Timeless communication lessons from the Declaration of Independence

America was founded on clear, forceful communication.

We remember the battles, the Brits and Benjamin Franklin, but we so often forget the clarion call that launched our new nation into being: The United States Declaration of Independence.

Modern eyes might find this missive musty, archaic and insensitive. (I imagine most 241-year-old artifacts are.) However, timeless truths can be plucked from this remarkable document—especially for those who communicate for a living.

Let’s have a look at four takeaways from the declaration that stand the test of time:

1. All men (and women) are created equal

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Perhaps the most famous words of the declaration, these embody the essence of America’s highest ideals. Sadly, we seem to have lost sight of this profound notion.

The proliferation of social media and 24/7 connectivity has made it easy to dehumanize people. We’re quick to mock, slander and humiliate. Executives issue layoff notices that read more like furniture recalls.

We’ve never been more connected nor had more ways to interact with each other, yet we’ve forgotten how to communicate with respect and dignity. We write viciously, as if all people were not created equal.

Trolls, politicians and vapid celebs don’t make it easy, but the declaration offers a good reminder of every single person’s unique, unalienable rights.

2. Use facts and data to back your claims

“To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.”

My favorite portion of the declaration is the “Crimes of the King” section, wherein the writers list the many misdeeds of King George III (27 in total). It’s like the world’s first Festivus “Airing of Grievances.”

As opposed to just railing against Great Britain, citing vague injustices or complaining about how it sucks to be subjugated, the declaration’s authors—in great detail—documented the king’s “repeated injuries and usurpations” of American freedoms. They cited specific instances, laws and actions that exposed King George’s tyrannical rule and justified the call for sovereignty.

Hard facts trump hot takes every time. Data will always carry more heft than opinions, assumptions and assertions.

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3. Have a specific purpose for your piece and make it snappy

The declaration was written to announce our renunciation of British rule and to provide concrete reasons for asserting our independence:

“… that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.”

What’s the purpose of the piece you’re working on? That’s a question every communicator should ask before putting pen to paper or fingers to keys (or quill to parchment, for that matter).

As for brevity, the Declaration of Independence is 1,458 words. If the Founding Fathers managed to edit down a document of this magnitude that tightly, surely you can trim some fat off that blog post or white paper?

Make your work concise so your readers can exercise their freedom and independence on more pressing matters.

4. Put your name(s) on it

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Can you imagine the politicians of today making such a solemn pledge of solidarity—about anything? Furthermore, how many of us have the gumption, passion or belief to stand so firmly behind something we’ve written? Many today are only capable of mustering courage when hiding behind the veil of anonymity. The threat of social media shaming has cowed many into silence.

Fifty-six people signed their names to the Declaration of Independence, despite the fact that it would make them party to a treasonous act. Take accountability for your work and your message. Own it. Take a stand for something and put your name to it. If you can find 55 others to co-sign it, even better.

Today we are fortunate to live in a country where we’re able to communicate freely (for now, at least). It all started with a group of people signing a bold declaration.

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3 experts who will prepare you for the future of PR

Big changes are on the horizon for PR pros.

Everything from fake news, new social media algorithms and emerging technological advances will influence how you do your job every day.

But you don’t have to fear change. Get guidance from these experts at the PR Now & Next Conference on July 20-21 in Chicago. They’ll be sharing their best advice on how to get ahead and stay there:

1. First-class Facebook strategies: Interactive ads and new tools to tell—and sell—your story— G. Andrew Meyer, creative lead in global marketing at Instagram and Facebook, Inc.

2. State of the union: Future-proof your PR team in the era of fake news, emerging tech and "reputation as currency"— Siobahn Aalders, vice president of communications at Shutterstock and Sandra Fathi, President of Affect PR

3. Truth to power! Brutally honest storytelling is the future of PR— Shannon Cason, host, Mainstage storyteller and GrandSLAM champion with The Moth

Get practical, actionable tips to master tomorrow’s biggest PR trends today!

Register here to save $100 (button)

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10 keys to writing a brilliant speech

In a wonderful speech, the speaker's words flow, gently leading the audience along.

Everything fits together and makes perfect sense.

