you correctly, what you're saying is ... and replay what they've said, only in your own words.

That's it for this post. Thanks for listening.

I couldn't care less ... or could I?

Two readers wrote in expressing their dismay over the misuse of this expression. Eager to clear matters up on their behalf, I began my quest to support their argument in favour of I couldn’t care less.

Lo and behold, I hit a roadblock, namely, The Concise Oxford Dictionary. While I couldn’t care less is indeed correct for use in Canadian English, apparently I could care less is its American English counterpart.

Does the American version make sense? I believe it does, my interpretation being: “I care about the size of a pinhead – if that, but yes, I suppose I could care even less if I tried very hard.” As derogatory as the Canadian version, wouldn’t you say?

I’ll Be There

“You and I must make a pact, we must bring salvation back. Where there is love, I'll be there.” That has to be one of my favourite Jackson 5 songs. The lyrics are sweet, and unlike my daughter who objects to Michael’s “girly” voice, I think he sounds perfectly pure, and it moves me every time. At least, it did until last Saturday.

While I was out driving with the sun shining, windows down, and little Michael singing his heart out, I was almost moved to tears, and then I heard it: a line that jolted me out of my moment and into my next and rather overdue blog entry. The culprit:

“If you should ever find someone new, I know he'd better be good to you. 'Cause if he DOESN’T, I'll be there.”

Doesn’t? Doesn’t what, exactly? As this line played and replayed in my head, I couldn’t grasp why they inserted the wrong word when the right word has exactly the same cadence and actually makes sense:

“If you should ever find someone new, I know he'd better be good to you. 'Cause if he ISN’T, I'll be there.”

I’ll admit, my observation is petty when you look at how much the Jackson 5 actually did get right, but I do believe there’s a lesson in it for us mere mortals. When you’re writing, don’t just make sure your verbs and pronouns agree. Make sure your sentences agree with one another. Spell check may be smart enough to point out a poorly structured sentence, but it’s not smart enough to point out a well-structured sentence that’s out of context.

And now, with my rant behind me, I’m going back for more. Care to join me? Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6bARIaMhCM

Communicate, chunk by chunk

If I had a dollar for every time someone called me up and said, “I’ve been meaning to write [fill in the blank] for months and can’t find the time. Can you help?”… Granted, I wouldn’t be a millionaire but I’d have at least a week’s worth of Starbucks lattes in the bank, and they don’t come cheap.

If your great intentions are getting you nowhere fast, try tackling it in small chunks versus one big bite. With that in mind, here are five tips to help you get that communication out before it's old news.

Analyze your audience and your purpose.

Who are you communicating with? What is the desired outcome of your communication? Is it to build loyalty, drive traffic, or simply inform? Lose sight of your goal and you’re guaranteed to veer off track.

Organize your source material.

I find it helpful to create one document into which I cut and paste helpful URLs, directions issued to me via e-mail, and relevant paragraphs pulled from various sources. This allows me to spend less time rummaging and more time writing.

Don’t write and edit at the same time.

If you’re constantly stopping to criticize your work, you’ll never manage to complete a thought. Get your points down and then – only then – revisit your work and start editing.

Buy a dictionary.

If you’re not obliged to follow a particular style guide, I recommend that you stick to Canadian spelling. And don’t let your spellcheck tell you otherwise. In Canada, we write “fulfil”; in the U.S., they write “fulfill.” As a general rule don’t succumb to MSWord’s little red spellcheck squiggle without picking up your dictionary. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 2^nd edition, is a wise choice.

Pass it on.

Even the best writers are human first, writer second, and humans make mistakes. If you have a vested interest in the outcome of your communication, call on a professional for a fresh pair of eyes. Or, if budget is tight, run your work by a colleague or friend at the very least.

Got a tip you’d like to share? Send it my way and I’ll pass the word on.

Avoid these everyday errors

One writing error that I come across almost every day is the mistaken substitution of two words in instances where there should be one. I’m not exaggerating. It’s practically an everyday occurrence.

If you think I’m making this up, you’re altogether wrong. I’ve been collecting clippings of this recurring error from my local newspaper. I keep these clippings all together in a small plastic box in the top drawer of my desk and look at them every day before I start work.

Okay, I confess, there is no plastic box and there are no newspaper clippings. If you were all ready to write me off as a mad grammarian, please think again. I simply like to make a grammatical point from time to time. I trust I’ve accomplished this already.

Caps in the spring

Despite the mammoth snowflakes that drifted by my office window all day yesterday, I have this tingling sense of impending spring. Call me crazy, but I swear I heard baby birds chirping the other day. Alas, it may have been in my head. Either way, sooner or later, spring will arrive, and with it will come all sorts of exciting spring promotions.

As you incorporate seasonal messaging into your marketing materials, keep in mind that seasons, as a general rule, aren’t capitalized. (“Take advantage of our fabulous spring specials.”)

If you’re incorporating the name of a season into the name of a special event or promotion, however, go ahead and capitalize. (“Our Spectacular Spring Sale starts this Saturday.”)

While we’re on the subject of caps, when your marketing is driven by holidays, religious events, and special occasions such as St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and Mother’s Day, caps are in order as these events, unlike seasons, are all proper names.