If I’m interviewing you, you may be taken aback when I look and talk to you while my hands scribble a shorthand version of what you’re saying. “Can you read that?” a lot of people ask me.

Yes! And while you probably don’t need to master the art of maintaining eye contact while recording a person’s verbatim words, knowing how to take notes is a great skill to have.

Why Learn How to Take Notes?

Taking notes gives you a written record of what happened during a conversation or meeting, and it’s also an important communication tool. We miss a lot of things other people tell us because we’re distracted — by a noise, by something we see, or just because we’re thinking of what we’re going to say next.

When you take notes, you concentrate on the speaker’s ideas and show the speaker that you value what they have to say. You should take notes if:

- You have a meeting about an important project
- You are meeting someone for the first time
- You are at an important speech or presentation and want to get the most out of it.
- You are in charge of taking notes / minutes for a meeting

In my experience, it’s always better to have notes that you end up not needing instead of wishing you had a written record of an important statement, conversation or meeting.

How Do I Take Notes?

• Use a computer or handwrite, depending on what’s available and what feels most comfortable.

• Make sure you have enough writing material. Your laptop should have enough power. Writing by hand? Have a few pens with you and use a notepad with plenty of paper.

• Make sure you can hear the speaker! Sit as close as you can. Make sure you also have enough room to take your notes comfortably.

• Write down everything; you never know what you’ll end up needing. Agendas are helpful, but I’ve found in my time reporting that the important things are also usually surprises.

How Do I Take Notes Quickly?

You need to use shorthand. If you’re coming up with your own system, make sure you’ll remember what your symbols mean.

Text talk (U = You, 2 = To) is pretty easy to remember and so will industry acronyms you’re familiar with. After my time in health care, I began substituting “Q” for “every” in my shorthand.

What Do I Do with These Scribbles Now?

As soon as you stop taking notes, look them over from the beginning and write in as many whole words as possible, especially illegible ones. Cold notes are difficult to work with.

From Note-Taking to Networking

If you find yourself missing names or information, ask the speaker while you’re both still in the same room. A speaker usually won’t just fill in the gaps — they’ll share more information with you as well. Whether it’s a one-on-one or a large meeting, note-taking can be a great communication tool when you use it as a springboard to a conversation.

What do you think? Share your thoughts here!

Saying “warsh” instead of “wash” or “ofen” instead of “of-ten” can be a charming expression of a local dialect. But mispronouncing a word like segue or butchering the name of a person or city can be embarrassing, especially if you make it during a presentation or introductions.

Fortunately, the Internet is here to help, and will do it for free.

Preparing for a meeting? Practicing a speech? Need to settle an argument with someone who calls it “War-chest-er sauce”? (That would’ve been me ten years ago). Turn up your computer speakers and check out these websites.

- Dictionary.com uses more than 16 dictionaries to compile its database of English words. Beside each word you’ll see a speaker icon. Click on it and you’ll hear the correct pronunciation of the word.

- Inogolo.com specializes in the proper pronunciation of people and places. Your friend will learn that it’s actually pronounced “Worster sauce”. When you want to compliment a new business acquaintance on his TAG Heure watch, you’ll know to say, “Tag HOY-yur”.

- If you run Firefox, you can download the Pronounce Firefox extension. Right click on any word on a web page, and “pronounce” will appear in a menu. Click and you will hear the Merriam-Webster dictionary pronunciation of the word.

If the name or word you’re searching for doesn’t appear in any of the above three options, you might have to go about it the old-fashioned way. Ask someone who knows how to pronounce the name or word. Once you’ve heard it, repeat it and record yourself saying it correctly. Take another listen and practice again before heading off to your meeting or speech. Vwah-la!

Have a comment? Tell me what you think here!

If your small business doesn’t depend on hot weather, gorgeous summer days can make you feel like a 10-year-old kid who’s just heard the last school bell of the year.

Everyone’s itching for vacation – you, your employees, and your clients. It’s tempting to have a “see you in September” approach to business communications in the summer, but resist the urge.

