Back to basics Tuesday: speaking to your reader

“Talk to me” is different than “speak to me.”

That goes for oral communication as well as written/keyed writing.

Here I am speaking to you.

Call me, or zoom with me, and I will talk to you.

I run into so many who hide from demonstrating their skillset(s); instead they post from their resume (think of it as an obituary of what they DID), instead of composing a LinkedIn career narrative that says, “I accomplished {this} and I bring {it} with me today and will continue to bring {it} with me in our future.”

Composing, I said, and it’s not easy, but necessary. Copy-pasting is lazy!

Or they use formality to refer to themselves in a high falutin’ level: “Ms. X or Mr. Y, or Jane or Bob did/does/will do this and that.”

Or on the other hand, use overly simple 5th grade verbs (was, had, made, did).

Or speak (yawn! and obviously they possess no drive to succeed) in the passive voice, with the subliminal fear of being exposed as a charlatan.

This great article gives pointers on proper usage, syntax, voice, and tone and I recommend it to you. Implement its wisdom. Post it on your wall and refer to it. I did.

The writer is direct, on point, and enjoyable to read.

Be all three in your LinkedIn profile.