Posted by BJ under Word play & writing | 
There’s a video making the rounds which illustrates the power of words and reinforces how using different words can have a significant impact on how the message is received and the effect it has on people.
It’s worth watching both for the message it delivers, as well as for reinforcing once again how important it is for us to carefully consider the words we use.
You can watch the video below, or click here to watch it on YouTube.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzgzim5m7oU[/youtube]
Posted by Jon under Processes & best practice |
A recent discussion with a client revolved around the role of the Executive Sponsor on a bid. Whilst I’ve worked with many such senior figures on deals, I don’t think I’ve ever actually come across – or written – a list of their responsibilities. Here was my quick stab at it:
External focus
- Be seen by the customer as the senior manager accountable for the bid – and ultimate successful delivery of the project
- Drive strategy / plan for contact with senior-level customer contacts / influencers
- Host / lead / contribute to client events as appropriate (e.g. meetings, visits, presentations)
Internal focus
- Actively champion the importance of the opportunity – ensuring it’s viewed as a “Will Win” deal
- Ensure relevant senior colleagues are appropriately briefed / consulted regarding the opportunity, and that their views are suitably reflected
- Qualification: ensure that the deal is properly qualified in, with the resourcing plan fully understood and supported by all at senior levels
- Secure the involvement of senior colleagues in the bid/proposal effort as required
- Chair any regular bid/proposal reviews [not daily calls - more occasional overviews]
- Provide active, visible support to the bid/proposal team – supporting with ideas, motivation etc.
- Act as a point of escalation for any bid/proposal issues, including resourcing problems requiring resolution with / by senior colleagues
- 8. Participate in formal reviews as required – e.g. Strategy, Storyboard, “Red Team”
- 9. Approvals: provide senior-level bid approval – confirmation that the corporation is happy to submit, given clearly stated risks / assumptions, and is doing enough to win
- 10. Ensure learning points are identified via a Learning Review, and take accountability for reviewing recommended actions and ensuring a clear plan is in place for their implementation
I’d welcome others’ input via the comments!
Posted by BJ under Word play & writing |
I have always enjoyed humorous word play. One of the earliest examples would be something I read (and amazingly still recall) was on a comic that came with (Actually wrapped around as many of you will recall, a piece of Bazooka bubble gum (and if you do recall Bazooka bubble gum and the aforementioned comic that accompanied each piece, then you too have a few years on you. And, I’ve no doubt, Jon and my colleagues on the other side of the pond will be asking, “Ok, what’s Bazooka?”),
The comic had a character (I don’t recall which one), say to Bazooka Joe (he of the turtleneck collar over the lower half of his face, but I digress here), “My mom says there are two words you should never use. One of them is stupid and the other is lousy.” Joe responds with, “Okay, what’s the stupid one?”
These came to mind while I was reading a newspaper article on a recently condemned apartment. The article cited one of the reasons, among many, for the apartment being condemned as it being infested with bedbugs. Also cited was the fact that the apartment could not be heated to an appropriate temperature due to, and I’m quoting here (as will be obvious to many of you, or at least I’d hope it would be!), “lousy insulation”.
I suspect you can see where the problem, and the, I suspect, completely unintentional humor, lies. For those that might not be aware of the definition of the term “lousy”, it is, “to be infested with lice.” So, one could assume, given the infestation of bedbugs that was mentioned, the insulation probably was lousy. But I’m pretty sure what the writer meant was it was “insufficient”.
This misuse of the term lousy completely distracted me from the article itself. Jon and I have both reviewed many proposals that contained misused words that caused similar distractions (in our opinion, it’s the humorous ones that are the most distracting) and we’ve offered up a number of our favorite examples over the years.
I offer this one for your amusement and as a reminder to chose/use your words carefully.
Posted by Jon under Word play & writing |
An interesting article on the BBC News site the other day discussed the impact of spelling mistakes on online sales.
An entrepreneur, Charles Duncombe, noted that “sales figures suggest misspellings put off consumers who could have concerns about a website’s credibility” – especially when one only gets “about six seconds” to capture the viewer’s attention on a website. He quotes a proof point: after a spelling error was corrected on one of his company’s websites, revenue doubled.
The article added:
William Dutton, director of the Oxford Internet Institute at Oxford University, says that in some informal parts of the internet, such as Facebook, there is greater tolerance towards spelling and grammar. “However, there are other aspects, such as a home page or commercial offering that are not among friends and which raise concerns over trust and credibility,” said Professor Dutton.
Now, doubtless you’ll find proofreading errors here on our blog. BJ and I write this for fun in our respective spare time; we love sharing ideas and good practices. It’s not a commercial exercise; readers (we hope) understand that. But when it comes to proposals? We’re acutely conscious that the reader draws conclusions about the likely professionalism of your company and solution should they award you the contract from the professionalism of your written proposal.
So where’s the acceptable limit: one proofreading error in the document? Ten? One hundred? A thousand? At what point does a reader’s tolerance for “the occasional mistake being inevitable” and “nobody’s perfect” compromise your credibility – and are you prepared to take the risk?
