Bit Literacy - Mark Hurst [38]
For example, documents like memos and reports should begin by listing the author, date, and title before (optionally) continuing to a preface, and then delivering the hook.
Perhaps the best example of the need for context is the PowerPoint file. Often people create PowerPoints without including basic context: who created the presentation, when, for whom, and most importantly, why. This information should be delivered in the first few slides before revealing the hook of the document. For example, at my consulting company when we create a PowerPoint file for a client, we often start with the following slides:
Slide 1: Title slide (containing document title, date, client name, our company name, and contact info)
Slide 2: Table of contents listing sections of the document
Slide 3: Project goal (stated simply, in one or a few bullets)
Slide 4: Project overview (showing all phases of the project, and noting which is the current phase)
Slide 5: Section divider introducing the hook (e.g., “Project strategy”), allowing the consultant—during the actual presentation—to make sure everyone is fully caught up on the context and has no questions before proceeding to the hook
Slide 6: The hook
The first five slides serve as context; the fifth and sixth deliver the hook. From there the document moves into the support and possibly includes an appendix at the end.
Optional appendix
Sometimes a bit-literate message is fully fleshed out in its context, hook, and support, and yet there is still some data that could be useful to a smaller audience that wants more detail. This calls for an appendix, a set of information included, or referenced, at the end of the support. If it was part of the support it would harm the message by making it too long, but it’s appropriate to offer elsewhere, where it can be valuable to any recipients who seek it out.
In e-mail, a good way to add an appendix is to finish the note with a pointer to more information. In our 401k example above, this sentence could be added at the end of the message: “The entire 401k plan documentation is listed on the AcmeOne website at this URL: ....”
The appendix is also useful in PowerPoint presentations. At my consulting firm, we usually end the support with a final “thank you” slide, so that the audience knows that the presentation is complete. The very next slide, though, is a title slide that reads “Appendix,” after which any extra slides can be pasted—building out deeper layers of the support, or offering tangentially related data or analysis.
Other thoughts on creating bits
Here are a few final guidelines on creating bits, especially in e-mail.
State the obvious. Avoid ambiguity, even if it means making the message a little longer. If written right, an e-mail should deliver its message without the recipient having to ask for clarification. If the message is ambiguous, either the recipient will ask a question, which slows down the process, or worse, the recipient won’t ask a question and possibly misinterpret the message.
Avoid relative dates. The words “today” and “tomorrow” can be confusing or misleading in e-mail. Since you have no control over when the recipient opens the message, it’s essential to be clear when talking about time. No matter where the recipient is, in the next office or across the world, always use absolute dating. Write “today, Wednesday” or “tomorrow, Thursday.” If you want to be extra clear, state the whole date: “today, Tuesday, February 12.” (Obviously, if the message references a time of day and the recipient is in a different time zone, specify the time zone as well.)
Remember that bits are everywhere and forever. An important rule of thumb, and not just in e-mail: don’t ever create bits that you wouldn’t want broadcast to the entire world. Any thoughtless, offensive, or otherwise poorly worded message dashed off in a moment can be saved, passed around, reported on, posted worldwide, and even brought up in a courtroom.