Multi-tasking makes contemplation impossible. In today’s world, people who don’t multi-task are deemed retarded. Taking the time to search for deeper meanings is becoming obsolete.

Peoples’ concentration levels leave no room for expansive exploration.  Bullet point bluntness has replaced the expansive paragraph.

Social media readers like to absorb bits of data. The value of that data is determined by its relevance to the immediate needs and whims of its readers. A presentation longer than a page is the Social Media equivalent of War And Peace. This is the environment in which the Social Media participant must become effective, relevant and read.

Talent is not required.

The good news in all of this is that writing talent is not required for success. Authenticity, brevity and relevance rule. People do not use Social Media to have a literary experience. They use it to connect to others. Successful Social Media people are not judged by their writing skills. They are judged by their ability to connect with people.

If you are reluctant to engage in Social Media because you say you are not a good writer, you need to find a new excuse. That one is simply inaccurate.

Clear thinking is required.

So here’s a better reason. You might be a fuzzy thinker. You may find it difficult to write your thoughts clearly and concisely. That is not because you’re a bad writer. It’s because your thoughts are not well organized, they don’t flow logically and often they are not convincing.

Being a fuzzy thinker does NOT mean that you are not intelligent. You can be intelligent, capable, do a good job and still be a fuzzy thinker.

Being a fuzzy thinker simply means that you are not always able to clearly write what you really want to say. It means that you have some trouble putting on paper what you are thinking. You have a thought in your head and somehow you can’t get it from your head to the paper in a way that makes sense and that succinctly reflects what you want to say. That happens to many people.

For people who fit this description, there is another aspect to acknowledge. The fact that one cannot put certain thoughts into written words indicates that the thoughts themselves are not clear. In other words, you don’t really have a handle on your idea, or opinion, or thought. Don’t blame your writing skills.

If you are one of those people, chances are you have been that way for some time. And you probably find yourself in situations where you are required talk to others and you find yourself taking longer than needed to make your point or to be clearly understood.  You might eventually say what you need to say, get everyone to understand and you accomplish your goal for the conversation. But it is not as crisp and dynamic as you might like.

If any of this describes you or even sometimes describes you, it is impeding your success. It is preventing you from achieving more. The good news is that there is a cure for this condition.

Write.

Do the very thing that you claim you cannot do. Write to yourself. You don’t have to publish everything you write. Just do it. If you don’t like it, throw it away. Write something every day. Even if you have nothing to say, write about the frustration of having nothing to say.

Over time, you will experience a stunning change. Your thoughts will become clearer. Your arguments will become more compelling. You will become a more successful oral presenter, not to mention a more easily understood writer.

Being understood, being authentic, writing something that brings value to your audience – these are the attributes that will make you successful in the Social Media realm. The only thing delaying you is finding your will to do it. I’ll be writing more on the process in future posts. Stay tuned.

In the meantime – write something.

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