Why Holidays Shouldn’t Be a Time to Disappear

Entire projects, including down-time housecleaning projects, can disappear when momentum gets lost. Think of it as death by a thousand one-week vacations.

Maybe you were going to suggest a cross-promotion to the local garage. Then you got his voice mail, and he won’t be back until July 20. By then you’ll be gone, and you’re not back until the first of August. You’ll just deal with it then. Except you don’t, because you come back in August trying to play catch up.

If you have employees, you may run into the domino effect: Linda gets the project started, but has to stop because Judy has the one piece of information she needs, and she’s out west for two weeks. When Judy comes back, Linda’s gone, as is Dianne, who really should take a look at this before it goes any further.

Three Ways to Communicate in Between Summer Vacations

Communicating with clients or your own staff doesn’t have to suffer during summer. It won’t be as fast as the rest of the year, but try the following to keep things on an even keel at least.

1.    Have a Summer Attitude

Instead of slashing your way through a to-do list or curling up in a procrastination ball until the fall, think of yourself as planting project seeds and watching them slowly unfold. You and everyone else deserve to enjoy the good weather and you also deserve to get things done. The perfect balance is to expect things to move, just a little slower. A summer attitude will help you master the next two steps.

2.    Make Your Calls and Continue to Follow-up

Call that local garage and leave a voice mail. Let him know you won’t be back until August. He might not be especially motivated to call you at 9 a.m. on your first day back, but jot down a note to yourself to follow up a few days after you get back. Always put in the initial effort.

3.    Create a Wiki or a Summer Bulletin Board for Your Staff

If your business is high-tech, go for a wiki. If you have no idea what a wiki is, buy yourself a giant slab of corkboard. Either way, have some kind of collaboration system in place so that messages get passed in between everyone’s vacations. When Linda hits her roadblock, she immediately leaves Judy a message specifying the information needed. Dianne has access so no one has to wait for her input.

Enjoy Your Summer and Your Small Business

Small business owners deserve and need the few beautiful months of the year to recharge and relax. With the right attitude and communication habits, you could enjoy a summer with both lazy days and a list of accomplishments, paving the way for an energized fall.

Leave a comment here!

photo by Bruno Neves

Lesson 1: Your first email to someone new? Make it count.

I spend a fair bit of time on emails, especially ones where I am contacting a source or possible client for the first time. First impressions count, and email doesn’t let you express tone or establish a rapport the way face-to-face or a phone call does.

Lynn Gaertner-Johnston at Business Writing blog shares an email message spectacular in its ineffectiveness. Read her post and remember why even a “quick” email should be researched, personalized and carefully written.

Lesson 2: Use your emailing powers for good, not annoyance.

Maybe some people honestly don’t know, or maybe they know perfectly well and are deliberately trying to drive you crazy. Either way, make sure you’re not one of them and check out this fun ABC News article on office politics and bad email habits.

Leave a comment here!

photo by Mihai Eustatiu

Do you need a business card? Of course you do. A wildly popular and perfect digital replacement for a business card hasn’t appeared yet, so our 2×3 cardstock friends will be with us for a while.

Some people put off getting a business card, convincing themselves that it will be a waste of money.  Two notorious groups for this are online business owners and, at the other end of the continuum, low-tech business owners in small towns / rural areas.

Online Business Owners Need Business Cards

To be fair, it seems pretty simple why your online business can get along without hard copy business cards. Your clients are online, you find clients online, you do everything online.

In response, Diana Ratliff asks the following six cheeky questions :

• Is everybody who might possibly have an interest in your business currently online?
• If yes, do they know how to find your site?
• Will they be able to find your site six months from now?
• Is your site getting all the traffic you can handle?
• Does everyone you discuss your business with around town have a pen and paper handy so they can write down your website address?

Think of IRL (In Real Life) marketing as an edge for your online business. Technology is fast and amazing, but so is personal contact and word of mouth. Speaking of word of mouth…

Low-Tech Small Town / Rural Businesses Also Need Business Cards

Everyone knows where your business is located! Turn left on the second concession just after RR 3. The long, hidden driveway to get to your business is kitty corner to the giant tree at the Henderson place.

