Change By Design Model plus, Wayne's Facilitator Tip

Change by Design, Tim Brown

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In Tim Brown's book, Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation, is a jewel of a model. The subject of his little hand-drawn visual is change, in general.

For four, plus years, I've been using a simular approach to teach my favorite Facilitating Tip. I've been calling it the "Football Tip" because it resembles the shape of a football.

I hope you enjoy this little musical model, , , and can adapt it to your topic or material. Joy!

Wayne

Why Reading is so Vital to Marketing, Part Two

In Part One of this article—Why Reading is so Vital to Marketing—I posed the question, “Why put any copy in your advertisement at all?”

To answer that question, I began telling a story about how I was able to pick out two actual home buyers from a mass of 10,000 Open House visitors.

The Halteman Secret

It all started when our senior builder, Joe Halteman, began sharing his secret with me, , , “Get yourself a big piece of poster board and an easel. Draw a rendering of the front of your home at the top and put the price underneath it.”

I was all ears!

“Then fill up the rest of the poster with a long list of every conceivable feature in your home, , , twenty or thirty or forty items or more, , , even the stainless steel doggie door. (Bullet point copy, I do believe!)

“Now, , , here’s how you find your real live buyers. Your whole job as you greet your visitors is to watch that poster.

Actually, focus on the last line of the poster. Just watch everyone who reads it. The person you are looking for is the one who reads the last line.

“When you see someone read all the way to the bottom, you’ve found your buyer. Only then, do you walk up and say, , , ‘do you have any other questions?’”

I did exactly as he suggested. I watched. And I watched. And, as I live and breathe, I only saw two people read the whole poster.

“I Sold a New Home to Both of Them!”

Quite a start-up for the young Kronz boys. (Click on the remake of the poster to enlarge.)

Now I have to tell you Papa Joe’s punch line when he commissioned me to do the poster. As an advertiser, tattoo this on the insides of your eyelids,“The process of reading qualifies buyers!”

Folks, the only people who read long copy are buyers (or potential buyers). Who is it you are hunting? Dah?

The key then is simple, , , Err! Get (more) people to read your ads. Or, make readers out of your marginal and non-readers. Hence the importance of readability. So then, you must increase the readership of your ads. You need readers! Another way to put it is,

“The More They Read, The More They Buy”

Consider this, , , the only time you read about ink-jet printers is when you are about to buy an ink-jet printer. The same thing holds true regarding all the product you read about. You read the labels on cans when you are about to buy the food.

But, making your ads more readable is a complex issue. I submit that there are at least five sciences involved that you should learn about and use.

In the days that follow, I will post five lessons covering The Five Sciences of Readability, plus my conclusion to the long copy-short copy argument.

Wayne Kronz

P.S. Included here is my re-make of the poster I created at Mr. Joe Halteman's suggestion. It is correct, to the best of my memory :>) (Actual rendering of home.)

P.P.S. If this line of thinking makes sense to you, email your friends about this blog, , , remember, all of this career-boosting information is absolutely FREE.

Plus my bonus, , , When Not to Use a Lot of Sales Copy.

For All Who Write, John Maxwell

For All Who Write, John Maxwell

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This musical graphic is strickly expermential. It starts with one of John Maxwells quotations from his latest book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently.

It then plays in PowerPoint in an interesting way. Let me know what you think.

Wayne

Why Reading is so Vital to Marketing, Part One

It's an age-old debate, long copy vs. short copy? I view long copy used in print advertising and on the internet very differently than most people.

The Big Question!Right up front, let's look at a more important question. Why put any copy in your ad at all?* Some people honestly do believe, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Then, why the text?

I hope our unanimous answer is; to maximize sales, leads or sign ups, etc.

To understand my strange vantage point, I must tell you a story from a past life.

"Way Back in 1966...!I was 30 years old. I was in the carpentry business with two brothers... one 28 and the other 24. We framed and trimmed new homes in our hometown, Muncie, Indiana as sub-contractors.

We decided to go "big-time" and build a spec home, as general contractors. So we joined the local chapter of the National Home Builders Association, and built a home to be shown in their upcoming event, the "Parade of Homes."

There were eight new homes built simultaneously, all adjacent to/or across the street from one another by eight different home building firms.

Ten Thousand People?!Following an extensive advertising campaign, they would all be shown, jointly over a two week, three week-end period, in an Open House, termed the "Parade of Homes."

Ten thousand people would attend the event and view all of the homes.

