Stalking the Job: On the Importance of Clarity

"Biggify the words and make it kinda sparkle? What?"

Hello again everyone, and welcome back to another edition of Stalking the Job. As per the title above, today I'd like to discuss the importance of clarity - and how the ongoing  use of clarity in communications can help to save time, grief, and possibly ones' own sanity in the workplace.

When taking on any task - whether in a freelance capacity on a project for a given client, or as part of an assignment in a salaried gig, the need for clarity cannot be underscored enough. Of course, not everyone you'll encounter in the working world will necessarily understand that need. And as annoying as this particular lack of insight can be, the best policy is (and always should be) to compensate for their poor communications skills by ratcheting up your own. No matter what your field of endeavour, clients, co-workers or department heads can - however inadvertently - serve to hamper, hinder or hamstring progress. Let's look at a few examples and anecdotes so that we can explore this idea of clear communications and how we can use clarity to make the world a better place for all.

Don't lose it!

"Grrrrrraaaaarrrgh! John no like meaningless critique!" 

Okay, so say you've been burning the candle at both ends creating a series of product labels for a new line of beverages. Your client has an unfortunate habit of contacting you by phone to relay feedback in a scattershot fashion, rather than relying on email (or even text messaging) to give concise, written critiques. Worse, he/she has difficulty describing exactly what they'd like changed or how they'd like it to be changed. The trick is to always keep your cool, to never let yourself give in to frustration, and to simply be as constructive, helpful and accommodating as humanly possible.

There have been times I have received feedback from a client that's been illegibly scrawled on the back of a paper napkin, photographed (badly) and sent to me as an email attachment. No kidding. Other times I have followed a series of revisions to the letter, only to receive client feedback running along the lines of "biggify the words and make it kinda sparkle", which apart from being non-specific is almost entirely without meaning - given that they could be talking about any number of different text elements within the full scope of the project-at-hand.

In the situation I just outlined, the only reasonable course of action to take is to confirm the nature of the direction or revisions that have been provided prior to committing to making those changes. And don't rely on a verbal exchange, either; collate their requests, asking for further/added details where necessary, and send them back as part of an email. After all, you're (presumably) not a psychic or a mind-reader, and as such - you're just as likely to go tilting at a metaphorical windmill as you are to achieving a (highly unlikely) slam-dunk!

Know your limits

"Assumption", as Eugene Lewis Fordsworthe once said, "is the mother of all mistakes" - and when confronted with assumption in the working world - it rarely ever pays to shrug it off, or to act as though it's of little or no consequence. There will be times that you will find yourself being called upon to fulfill requests that might appear to the person making the request to be relatively straightforward, but which you know full well to be unrealizable, especially when the turnaround times are almost non-existent. 

That sinking feeling? That's the weight of assumption.

A close friend working for an ad agency was once asked by an Accounts Manager (halfway through a Friday afternoon) whether she could add an animated, talking dog to speak the contents of an email blast he was planning to send by 4 o'clock that same afternoon. Her response was to (after laughing uproariously) say no - as there really was no way on Earth that she could have fulfilled his request in less than a couple of hours, and that it was an open question as to whether it would be possible to fulfill it at all. But rather than simply saying "no", she was able to detail exactly why she would not be able to fulfill his request. By clearly communicating the hard limits such a project would entail under an extraordinarily tight deadline, she did herself a tremendous favour: in future, the Accounts Manager in question would be nowhere near as likely to proceed from false assumption and would himself be more inclined to ask - in a timely fashion - what the logistics of such a project would be. And everybody concerned would be all the happier for it.

It's a two-way street

Of course, it's always worth bearing in mind that clear communications are - or certainly can be - a two-way street. Not everyone you'll find yourself working with will necessarily share your first language, and even if they do, it's unlikely that everyone you'll work with will necessarily possess language skills greater than or comparable to your own. In this respect, it's up to you to gauge a given situation and to govern yourself accordingly. 

Nobody enjoys feeling that they're being "talked down to", and while I, for example, might not think anything of using relatively uncommon terms or phrases in correspondence, I will (after having given due consideration to the people and personalities concerned) make a point of using language in as inclusive a way as possible. No matter the situation - clients, co-workers or department heads - we're all in this together. Clarity in communications can (and almost invariably, will) help to ensure the happiest possible outcome for the greatest number of people.

Clear communications make for a happier - not to mention a more productive - working environment. So be happy, people!

Thanks again, and until next time - this is John Currie, your faithful scribe - wishing you all the very best, whatever your employment situation may be.

Stalking the Job presents: Words of advice for would-be freelancers

 

"People often ask me if I have any words of advice for young people. Well, here are a
few simple admonitions for young and old..." - William S. Burroughs

1) If something sounds too good to be true, chances are it IS too good to be true.

One should always make a point of looking into the background of any potential client to see whether they're as good as their word. I have at times refused to listen to the angels of my better judgement (if only because I've found it all too easy to allow a bit of wishful thinking to get in the way of my common sense), and reaped an unfortunate whirlwind of disappointment. Simply put: it always pays to look beyond a big promise.

2) Get it in writing!

Written agreements - agreements that clearly spell out the goals or expectations of a project, one's specific role in a project, that set timetables and/or deadlines for project milestones and deliverables (as well as establishing a framework for client revisions) - can and will save both you and your client unwanted and unnecessary grief or misgivings should things ever go pear-shaped.

