Little did I realize when putting together my 2020 reading list that I would have so much more time to devote to reading. But surprisingly or maybe not so much so, I haven’t done much more reading than I did before the COVID-19 crisis. One book on my list was The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane. Based on all the learnings I got from it, I am motivated to devote more of this time to reading.
For each of these books, I’ll share things that you can apply immediately — either an action or a way of looking at something differently. With The Charisma Myth it is so chock full of ideas – all related of course to the topic of what makes a person charismatic – that help a leader or teacher in any field to be more effective. The author explained her belief that there are three types of charisma and there are ways to increase each type. What I gained most from the book are specific techniques to be a better communicator.
As I read through the book, I took notes on the techniques and tools and organized them around three main communication skills: giving presentations, having difficult conversations, and writing emails and other business communication.
This first post will share the key takeaways on business writing because with the sudden move to remote work and virtual meetings we’re relying even more on written communication.
Key Takeaways for Better Business Writing
- With email we only have words. We lose all other methods of communicating such as nonverbal and visual communication. Because of this, it’s all the more important that we think through questions our readers will have about the topic. We cannot make corrections midway through as we can when speaking on the phone or face-to-face. We must plan.
- Watch the return on investment for your reader. She says to measure the length of your email against the value it is delivering to your reader.
- Read through your email before you send it. Edit them with the goal of removing as many extra words as possible. She shared the following quote from Antonie de Saint-Exupery, author of The Little Prince: “Perfection is not when there is no more to add, but when there is no more to subtract.”
- Check how often you use the word “I” as opposed to “You.” Does the email speak about you and your interests first? You want the focus on your readers and what they’re interested in.
I got so much out of The Charisma Myth and encourage you to read it. Find out more about the author and her work, including specific charisma exercises that can be downloaded from her website: www.askolivia.com.