The problem is that new people  move to small towns in rural areas, and they don’t know where the Henderson place is. Also, if they ask a long-time resident, the long-timer may only have a vague description of the location.

A long-time resident in my small town, who knows everyone, was stumped recently when someone asked him for the name and number of a local wood-carving business. He could describe where it was on the highway, but without a business card in his pocket or the business card info in his Blackberry, he didn’t have a phone number or even a business name to pass along.

People and Business Cards: A Great Combination

Word of mouth and reputation is great, but people’s brains only hold so much. As always, never make it hard for people to remember:

• who you are
• what your business is called
• what it does
• how you can be reached

If you work hard at making connections with potential clients, business cards will be a great safety net to make sure customers can find you whenever they need you.

Leave a comment here!

Your business card design is 2×3 inches of written communication, graphic design and first impressions. Think carefully before you just throw some Avery pre-mades into the inkjet printer or spend hours coming up with something impractical that’ll blow everyone’s mind.

Business Card Design: Balancing Layout with Information

Layout plays an important part in simple, effective written communication. As I’ve said before, your reader’s eyeballs are your most precious resource — don’t abuse them or make them work any harder than they have to.

Don’t try to squeeze everything you’ve got on to one little business card!  An image is great, but stick to just one. Include only your relevant contact info that fits easily on to the card. If you need to include taglines, a quote or anything else, consider using the other side of the business card.

Remember Function when Choosing a Business Card Design

- Stick to the traditional when it comes to the size of the card. Too big or too small sizes are unwieldy and don’t fit into standard business card holders.

- If you’re thinking of using a material other than paper, think carefully. I may love your metal business card, but if the nice airport security lady asks me if I want to keep it, I’ll probably say no. If you go with plastic, you won’t be able to scribble messages on the back.

- Business cards don’t really double as promotional items. If you have your company info printed on a clothespin or chocolate bar, you need to have a normal business card as well. Otherwise I’ll eat your contact info or use it to hang my laundry. Either way, I won’t remember you after.

The Most Important Advice on Business Card Design

KNOW YOUR LIMITS. My Quark Xpress experience qualified me to dummy up my business card. It did not, however, qualify me to draw a logo. I found a great graphic designer who created the Longbow logo for me in several formats, and I’ve used them faithfully for my website, letterhead and business cards.

But maybe you’re a pretty good drawer. Do you deftly sketch plates of cookies for bake sale posters and entertain kids with your Bugs Bunny doodles? That’s nice. Do NOT draw your own business card logo. People may complain that business cards are turning into meaningless pieces of paper (see next week’s post), but it’s still a powerful visual indication of how professional your business is. For the love of God, do NOT use Microsoft Word Art or Clip Art!

Before Your Business Card Hits the Printers’

I highly recommend picking a professional’s brain when it comes to your final design, even if it’s just a friend or a student who’s good at design. Also run it by family and friends — can they easily locate your information? Does it make their eyeballs hurt? If you get a yes to the first question and a no to the second, you’ve got a winner!

Leave a comment here!

photo by Cameron Gaut

There’s rarely a dress code when you’re a designer, writer, photographer or any other kind of creative professional. If you’re working at home, you can be decked out in pajama pants and a ratty hooded sweatshirt. If you’re partial to quirky clothing, people will cut you slack — by god, you’re a creative professional!

Once an interview or client is scheduled for the day, however, things change. You need to dress for a delicate balancing act that will convince the other person that yes, you are creative, and yes, you can meet deadlines.

What to Wear: Suggestions for Creatives

So you shouldn’t look like a banker about to foreclose or like you’ve just come back from Burning Man and the peyote isn’t out of your system just yet.The general consensus is to buy some flattering suits and separates and customize them with creative accessories. Here are some specific ideas:

- “Go “casual creative.” Explore with color or with volume.” EmilyStyle blog suggests wide leg trousers, a sharp neutral handbag and wedges for women.

