Het wordt geweldig. De toespraken van Bart Somers en Isabel De Clercq bedoel ik natuurlijk.

We make 35k choices daily, so we should be good at making decisions - but we're not 😅 Especially in an async-first workplace where conversations can linger in the written form. We're discussing this further here 👇 and we'd love your input! Twist async.twist.com/how-to-make-de…

Fascinating data on we spend our time with (spolier alert - a high % are chosen by HR, not you 😅). As one of our teammates said: "Working remote+async has a positive impact on this. Less time with coworkers, more time with friends & family." Thoughts? ourworldindata.org/time-with-othe…

Lichtmis. Zou Rik Torfs daar iets over te vertellen hebben? Is het nog van deze tijd daarbij stil te staan? Vanavond, in @Mechelen, met Bart Somers, Isabel De Clercq, David P. Geens en Omer Vander Ghinste. U komt toch ook?

1. Front-load the important stuff. The best copywriters borrow a technique from journalism called the inverted pyramid. Important, must-know stuff first → then additional useful context → then the minor, nice-to-know details

2. Have a single, clear call to action (CTA) that stands out. A single, concrete request > a laundry list of asks that get lost in the shuffle. Make it easy to pick out by bolding it and placing it on it’s own line instead of burying it in a bigger paragraph.

3. Remove steps by including links to everything they need. Don't make your coworkers take the extra step of finding relevant docs or details. Include all the links & context they need even if you know they already have them. Make it as easy as possible for them to get started.

4. Say less. Follow the advice for usability and UX consultant Steve Krug: “Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left." If it looks like a lot of work to read, people aren't going to read it.

5. Make it skimmable. People don't read, they skim. Here's how to "design" your words to make them easy to skim:

- Structure your writing w/ headings & subheadings - Use meaningful headings that tell readers what the section is about (not clever or vague ones) - Organize w/ bullet points - Add descriptive hyperlinks & bolding (sparingly) so that important phrases catch your reader’s eye

Bonus for skimmability: Hyperlinked text draws people’s attention. Instead of linking vague text like “here” or "this doc", give important links descriptive titles that make it even easier for skimming coworkers to take action.

6. Chunk information for retention. Breaking content into small units of information (chunking), makes it easier for people to process and remember important ideas. Here's how:

- Use clear information hierarchies (again, headers and subheaders) - Group related items together - Keep paragraphs short (~1-3 sentences) - Add white space in between information chunks

7. Say 1,000 words, visually If what you're communicating has a visual element, show it! Reporting a bug? Include a screencast Presenting a design? Record a Loom video Documenting a workflow? Use annotated screenshots

.Rik Torfs op de #boekvoorstelling van #Tijdgeest: ‘Ik heb geen superpositief mensbeeld nodig om toch in de mensheid te geloven.’ ErtsbergBoeken

'Hoe strenger de moraal, hoe groter de hypocrisie', zo sprak Rik Torfs gisteren. De lancering van zijn boek 'Tijdgeest' vond plaats onder een mooi gesternte, in het stadhuis van de Maneblussers. Dank aan Bart Somers & Stad Mechelen, Isabel De Clercq, Chri en alle aanwezigen!

Sociolinguïsten zijn per definitie taalrelativisten. Relativisme is de essentie van hun wetenschap en dat is legitiem. Maar hou ze ver van het zetten van standaarden voor onderwijs. Daar heb je net geen relativisme nodig. standaard.be/cnt/dmf2023020…

Guess where I am!

Het is vandaag een beetje mistig en grijs. Ideaal om de dag dan even te kleuren met de stem van Isabel De Clercq. Over haar 'Sproet'. #schattig podcast.ertsberg.be/2061998/121389…

Ewel David P. Geens - kijk naar het licht hier! #arrifana #surf #surfing