Continued from previous post . . . Sometimes all it takes for a message to cut through the clutter is to be surprising (and raising the bar as you go along). TRANSFORM messages by:
CONTEXTUALIZING . . . embed information where it's needed and relate it to previous information
PERSONALIZING . . . develop various versions with various levels of detail for targeted groups
ELABORATING . . . create value-added information (action items, ratings and rankings by the community on information usefulness, stories, metaphors, etc.) [Ed. note: Sparingly.]
STANDARDIZING . . . set guidelines for communication and information formats, such as e-mail and reporting etiquette. (Heard of the "Bill Gates format" at Microsoft?)
VISUALIZING . . . graphs and diagrams, but also qualitative methods like visual metaphors or sketches
I'm a big fan of visualizing. Note how the White House has picked up on this.
Five mechanisms for transforming messaging, from Eppler and Mingis.
Final post on this topic: their six RECOMMENDATIONS for communicating in an "overload environment."
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