I think I just realized why I can’t stand working with code, or why numbers and I don’t agree. While surfing for a topic, I came across another blogger who wrote “How to use “Upwords” to Increase Response“. This is more than an article about increasing traffic to your website through content; it’s information as to how the mind works when dealing with words, numbers and pictures. The author gives the following example to illustrate his point:
“I once took a media communications course in which I discovered an interesting example of the way the mind works. As part of a given lesson, a videotape was shown of a televised newscast during which a journalist was about to give a live report on a forest fire that was devastating the mid-west. The news anchor in the television newsroom said: ‘We now take you to Sally Smith — she’s in the station’s helicopter flying above the scene of the fire.’”
He turned to face the background screen that presented a live bird’s-eye view of the raging fire, and then asked: “Sally, tell us; how big is the fire?” In a voice partially drowned by the whizzing sound of helicopter blades, Sally reports, “John, it’s so big, it’s covering well over 140 acres of land — that’s about 200 football fields back-to-back for you and me.”
I do that all the time. When I’m given directions, working on my bike, or when someone describes something to me, I see a picture in my mind rather than the words. Numbers don’t sink in. You can give me measurements and statistics, but they only confuse me further. When I work in DreamWeaver (a web design program), I very rarely use the code view. I need to see something concrete, not abstract.
How many times have you said to a person, “Your face is familiar, but I can’t remember your name.” I can’t count the number of times that James has told me, “Show me, Harry. I can’t picture what you’re telling
Your mind takes the quickest route to understand something and visual pictures are often the answer. The author of the article says that “Upwords” is an acronym for Universal Picture Words or Relatively Descriptive Sentences. That’s quite the mouthful. Translation? Upwords are phrases that help the reader picture what you’re saying.
When you’re trying to redesign a website for a client or help them increase their SEO, the client can easily get lost with all the technical mumbo-jumbo. I know I did when I first started this venture. There were so many abbreviations for one thing or another that I had no idea what anyone was talking about. I think James had to remind me no less than a dozen times that “SEO” stood for “Search Engine Optimization”. We had to redesign one client’s website, and it was a nightmare for me because the client constantly referred to numbers, statistics, and other technical aspects of coding that made my head spin.
Keep in mind that not everyone has the same level of knowledge that you do. It’s best to communicate in the words of the common man until you know how much techno-speak the other person can handle. This isn’t to say you should talk down to your audience. Rather, speak in a language the person can relate to. Communication is easily garbled under the best of circumstances, Why make it worse?