On the Friday evening before the formal opening, we did a "dress rehearsal" inviting town VIP's, real estate agents, mortgage people, our sub-contractors, our employees and families, etc.

"What's a Buyer Look Like?"!We set up a Hospitality Area in one of the garages. As that Friday evening was winding down, all the builders gathered. I remember walking up to the senior builder of the bunch, Joe Haltemen, and asking him,,,

"Papa Joe (we all called him that;-), ten thousand people are going to go through these homes in the next two weeks,,, how in the world do you tell the serious buyers from the people who are just looking for decorating ideas?"

I was not prepared for an answer,,, it had just been small talk.

Then he said, "Wayne, I like you and your brothers. You've put together a mighty nice home here. And you fellows are an asset to the whole show.

"I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone except my own son.

"You're artsy, aren't you, Wayne?"!I nodded.

"Get yourself a big piece of poster board and an easel. Draw a rendering of the front of your home at the top and put the price underneath it." I was all ears.

Look for part two of this article on this blog... very soon.

Wayne

* There is a reason not to put much copy in an advertisment, , , but that's a subject for another day. So stick with me on this blog, and I'll share it with you and it won't cost you a dime.

The Element Interactivity Effect, John Sweller

Though it has huge implications on how presentations are made, I've never heard these ideas discussed apart from the work of John Sweller and his associates and the academic report,
Visualisation and Instructional Design. http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/trynew/sweller-visualinstructionaldesign.pdf

Information Structure, John Sweller

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I have prepared an unusual model addressing an unusual continuum, Low Element Interactivity Material to High-Element Interactivity Material.

When it comes to preparing material for a speech or presentation, including the visual aids you use, the above variables are a huge issue.

On one end of the scale, are, say, four elements, A and B and C and D. These four factors are the key points of your presentation.

On the "low" end of the scale, each item can be discussed and learned independently and apart from the others elements, , , or low in interactivity with one another. They can be presented in serial or sequence, as completely different topics.

At the "high" end of the scale, each different element is very dependant on the other elements you are presenting or high in interactivity with one another. Necessarily, they must be learned in conjunction with one another.

The latter leads to what scientist call, cognitive overload. And to the best of your ability, you should design material that eliminates as much of "it" as you can.

But, how is this done. I suggest five different approaches, , ,

1. "Dumb it Down." Those are someone else's words, not mine. While I strongly believe in presenting in as simple a form as possible, but I don't think you should eliminate any academic value or challenge from any topic.

So you can almost eliminate this point.

2. Back to Basics. People do need to know and understand the basics of anything, , , and this is a very good way to approach any presentation. Building a speech around your A and B and C and D is not always a bad thing.

3. Study the Continuum. Look at your topic and see how much material is "very interactive." In today's complex world, there will be a lot of this interconnected information.

Then settle on a "middle of the road" approach. It might be is how does A relates to B. How A relates to C and finally how A relates to D. That's only three points to your whole presentation. At least, you'll have A covered pretty well.

4. Know Your Audience. This crazy scale might go completely across your audience. Some may want "milk" and others "high-cut meat."

5. The Fire in the Kitchen! There is always a temptation to cover the whole thing, including topics like "The B Picture," "The Three C's" and "The D Factors." My advice, DON'T. There will always be another day and another presentation. Most of the time, "less is more."

If you do choose to tackle the "whole enchilada," be sure to give your audience a lot of help with well-thought-out handouts, or visual aids or mnemonic tools, etc. or all of the above.

Wayne

The Keys to Simplicity, Wayne Kronz

Everyone and their brother that has any idea of how presentations work, is into simplicity, , , whether it's Zen philosophy, to plain horse-sense, i.e., "keep it simple, stupid."

The Keys to Simplicity, Wayne Kronz

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I too have my ideas. It includes embracing the useful that is simple and a unique kind of rejection of the complex.

Check this little model out.

Wayne

The Gratitude Loop, Wayne Kronz

Of all of the visual aids I've ever created, this is my favorite.

The Gratitude Loop, Wayne Kronz

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Why?

First, the content. This is high-value material for everyday living! And, for us all!

Second, the animation technique. I was able to use the tools in PowerPoint to simulate exactly what I would be drawing on a whiteboard if I were presenting it live to you.

Third, the music. I think it complements the message.

Lastly, it's simple and easy to understand. When it comes to the end, and The 12 Lifestyle Benefits of Gratitude are all listed on a still screen, read them over three or four times. Let them sink in.

Wayne