Reaching key business contacts is a big problem. A customer seeking a response on a service issue, or someone looking to get information about your company needs to speak to someone directly. Frequently, speed is an issue. The person inquiring needs something resolved in a short timeframe.


But, all too often, finding the right person to address a stakeholder inquiry requires a detective’s knowledge and diligence. You must dig into data, research what group or individual is responsible for your issue, then place multiple phone calls or emails seeking a response. A slow or non-response is bad for your business. Your brand suffers. People bad-mouth you.


Recently, I was digging into information to find the right person to connect with regarding a production-related issue. I went through the company’s web site, checked LinkedIn, mined some data, filtered through Twitter feeds, went to some alternative web sites that capture the type of information being sought, and still didn’t get the proper person. Ultimately, the process moved forward with a less-than-acceptable contact because the company did not make this type of information readily available. I believe it's a bad idea not to share that type of information.


Companies might not want to share contact info because they think their employees will be hounded. But, for any phone call or email coming in, there are people not responding to those transmissions. So, that argument holds no value. Any call can be ignored or go to voice mail, and emails can be read and deleted. The call or email SHOULDN’T be ignored, but the option exists.


Instead, companies should make contact information readily available so their people are accessible. On the web site, place the phone number and email address of employees necessarily to handle any type of inquiry. This shows you are responsive and looking to connect with your customers and any other stakeholders (the media, people looking for jobs, individuals looking to do business with you). If there is a major complaint and you are the President, you should know about that. It might be something that deserves your personal response. And it’s very likely you’ll learn something new that helps you run your business more effectively.


When people can’t find you, they can’t do business with you. When someone calls to complain, but can’t get a service representative, that person takes his or her business elsewhere.
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Be responsive. Share contact information so others can better connect with you. This builds your brand, improves your image and grows your bottom line.

​Here’s the thing: People feel overwhelmed. We fail to prepare. Deadlines jump suddenly into our faces and we wonder what happened. When it comes to writing, one of the best defenses is preparation.
 
It doesn’t take a lot to stay on top of things. But you must be disciplined. One of the best techniques I’ve found for business writing projects is to jot down notes on issues as they occur to me.

You might be in a meeting, for example, and you start thinking about the message in a report you must summarize that is due at the end of the week. An idea emerges. Write it down. You don’t need to capture everything in your head, but put it down in bullet form so you know the key points you wish to use later.
 
This system works for most writing projects. The actual “writing” takes time. You must set aside time in your schedule to focus on your message and avoid interruptions. If you get ready beforehand by jotting down notes, drafting outlines and listing key points, the actual writing will flow quickly and easily.
 
Beyond helping your writing, the process of note preparation helps you get ready for other tasks within your job, and your daily life activities. Don’t obsess over it. Determine what is important. Write it down. Think about it later. It will help your thinking and ability to get quality work accomplished on time.

​The headline to your story, subject line in your email or the title of the report you wrote are the first step towards engaging the reader. Fail there and you fail completely because no one will read what comes next.
 
If your subject line/title/headline succeeds, the next step is that opening sentence or executive summary. If better make some important points and apply to your reader, or they’ll go no further.
 
It’s easy to lose your reader. It can happen early in any communication or somewhere in the middle if you lose focus, meander around or bore the reader. Pay particular attention to the lead though. What should you think about when crafting the opening?
 
First, what’s the point you want to make? Think deeply on this, and one, two or three words should crop up. Use a strong adjective if possible to set it up.
 
Second, step outside the ordinary. What do I mean by this? There are a lot of people writing in the world, and chances are your subject has been covered before. For example, at work you may have to send a message to your staff that is an annual reminder, so how do you make it different? Move the words around, play with the adjectives, see if you can find a different noun, and employ the thesaurus if necessary. It’s a tool to use.
 
Play around with the sentence. Move words around. Cut some out. Stick a new one in. Each little step opens possibilities. This won’t take long, but it’s a good exercise, and actually will help you craft the rest of the message because your mind will be refreshed and thinking in new ways so when you get to the body of your communication, you are cruising along. That’s when it’s fun.

​There’s a journalistic technique to keep a dialogue positive and growing: Ask open-ended questions. If you receive a “yes” or “no” answer, blame yourself as the interviewer.
 
This principle of furthering a dialogue is important when putting together a story, in business and personal communications, as well as in life in general. Rather than cutting short a conversation, using key phrases that solicit additional information opens up a path to new solutions. “Tell me more” is a good line to use as is, “Why?” Both force the person you are speaking with to dig deeper.
 
This past week, I attended an awesome leadership summit that included a session with Avish Parashar, who wrote the book, “Say ‘Yes, And’!” He contrasted that phrase with “Yes, but.”  “Yes, and” opens up the dialogue. You want to hear more. It’s positive. “Yes, but,” on the other hand closes the conversation and is negative.
 
He put us through a number of exercises. Try this one: Find a partner and have that person make a statement and you respond with “yes, but” after every one. See where that goes. You’ll find it shuts down the communication and the person speaking will grow increasingly frustrated with you.
 
Then, do the same thing, but say, “yes, and” every time the person completes a sentence. Hmmmm… You’ll find it creates a positive feeling; solutions and new ideas emerge. You can use this technique anywhere, anytime, and it’s effective. Try it.
 
Avish’s point is that the attitude of going the extra mile to ask for more builds better relationships, whether it’s at work or your personal life. You eliminate roadblocks. Say, “Yes, and” to change your outlook and improve your communication and leaderships skills.