- “Make your workplace wardrobe consistently stylish with dark denim trousers, fitted jackets, cool sweaters, a sweater dress belted at the waist, wrap dresses or comfy jersey styles and add a tweed pair of pants as well.”  (StyleBakery)

More Suggestions on “Casual Creative” or “Creative Professional”

The Salesperson’s Guide may have a mundane name, but the website put a lot of thought into dressing creative professional, for both men and women. Their tips include:

- Try “normal flamboyant”– a skirt/top/cords combo instead of a dark suit
- Women can combine a classic suit with funky shoes, brooch or nail detailing
- Men can wear a suit with an unusual cut or suit lining
- Chunky rings
- Messenger bags
- Sneakers
- A printed tee-shirt under a suit jacket

Er, On Second Thought…

I’m actually not sure about the printed tee-shirts. I had a whole lot of clothes from my early 20s that still fit me, so I was wearing army surplus combat pants and ironic Smurfette tees way too far into my grown-up years. They’re mostly gone now, and I couldn’t ever see myself wearing Smurfette when meeting with a client.

What do you think? Designers, writers, photographers…how do you dress with creative flair AND professional assurance when you’re meeting with a client? If you’re in a firm, how does the office try to maintain that balance?

Leave a comment here!

A business biography is a great promotional tool for a business to have, right up there with business cards and a logo. Instead of scrambling for words when you’re asked to provide a written description of your business, a well thought-out business biography comes in handy as:

Business Biographies – What to Include

Your business biography needs to “tell and sell”. It should be a little story that both entertains your reader and informs them why your business is the best choice. To help you brainstorm what your story should include, answer the following:

• How long you’ve been in business
• Why you chose your particular business
• Where your business is located
• Unique services and products you offer
• Who your customers are, including unique or well-known clientele
• Customer compliments
• Awards and accolades received from your community or industry
• Expansion or additional services being offered
• The size and staff of your business

Read over your answers and see if you can pick out a story. You’ll probably find that your business has more than one story, so think of your audience and your business goals when deciding which one to tell, the way my local weekly newspaper did.

Business Biography — An Example

In this community profile I helped polish, here, the Mitchell Advocate explains why it is the best choice for local readers instead of free news websites or 24-hour cable news. The story of this business bio is of a close-knit, small staff dedicated to the close-knit, small town they live and work in. CNN or the Toronto Star’s free website simply can’t compete in terms of knowledge or dedication when it comes to telling you everything that’s happening in town.

The business story of Longbow explains how I combined my journalism background with years of working with customers, job candidates, news sources, agencies and medical patients to develop a simple and effective writing style. I tweak the story into different business biographies depending on the situation.

Different Styles for Different Needs

Why should a business biography be tweaked? Well, a short, sweet, and memorable business bio is perfect for concluding a press release, or a piece you’ve contributed to a local or trade publication. An engaging, longer corporate profile works the best for conference or event programmes, or if you’re giving a major speech or presentation.

If tweaking, or even writing, a business biography isn’t for you, hire a writer. One way to get more bang for your buck is to ask your writer what kind of discount you’ll get for different versions of the same piece. Recently, I wrote a piece for a client who has two slightly different client bases. While the piece would’ve worked well for both, some minor tweaking made an even better piece for one of her groups. She got a “two for the price of one” deal — I charged her for time spent writing the piece, but not for the few minutes I used to tweak it into an extra version.

Final Words on Your Business Biography

Whether short or long, always end your business biography with one or two ways potential clients can get in touch with you. Update it as necessary, and don’t leave it hidden in a drawer somewhere — now that you’ve got a great business bio, get out there and use it!

