Answers to your questions on social media, empathy, and more (Ask Dr. Wobs)

Answers to your questions on social media, empathy, and more (Ask Dr. Wobs)

From southern courtesy to corporate bullshit, you had lots of questions after last week’s webinar for Higher Logic. I’ve answered them here. (Questions edited for length and clarity; some questions are from multiple listeners.) Q. Isn’t this all things that we should have learned from “Elements of Style” by Strunk & White?  How is this different? Strunk…

How Facebook’s algorithm can help you rethink your emails
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How Facebook’s algorithm can help you rethink your emails

Facebook determines which of your posts get through to your friends. Your emails, on the other hand, all go through. But what if they didn’t? You’d have to write email to make it clearer, more compelling, more engaging. And that’s what you ought to be doing anyway. While Facebook’s algorithm is mysterious and ever-changing, we know…

Jeff Weiner’s creepy letter to staff about the LinkedIn acquisition
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Jeff Weiner’s creepy letter to staff about the LinkedIn acquisition

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner emailed his staff when Microsoft bought the company. His email is discursive, full of platitudes, and fails to answer the employee’s most important question: what’s going to happen to me? LinkedIn has 10,000 employees, 433 million members, and no profits. And now it’s got a new owner. If you work there,…

Intel bloodlessly dumps 12,000 employees
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Intel bloodlessly dumps 12,000 employees

Intel just announced a “restructuring.” The email to employees from CEO Brian Krzanich is very clear, but something’s missing: humanity and responsibility. Here’s the email with the weaselly parts highlighted (and yes, there are fewer of them than in many emails of this type).   E-mail to Employees by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich Subject: Today’s Announcement Date: April 19, 2016…

Talking with Phil Simon, author of “Message Not Received”

Talking with Phil Simon, author of “Message Not Received”

Phil Simon and I are kindred souls. He comes out of tech, has written seven books, and hates jargon and doubletalk with a burning passion. When he’s not appearing in commercials for Breaking Bad,  he’s out there fighting the good fight. Here’s my interview with him. Your main point in the book is that most business communication…

Ridiculous email disclaimers

Ridiculous email disclaimers

Don’t waste words. That includes meaningless disclaimers at the bottom of your emails. This week I dismantled a recruiting email with an astoundingly low meaning ratio of 6%. At the bottom of that email was the following disclaimer: Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. This message (including any attachments) is confidential and may be privileged….

Jack Dorsey’s Twitter layoff email shows the value of honesty

Jack Dorsey’s Twitter layoff email shows the value of honesty

Days after taking over as Twitter’s permanent CEO, Jack Dorsey has laid off 336 people. You could learn a lot from the straightforward, honest, and sensitive way he tells his company about it. The corporate layoff is a communications trap for leaders. It makes them insecure, so they they adopt HR bullshit and talk about “reduction in force”,…

With email, you can prove you’re an idiot in 150 words or less

With email, you can prove you’re an idiot in 150 words or less

Short email is a great idea. But even a short email can be vacuous. A short, dumb email is the quickest possible way to make a bad impression. Learn not to be boring. Here’s a recruiting email that Ken Camp received. It’s not only short, it’s spectacularly content-free. Here’s the whole thing, meaningless words in bold: Subject: Opportunity Good…