Some make it look easy, but what we perceive as effortless oration comes from diligent, sophisticated speechwriting. Great speeches are constructed by someone turning a thoughtful, strategic set of concepts into practical tips, stories and action items.

If you have an upcoming speaking engagement or presentation, review these 10 essentials. You might just give the speech of your life.

1. Prepare early. Begin gathering material for your speech well before the big day. As you learn about your topic, ideas for writing and organizing it will emerge.

2. Be audience-centered. Everything you write should prioritize the needs of the audience. Focus your efforts on helping the audience understand what you are saying.

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3. Start at the end. Write the conclusion of your talk right away. Decide what you want the audience to do or to think regarding your speech. Then write using that as a guide.

4. Write for the ear, not the eye. Experienced writers know that every medium and project has its own language, cadence, style and structure. Don't write the speech to be read. Write it so that when your audience hears it, they get it right away.

5. Make rough drafts first, and polish later. Don't worry about writing the perfect speech right off the bat. The best speeches come only after many revisions.

6. Put your own spin on the material. You’ll stymie creative juices if you think everything you say must be entirely original. Don't be afraid to piggyback off someone else’s ideas and put your spin on it. The audience wants to hear your point of view.

7. Make only three main points. It’s always tempting to overshare about a subject to ensure you get your point across, but the last thing you want to do is overwhelm your audience with information. Don’t try to cover more than three major points in your speech.

8. Craft a takeaway line. When people miss a speech, they ask: "What did the speaker talk about?" What they say you said—that’s your takeaway line. Give your audience a tidy nugget that will stick with them.

9. Trim the excess. What is the very least the audience needs to know about your topic? What information is crucial? Omit material that would be "nice to know." Cut the fat, and serve up only essential choice cuts.

10. Write using the WIIFM principle. That is: What’s in it for me? People are interested only in material that affects them. After writing your speech, no matter how brilliant or clever it seems, apply the WIIFM principle and judge whether your audience will care about it.

Bill Cole is founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants. A version of this post first appeared on mentalgamecoach.com.

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3 signs it’s time to get updated AP style advice from Grammar Girl

Whether you’ve been writing for 10 months or 10 years, grammar gaffes can still sneak into your copy from time to time.

When errors start to take over every page, though, your credibility and confidence can both suffer.

Are any of the following statements true for you?

1. You’ve spent 40 minutes questioning whether a comma is misplaced.

2. You have nightmares about that one usage rule you just can’t get right.

3. Just the thought of cracking open the new AP Stylebook sounds exhausting.

Fear not—Grammar Girl is here to end your writing worries. Hear from bestselling author Mignon Fogarty by ordering the Grammar Girl's Guide to AP Style On-demand recording.

You’ll learn the most crucial changes in the 2017 AP Stylebook and discover how to remember tricky punctuation and usage rules. Find out when a singular “they” is appropriate, and whether you should capitalize company names like “IKEA”.

Order now and conquer stubborn writing mistakes once and for all!

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Meet the RE Tech Founder: Justin Shum from AskAvenue

In our latest real estate tech entrepreneur interview, we’re speaking with the CEO of AskAvenue, Justin Shum. I certainly agree there is an opportunity to improve consumer-agent communication via chat (and give control back to the consumer in the process). That said, chat is a very crowded space (getting more crowded every month), and distribution on both sides (agents and consumers) is insanely hard.

Without further ado…

What do you do?

I am the Co-Founder and CEO at AskAvenue.

What problem does your product/service solve?

Chat is currently the preferred means of communication, AskAvenue is a mobile chat application that address this need by instantly and directly connecting buyers/sellers who visit real estate websites, to agents on the agents’ mobile device. Real estate agents, teams and brokerages now have access to a tool that will significantly increase their online conversion which on average is 2% while increasing their customer satisfaction rating.

What are you most excited about right now?

Presently I am most excited about the adoption of chat within the real estate industry, as an essential tool for consumer engagement and increased conversion. The responses and feedback received to date has validated that we are heading in the right direction and play a significant contributing role in the success of real estate professionals.

What’s next for you?