 Giving people the information they need, simply and effectively, is how Longbow Business Solutions connects people to the businesses trying to reach out to them. Based in southwestern Ontario, Rita Marshall writes for print and web in a smooth, informative, easy-to-read style. The results? Readers and clients who learn more, do more, and ask for more. See for yourself at www.longbowbusiness.com. Rita can be contacted at 1-800-403-9832 or rmarshall@longbowbusiness.com

Graphic by Yoshi Aka

When you end an email, you can either type a smiley face beside your name or you can use an automated email signature to promote yourself and your business. I think we both know which is the best option.
Here are some quick, easy and effective ways to make your email sig work for you.

Give (And Repeat) Contact Info

Your email sig should include your name, your title, your company’s name, your website, and how to get in touch with you. Getting in touch should include your email address. “Good idea,” some cheeky readers may say. “It’s not like you’ve just sent them an email with your address on it.”

But what if your email ends up getting forwarded a few times? Will someone find your services fascinating enough to dig through a forwarded email trying to find your email address? Never make ‘em look too hard for your contact info.

Prioritize and Keep It Short

A reader’s eyeballs are your most precious resource. Don’t abuse them with a 20 line email signature. Sure you’re on Skype, MSN, IM, Twitter and Facebook. You’ve got a land line, cell, and several email addresses.

Which are the quickest ways you’d like to be reached? One email address that you check diligently and one business phone number should be sufficient. Only add your physical address if clients often come there to work with you.  A total email sig should not go over 8 lines.

Get Creative

• Succinctly describe your business services in a snappy tag line under your company name. It never hurts to keep reminding everyone of what you do.

• Offer a free report or promote a free service. Do you have 10 Tips for Great-Looking Websites? Do you offer a free home evaluation for anyone thinking of selling their property?  Devote a line in your email sig and tell everyone about it.

• I’m on the fence about motivational or humorous quotes. Are you using the quote to illustrate your business style – tenacious, creative, energetic? If the line resonates strongly with you and you’ve got the room, go for it. If not, leave that valuable email real estate for contact info and a business description.

An Effective Finished Product

 Now that you’ve got a tight and effective email sig, make sure to set your email settings so that it goes out on all your emails. If you have a line for free reports or new services, make sure to update it with fresh reports, offers, or news every so often. Get really fancy and you can set up different email sigs for different groups of recipients.

You’re effortlessly marketing with each email you send now, and not a smiley face in sight!

Photo by Carl Dwyer

Seeing is Believing, or Not Believing and Kicking You Out of a Business Meeting

Josh, a successful high-end real estate agent in his 20s, heads to a client’s house to discuss a multi-million-dollar deal. He is wearing a tracksuit (complete with stains), a headband and sunglasses. The client kicks him out of their meeting. Josh can’t understand what just happened to this business relationship. Can you?

This happened in an episode of one of my favourite guilty pleasures, the real estate reality show Million Dollar Listing (Bravo and HGTV). Two out of three of these upscale LA real estate agents try to demonstrate their uniqueness by being as “creative” or non-conformist with their appearance as possible. Josh believes he is so good at his job he can afford to be scruffy (and wear sweatpants). Chad instills client confidence by shaping his hair like a giant olive, and fussing with it constantly. Only Madison trusts a mostly professional wardrobe (it is LA) and his gleaming teeth to carry him through business dealings.

Are You Too Creative or Too Housebound to Dress Professionally?

It’s not just Beverly Hills real estate agents, though. Designers, writers, photographers and many other “creatives” sometimes also feel dressing professionally or conservatively dampens their overall brand. To be fair, when you want clients to think of you as wildly creative, looking like a banker doesn’t help. But do you know where to draw the line?

Sometimes small business owners who work from home with clients they never meet face to face don’t feel the need for a professional, business-like appearance. One copywriter brags on her website that she works in her pyjamas. Even if you had the best of intentions to dress professionally at home, the slide down to pyjama pants and sweatshirts is a slippery one. Are you able to turn it around and look your best when a client does request a face-to-face meeting?

Some Blunt Advice

For Amy Elizabeth Casson, president of Polished Image, generational difference also played a role in Josh’s clothing fiasco. Read her blunt advice to potential Josh copycats here. The truth is, your personal appearance does affect your business relationships.

Photo by Versalogic