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Communicating The Bare Necessities

Carl Setzer
clear communications

This morning I was talking about the importance of brevity in communication. Elegant prose has its place, of course. But when you’re communicating information, say in a corporate environment, in the blizzard of information that is today’s modern landscape, crisp, clear language is critical. Bullet points, sentence fragments, focus on key elements, don’t bury the lede.

“Wait”, you might say, “isn’t this guy studying web development? Why’s he going on about writing and communication?” Well, remember what purpose a website serves: communication. It’s a delivery mechanism for information. Interactivity, color schemes, layout all need to serve the function of the site. Cool features, in and of themselves, at best are distractions unless they serve the reader/viewer.

So, with that, remember, when it comes to most “business writing”, focus on the bare (bear?) necessities.

https://youtu.be/08NlhjpVFsU 

Dusk In Edmonds

Carl Setzer
Dusk in Edmonds

such a graceful sight
as sun moves down the mountain
night’s beauty gathers

This is my contribution to the Fandango One Word Challenge for today: “such”. Not the easiest word to create from, I must say.

I took this photo a few days ago along the waterfront of Edmonds, WA, just a short drive from my house. It’s one of my favorite places.

Word of the Day Challenge: Abandoned

Carl Setzer
Photo by Cu00e9line Chamiot-Poncet on Pexels.com

troubling my mind
why was this place abandoned?
these lives forgotten

Today’s Word of the Day Challenge features the word “abandoned”, which reminded me of all the houses I’ve seen, empty, decaying. I wonder about the lives that were there before. I wonder about what caused these places to be left behind. What joys, sadnesses and pain have faded into oblivion?

Some Thoughts On The Coffee Industry, and a Book Recommendation

Carl Setzer1 Comment
Starbucks Logo

In the early 2000s (2004-2009, to be specific) I worked at Starbucks, first in Global Communications then on the Corporate Social Responsibility team. I loved my time there and is the one place I would return in a hearbeat.

We former Partners (as Starbucks employees are referred) have an alumni group, the Green Apron Network. It’s a great group of folks whose presence I greatly enjoy and am privileged to be part of. One of the great figures of Starbucks’ corporate history is a man by the name of Major Cohen. If there is anyone who knows coffee better, I am unaware of them. Recently retired, Major has written a book, “Coffee For Dummies“. Though I haven’t read it yet (I have a copy on its way), I know Major well enough to highly recommend it. A few of my friends have already read it, and recommend it. I’ll write more about the book once I have read it.

So, check it out! There’s a Kindle version, so you can start reading it right now. If you read it, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Documenting Everything

Carl Setzer
code-as-documentation

Currently, I’m taking the second quarter in a two-quarter series on Systems Analysis. One of the lists my text presented is “7 Design Habits”. (side note: I appreciate the reference/nod to Steven Covey’s 7 Habits Of Highly Successful People). I like the list, so I wrote it out on a post-it and have it on the wall next to my desk.

  1. Understand the business
  2. Maximize graphical effectiveness
  3. Think like a user
  4. Use models and prototypes
  5. Focus on usability
  6. Invite feedback
  7. Document everything

I value each of these. While maximizing graphical effectiveness has been an area of interest for quite some time (it’s the roots of my interest in design), what really speaks to me right now is “document everything”.

I’ve lived by this mantra for years. I try to drop everything into Evernote*, for instance. Articles I’ve read, people I’ve met, things told to me. This collection of notes is but one element of documenting everything. Knowing where I got ideas is pretty important. But this notion means more. To me, it implies a certain thoughtfulness to the documentation. Sure, it’s great to have dozens of pages of random notes. But “documentation” is organized. Not just links to articles, or pages of feedback, but also analysis, explanations of the “why” within choices. Being able to reference, at some random point in the future, how we got to a certain decision can be crucial when evaluating a problem and determining a response. Also, in a more negative vein, it can show due diligence in a lawsuit.

So, yeah, my propensity for collecting information has saved me plenty of anguish over the years (“you never told me that!” “well, here’s the email I sent to you with your reply”). It’s also been helpful to friends and colleagues (“hey Carl, who was that guy from Facebook we met with last year”. Yeah, it’ll be in my notes). I appreciate the reinforcement that this is a best practice that’s valued at least by textbook writers.

*this link to Evernote is an affiliate link. If you subscribe to the service, I will get rewarded with a free year of the service.Â