Can You Hear Me Now?

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine


For weeks I had been looking forward to hearing a noted author and public speaker who gave a presentation near me this weekend.  From his books and the CDs I'd heard, I knew it was going to be an inspiring and entertaining talk.

My hopes remained high until I sat down and remembered how horrible the echo is in this particular venue.  It's a beautiful, ornate setting, appealing to the eye, but a portion of what they spent on decorating should have been invested in decent acoustic consultation.  Every word bounced around the hall and fought with itself, and I'd be surprised if the audience was able to discern more than half of what was said.  (The author, BTW, gave an excellent presentation, from the parts I could hear.)

Sitting through that muddled wash of indistinctness, my mind tended to wander, and I pondered how great words can all be in vain if something gets in the way.  Anything that distracts from the clarity of the message is a curse to communication.

In our writing, we can lose the reader in countless ways.  To name but a few:

• Long stretches of dialogue that doesn't occasionally inject who's saying what
• Too many details that aren't relevant to the story
• Too many accessory characters to keep up with
• Names of characters that are similar, inviting confusion
• Pet phrases or inside jokes that make the reader say, "Huh?"

There's also the whole issue of typos and improper punctuation.  It's amazing how the same sentence can take on different meanings without properly-placed punctuation. One of my favorite examples is:

• A woman without her man is nothing.
• A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Our proofreaders at the magazine (who are among my favorite people on the planet) are all about clarity.  A missing comma here, an awkwardly-worded phrase there, are the kind of things they lose sleep over, because these little grammatical gaffes take away from cogent communication.

They might even question my use of the word "cogent" if "clear" would say the same thing with less bluster. "Bluster" might even be suspect.

In the editing process, sometimes classical rules clash and debates result, but whenever they do, the judgment is always in favor of clarity; whatever conveys most accurately.

You know exactly what you meant to say, so you may not spot the impediments to communication that a good editor will notice.  Don't skip that important insurance policy.  And if you're ever asked to give a speech in a very big room, I encourage you to check out the acoustics before you say yes.

Space Invaders

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director

Comedian, producer and author Jerry Seinfeld knows a few things about communication, and he's shared some interesting insights over the years. One of his more thought-provoking quotes once appeared in a Parade interview:

"You have to invade the space of the audience a little bit. I learned that early on. It was a very helpful thing to learn. You have to invade them just a little bit. Not too much, because then it’s obnoxious. But you can’t be short of them either, or you won’t control them."

Invading their space. What does that mean? To a standup comedian it can mean the difference between a standing ovation and getting heckled off the stage. A master performer knows one has to be bigger than life to take ownership of the room and keep all eyes on them. Singers and musicians are especially known for exaggeration and a flashy presence.

But when it's just you standing there talking to an audience—as in public speaking—mastery of volume is one critical skill to develop, as Jerry explains:

"The volume at which I’m speaking now is the right volume for where you’re sitting. I’m almost performing, in a way. There’s this kind of voice, and then there’s this kind of voice, and then there’s this kind of voice. I wasn’t a natural performer at all, so I learned. I was always a pretty good writer in the beginning, but I really had to learn how to perform."

Communicating through writing is a lot like doing standup. It's just you, the lone voice, trying to reach a vast audience whose faces you can't even see in the dark. You can only rely on their feedback to tell you if you've hit the mark. Jerry's voice of experience provides us with some food for thought:

•  Invade their space — Go beyond your comfort zone and into theirs, with ideas that challenge them and can't be ignored.
• "There's this kind of voice" — Determine the most effective "voice" to reach your audience. Not too soft and mushy, not too loud and preachy, but just a bit above the communication level they're used to.
• Listen for their feedback — Social media is today's equivalent of the old audience applause meter, which determined the winner on game shows. Blogging and other online promotion is how savvy authors build an interactive, loyal following.

They say standup comedy is one of the hardest professions in entertainment. I say writers are no slouch either. That's why Southern Writers is so intent on encouraging authors and helping them promote themselves, through our magazine, through this blog, and through the many online venues available to subscribers, like our new Must Read TV and Take Five.

Over the last year we've featured 178 exceptional wordsmiths in Southern Writers Magazine. In the coming year that will grow to over 300, and I hope you'll be one of them.

Begin by getting your free online copy of our July anniversary issue, and then become a member of the Southern Writers family. There's a standing ovation with your name on it!

Writing is Communication

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

Communication is a wonderful thing and with today’s technology it is immediate and free.

 ~Brad Cisco

Over the years I have encountered problems in business due to poor communication or even the lack of it. I find it hard to understand why some businesses fail to communicate their plans, goals or missions to their employees. Lack of communication creates a vacuum which is quickly filled with readily available speculation or gossip.

Emma Thompson as Nanny McPhee

Professional courtesy includes good communication skills. I have always said professional courtesy goes a long way, but the lack of it goes much further and involves many more people. One person fails to communicate and additional work is created which involves many people to resolve the problem created by one.   

Many times our family members fail to get their message across. Oscar Winning actress Emma Thompson, known in recent years for her creation of the Nanny McPhee stories and movies said, “Any problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isn't listening.”  Oh yes, listening is a part of communicating. It is the part of communicating we expect from the other party while we think our part is to speak and make ourselves clear. It takes both from each party to be successful. That is why we have a comment and reply button below. We want to hear from you. We do listen.

In recent years we have seen how disastrous things can become without proper communication. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said, “As everyone in Louisiana knows, there was often no communication or coordination between the state and federal government in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.” What a sad statement about a time when communication was of utmost importance.

Ralph Ellison

On the opposite end of the scale we see communication being productive. American author Ralph Ellison made the statement, “By and large, the critics and readers gave me an affirmed sense of my identity as a writer. You might know this within yourself, but to have it affirmed by others is of utmost importance. Writing is, after all, a form of communication.” Ellison needed the communication from critics and readers to confirm what he felt inside. We too need the affirmation of others.

If you choose not to write a vacuum is created, a vacuum which will be filled by the thoughts and stories of others. As you write practice proper professional courtesy in your craft. Listen as often as you speak. I don’t think I need to remind you of the two ears and one mouth analogy. Poor communication can be disastrous while proper communication can be affirming. Writing is communicating. Stay in touch…