Permission is given to reprint the following articles, provided that the following contact information is provided in its entirety. 

© by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. 
Visit  www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com. 

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Those Extra Words Are Expensive!

By Bonnie Budzowski
President, InCredible Messages, LP

I wonder what communication would be like if we had to pay for our words as we pay for gasoline. Chances are we’d find a way to use fewer words.

Of course, we do pay for excess words all the time:

• We pay the price of confusion and lost efficiency when a colleague “saves” a long e-mail for later.
• We suffer financially when our proposal is put aside because the customer loses interest in extensive introductory material on our firm.
• We pay the cost of lost opportunity when we are unable to make our point in the five minutes allotted to us by the executive team.

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Secrets to Get Busy People to Respond to Your Messages

Use the following tips to keep your messages short (and get them read):

• Shoot for one-screen e-mails and one-page letters.
• Avoid lumping messages together. It’s more effective to send two distinct e-mails than one long e-mail that combines topics.
• Start reports and proposals with an executive summary that can stand alone.
• Start your presentations with a compelling slide—one that zeros in on the business need or pressing concern of your audience.
• Remember that readers and listeners aren’t interested in your history; they are interested in how you can help them meet their goals.

There’s not much you can do about outlandish prices at the gas pump. You can, however, control your words. Slash the price of excess words—you’ll increase your communication success.
 

Permission is granted to reprint this article when the following contact information is included: © 2011 by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. For more free articles, go to www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com.

When it’s time to create “killer content” in a book or speech that establishes credibility and boosts your revenue, Bonnie Budzowski is the perfect resource.  An expert in communication, Bonnie specializes in coaching authors and speakers to organize & express thoughts in ways that capture attention, sell their ideas, and move people to action.  Bonnie helps her clients build content with less time and angst than they dream possible. 

Bonnie Budzowski is Founder of inCredible Messages, Past President of the National Speakers Association, Pittsburgh Chapter, and Past Managing Editor of Speaker Magazine.

If you’d like to sell your ideas, boost your influence, or advance your career through a book or presentation, call Bonnie at 412-828-1629, bonnie@inCredibleMessages.com or visit her website at www.inCredibleMessages.com. 

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