3) Know and set limits.

If a client approaches you with a "rush" project that needs! to be out! this time tomorrow! - Well... that's a very real situation that can crop up from time to time, and if it can be managed, it's usually fine - but: it's important to underscore for your client that this must be considered an extraordinary circumstance, and most importantly that in future, new business should (or must) be discussed and arranged in a timely manner. In rushed situations, when one finds oneself in the position of having to "burn the midnight oil" on a project, missteps and mistakes can creep in no matter how diligent one can be. I've found the best policy is to (whenever possible) establish and stick to set "hours of operation", like you'd reasonably expect of any business - which is what you are, really: a business.

4) Don't make promises that YOU can't keep.

There will be times that a client may ask you to step outside your own skill set - say perhaps to design a print-ready brochure (after having completed work on their promotional video), or to model/animate/render a 3D corporate mascot (after having designing their business cards & letterhead). This sort of thing can and does arise, particularly when a given client hasn't quite wrapped their head around the fact that you're not necessarily a one-stop shop for all their various graphics needs. The question you need to ask yourself is, "can I realistically deliver on a project when I have a less-than professional knowledge of the software required?". If the answer if yes, well you can always give it a go. Who knows, you might discover you've got a knack for it. If the answer is no, then the thing to do is to politely bow out. And should you feel that this is a skill you'd do well to possess in future, then move to acquire that skill. Agreeing to operate outside your professional comfort zone is done at your peril as well as that of your client.

5) Network.

Yes, this is something we all hear about on a near-constant basis, but it is true: it really is a good  idea to keep abreast of what others are doing, whether by joining online groups and associations dedicated to your chosen field of endeavour, keeping in touch with past colleagues or even attending a backyard barbeque or two. There's no hard or fast rules as to how or where you might find yourself learning of potential opportunities or making solid connections. Just keep your eyes (and ears) open, remember to bring a few business cards with you wherever you go, and be ready to talk shop - or to pitch yourself in a confident, casual manner. You never know who you're likely to meet.


6) Grow your skills.

I'll refer back to point number 4 on this one. You might be the best at what you do, but what's the guarantee there'll be an ongoing demand for your particular skill set? The best way to circumvent a slow spiral into irrelevancy is to move with the times and expand the arsenal of professional know-how. This might be a question of going back to school for a semester, or a short, in-depth course of study; it might be as simple as availing yourself of online webinars and/or tutorials. Whatever the case, you're hardly going to hobble yourself by growing your skills. So get cracking!


7) Respect yourself. 

Whether you're freelancing by choice... or you're simply trying to maintain a liveable income stream between salaried gigs, there will always be bad patches. Quiet times. A lack of paid projects. However you choose to characterize these moments, it can be all too easy to find oneself easing slowly into despair. Anxiety. Depression. Anger. Self-pity. Self-loathing. Hard as it may be, you've got to stop doing that to yourself. Stop beating yourself up - respect yourself! And part of respecting yourself is making sure you're not selling yourself short. Not allowing others to take advantage of you in business. Not allowing circumstance (however unpleasant it may be at times) to dictate your outlook upon the world and upon yourself. Remember, you're not in this alone - you may have family or friends depending on you. You may have a mortgage to keep on top of, student loans to repay, a much-needed new computer to purchase. Heavy responsibilities, all. But the key to coping with these responsibilities is to bear in mind that you are a valuable human being, worthy of the respect and the admiration of others. And draw strength from those friends and family... feeling the need for love and support is not a sign of inherent weakness. It's altogether human.

8) Don't forget to take time to smell the roses.

In some ways this relates directly to point number seven. You're a freelancer... not a Borg drone, a design algorithm or someone's Genie in a bottle. I strongly suggest (even to those professionals most dedicated to their craft) that it is both relevant and necessary to ones' career to cultivate interests that lie outside the pervue of that career. For example, I have come to enjoy gardening. There is a palpable sense of satisfaction that I feel when I tend my garden, or when harvesting fresh vegetables for the dinner table. Part of my garden is given over to flowering plants; many is the time I've found myself watching with wonder the innumerable varieties of pollinating insects coming to pay visits to my stands of lavender, hyssop and joe-pye weed. It's relaxing, pleasant and it's life-affirming. What I'm trying to get at is that there really is more to life than the artful arrangement of 1s and 0s on a computer screen - and that you do yourself a disservice by tuning out the world in which you (or I, or anyone you know and/or care about) live.

Kicking the traces: the (semi-triumphant) return of Stalking The Job

It's all a question of balance.

Hello again, world-at-large. It's been some time (well over a year) since last this blog was active. And it's been quite a year! I intend to detail some of what's happened to your faithful scribe over the weeks and months to come, but for now I simply wish to tip my hat to those of you who took the time to read along with last year's (admittedly, somewhat outlandish) campaign to both raise my visibility in the Toronto area and to interface directly with those rarefied few who find themselves in a position to recognize personal initiative, self-motivation and the discipline necessary to pursue and realize creative solutions to challenging circumstance.

I'll look forward to adding further updates, tips, words of advice, and true tales of the trials & tribulations of getting ahead - or at least, of keeping ones' head above water - in tricky economic times.