In.Sight - The Art of KISSing

You can listen to all the contradictory advice in the world and you still won’t “make it”. What to do? Non-advice on finding a happy medium in your art and your mind with Mess. Montreal.

In.Sight : The Art of KISSing

I consider it to be the golden rule of communicating, and it’s always worthy of a mention, even if you already know about it. KISS stands for Keep It Short and Simple. As an artist, you’re used to expressing yourself through your craft, but, especially within the business to business aspects of an artist’s career, written or verbal communications will often precede someone’s first contact with your work, so they are just as important! You should always stay true to your style of communicating, but a little tailoring and preparation can go a long way. Here are a few tips:

Put yourself in their shoes! Think about the words and sentences you are using, and if someone else could interpret them differently. Think not only about the message you’re sending, but about the tone you want to set, the impression you want to make, and the feelings or reactions you hope to elicit from the person you’re communicating to, and the most appropriate medium for your message. All these considerations can help you achieve better clarity using fewer words.

Edit, edit, and edit again. When you feel satisfied with something, review it a few more times. I find that just pushing a bit further than you would instinctively can give you a fresh perspective. Consider every sentence, idea, and message, and remove anything that doesn’t state a key point, or support one in an essential way.

E-mails: Using small attachments with, or better yet links to, more elaborate information (i.e. press release, bio, show history) will help you reduce your text to only key points, making it much more accessible. Do avoid sending large attachments unless people are expecting them.

avoid being fuzzy on the phone!

Phone Calls: I have always had a really hard time on the phone. Writing down your reason for calling, key points, even the name of the person you are calling can help you focus, and taking some time to consider the other person’s possible questions or reactions – even preparing a few responses - will give you more confidence, an important tool when communicating in real time. And… Smile! It can really change your demeanour! A final note on phone calls: don’t avoid them. I know talking to people in real time can be intimidating, and sometimes an e-mail is more appropriate, but having conversations in real time can give you a more accurate perception of the energy surrounding an issue, and it tends to be more efficient.

Last but not least, the best way to consider someone else’s perspective is to, well, ask someone else. Have someone you trust review your written materials, or hear out your verbal pitch, and get their feedback. It’s likely to be very helpful!

XX Nadine