I may have mentioned that back in a "previous life" at the Gould Voice Research Center, I was the PI on the dissemination component of a large grant funded by the NIH.  Back then, when people asked me what I did, I often quipped, "Diplomacy and translation services."

While that may have been a tongue in cheek description of my duties, actually it was pretty spot on.  Often as communicators in the sciences our task is to "translate" the activities and findings of researchers not only into language that is easily understandable by lay audiences, but translating the findings with these 3 key questions in mind:

• Why does this matter?
• How do I benefit?
• What have you done for me lately?

One of the key components of the new Toolkit is the "translation" of each of the Strategic Vision statements into shorter versions at different reading comprehension levels.  Each statement has been shortened into a format and reading level that is appropriate for stakeholders and a format and reading level that is appropriate for a general audience.

The average score of our general audience summaries is around 65.  Stakeholder summaries average a score of 30. 

When writing for the Web, remember that less is more.  The bullet points from the banners hanging at the reception for stakeholders at the statewide meeting are also available in the Toolkit.

A common question I get on this topic is "Isn't that dumbing it down?"  No, it's being an effective communicator, and understanding your audience.

We've got progress to report on the Toolkit.

A basic Web site that contains downloads for all of the variations of the new ANR brand is up and running.  If you want to start using the latest ANR look you can download files from the Toolkit site.

Also ready for download are new poster templates that incorporate our new look.

A Web site for ordering new business cards, color letterhead, and envelopes will be ready by mid-Feburary via the Toolkit site.

Coming soon - PowerPoint templates, black-and-white stationery and envelopes for downloading, a photo gallery, pull-quote library, how-to's and a gallery of great examples!

In a post quite a while back I addressed some issues relating to fonts.  Over the weekend I watched an interesting documentary about the font Helvetica. (Yes, I am PBS-watching documentary-loving geek.)

Helvetica is either the greatest font ever designed - a marvel of simplicity and readability, or a plague of ubiquitous mediocrity.  For communicators, the film is an insightful look into the power of a type face. It can be seen on the program Independent Lens on PBS and is also available through iTunes.

And the NPR program On The Media featured an update on the use of federal stimulus funds to bridge the digital divide(s).

This news segment is 6 minutes in length.

As most of the ANR Web environment goes through a makeover, I thought that this post on writing great copy deserved sharing.

If you're looking at changes to your Web site, remember to keep the end user in mind rather than your own needs or an explanation of a new structure.  It's easy to get wrapped up in what's happening internally.  Keep the focus on the product and programs.

The question "What have you done for me lately?"  has never been more relevant.

This is a quick read - Does your Web copy pass the seven tests?