Our 12 month roadmap includes two new product offerings: 1. listing integration and 2. dedicated chat profile pages. With the inclusion of listings in AskAvenue, both consumers and agents will not need to leave the chat experience in order to browse and search for homes. Chat profile pages will allow AskAvenue customers to generate a personalized URL that opens a dedicated chat UI in any native browser where users can communicate instantly with agents and search for homes in a collaborative real-time environment. Listing integration and chat profile pages will be available in Q1’18.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

The real estate industry was built on relationship selling and to ensure that agents remain relevant in the eye of consumer, the industry must modernize the customer and user experience through greater transparency and customer service. Our mission is to help the industry evolve and adapt to changing consumer demand with the power of chat.

Thanks to Justin for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.

We’re constantly looking for great real estate tech entrepreneurs to feature. If that’s you, please read this post — then drop me a line (drew @ geekestatelabs dot com).

The post Meet the RE Tech Founder: Justin Shum from AskAvenue appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

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5 mistakes to avoid when sending LinkedIn requests

This article was originally published on PR Daily in July 2016.

Given the expanse and importance of LinkedIn, most people try to add and accept meaningful connections on the professional network.

Still, there are reasons why you might not be making the connections you are hoping for:

1. You’re not sending a personalized message

If someone walked up to you at a networking event and said, “I’d like to add you to my professional network,” you would probably give him a confused look. Sending a generic LinkedIn invitation to a stranger without introducing yourself is a big mistake.

Instead, check their profile and find a meaningful interest that you share. Start by introducing yourself, and then mention the thing you have in common. Your potential connection needs to understand who you are. It is also crucial that they see how they, too, can benefit from this professional connection.

2. Your profile is lacking significant information

If you don’t have a headline or a professional profile photo, chances are your connection requests are going to be ignored. Having a complete LinkedIn profile and optimizing it for search help potential connections to know that you are legit.

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How can you make sure that your LinkedIn profile is complete? Make sure you have these important components:

• Headline. Describe what you do and whom you work for.

• Summary. This is arguably the most important element on your profile. The LinkedIn algorithm searches for keywords on your page, so take full advantage of the 2,000-character space to tell people what you do. Jazz it up by adding mixed media, such as images and videos.

• Experience. Your profile will seem incomplete and humdrum if you don’t go beyond what’s on your résumé. Adding relevant images, videos, presentations or articles will help your profile stand out and enhance your credibility.

• Endorsements . Unfortunately, our competitive society loves numbers. Opting out of endorsements or having very few will make your profile seem suspicious. Reach out to family members or co-workers to boost endorsements.

• Connections. When someone is considering your invitation, they think, “How will this connection benefit my network?” Ten to 20 connections is a small, unimpressive network. Try connecting with friends, co-workers, family members, neighbors, fellow alumni and former colleagues before you send connection requests to prospects and recruiters.

• Customizable LinkedIn URL. You can create your URL based on your first and last name or the industry in which you are knowledgeable.

Although there is no one right way to craft a LinkedIn profile, you will be more likely to connect with prospects and recruiters if your profile is complete and optimized.

3. Your spelling, punctuation, and capitalization is flawed.

If you have improper spelling, punctuation and capitalization, people will be inclined to delete your request. Most prospects and recruiters will call you out for it every time. On a professional network, you must clean up your mistakes and have a polished profile.

4. You’re spelling their name wrong.

Check and double-check the name of your potential connection. If you misspell their name or call them by the wrong name, you will be ignored.

5. You’re trying to sell something.

If you want to sell something to a prospect on LinkedIn, do not try to do so on your initial request. Many prospects and recruiters want to cultivate their professional networks. They don’t want you sending some crappy sales pitch to all their connections. Try having a more meaningful conversation rather than sending a template sales pitch.

No matter how you change your approach to connecting, some people will not accept your request. Don’t take it personally; users have varied philosophies. It might just be an indication that your targeted person isn’t seeing what they would gain by connecting with you.

Why do you accept or reject LinkedIn connection requests?

Melinda Lathrop is a PR major at Champlain College and a social media intern at Delta Marketing Group. You can see more of Melinda's work at http://ift.tt/29OWUhf. A version of this article originally appeared on LinkedIn. ·

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