Welcome to SpeakerSue's Spring eNewsletter. Because so many of you asked, in this issue, we'll talk about:

• What your emails may be saying about you (Make sure everyone in your office reads this!)
• 5 Must-Do's to help your customers buy
• How to create the best impression, save money and be more persuasive, too
• Email rules they-are-a-changin'...

What are your emails saying about you?
You may be a liar if... According to researchers at Southern Methodist University, word choice can indicate if a person is telling the truth or not. "Liars tend to use fewer first person words like I or my in both speech and writing," says Diane Berry, Ph.D and James W. Pennebaker, Ph.D. This doesn't mean you should start populating your email messages with information about yourself. Stay focused on what's in it for the other person, be personable and conversational. One easy way to incorporate first person words is to not omit the word "I" when writing something like: Looking forward to talking to you. Instead say: I'm looking forward to talking to you about how your attendees can stay focused and productive. (It's about them and you ... a perfect combo!)

But wait, there's more! SMU research also indicated "Even if you're telling the whole truth, your credibility may be diminished if you don't communicate in person. " Another reason to PUTPF (Pick Up The Phone, Folks!).

Do you help your customers buy? Here are 5 ideas to apply immediately:

1. Help them feel safe and smart about their choice.
2. Take control of the follow-up. Decide how specific you want to be... I'll call early next week, I'll call Monday, I'll call Monday morning, I'll call Monday at 9a. Each option has potential depending on your communication goal.
3. Connect the dots. Just because you have the only product or service with "X" doesn't mean your buyers will understand what "X" can do for them. Connect their objectives to your features.
4. Be respectful of their time. Don't write a three paragraph email when a three sentence one would work.
5. Grab attention with your opening statement. Begin with the word you or your and then relate something meaningful to them. You'll stand out from your competition and help them want to read more.

Want more? Let's talk about providing customized training for your team!

Font you!
At almost every workshop someone asks me which is the best font to use in email. The research is inconclusive so here are my thoughts and an overview of the confusing research:

• Instructions written in a plain Arial font are more likely to be completed than those written in a script-like font. (University of Michigan)
• Using Century Gothic instead of Arial can save money on printer ink; about 30% less ink will be used. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has switched its default font on its e-mail system to save money and be more eco-friendly.

To confuse you further:

• Reported in Advertising Age... Using "crealytics" (creative analytics), a group called Organic, researched customers' responses to various fonts. They found, hold your keystroke here, that the use of serifs like in Georgia are more warm and fuzzy (really) and enjoyed by readers most, except in certain parts of the country (New Yorkers seem to like Helvetica better).
• And more: Turns out that sans-serif font may not be more legible than serifs even in design... Here is an interesting blog post about how designers enjoy keeping things "clean and bold" yet it seems clean (like Helvetica) may have lost its impact.

More about font you...whatever you do,

• don't shout by bolding,
• don't underline because readers confuse the underscore with a hyperlink (only hot links should be underlined)
• avoid red (even if that is your corporate color),
• stay away from blue (again because of confusion with a hot link),
• don't use all CAPS (except when you have really good news and want to begin with CONGRATULATIONS! or YOU ROCK! or something you know will bring a smile to the recipient) and
• be thoughtful about the font you select to represent you.

Unabashed plug: If you didn't attend MeetDifferent, the MPI meeting in Cancun, you missed a great conference. My session, Communicating When Strangling Isn't an Option, was scheduled at 7:30a, after a great beach party the evening before. I was certain no one would show up and thankfully I was so wrong! The session had standing room only, with the organizers turning people away! Why? Because everyone has had the frustration of having to communicate (either by email or in person) with people who don't seem to get it. If you want to energize your team and give them specific, practical skills they can use to be more productive and less stressed, you'll definitely want to schedule this session for your next meeting. Please email Kristin@SpeakerSue.com or call us at 480-575-9711 to talk about how I can customize this session using your specific difficult situations (negativity in the workplace, cubicle shouters!, email maniacs, etc.) to ensure practical and precise training.

Email rules have changed
Everything has changed, so why wouldn't email rules? More than ever, it's critical to make your messages compelling to the recipient. What is compelling?
Short.
Clear.
Friendly.
Direct.
Be certain your team has the skills to spend their day productively and profitably. Ensure they write in an approachable manner. The key is to make it easy for recipients to do what you need them to do and say yes to your request. Write to help the other person feel safe and smart and you'll be likely to get the results you want. Don't shortchange yourself with less than excellent email writing skills.

Do you tweet? Follow me for daily tips. Want more? SpeakerSueSays focuses on presentation skills, communication skills and writing. Check it out!
Oh, and I'm never too busy for your referrals. Thank you for keeping me in mind!

All the best,
Sue

Sue Hershkowitz-Coore
480-575-9711

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