1. Writing to Improve Communication skills

The ability to express my thoughts and complex information has been important in my career in sales. Whether it be sales proposals or technical reports, it was essential that I could convey accurately and succinctly information that other people could understand and hopefully act upon.

English Language was my best subject at school, so I have always found it easy to find the right words to express what I was thinking. However, like any skill it needs practising and honing. I therefore started a daily writing habit many years ago, so that I could maintain and improve this skill.

I started this blog, so that my writing could be seen by others and hopefully benefit from the information. This evolved over the years, so that I have self-published longer form content into several books.

2. Therapy Writing

I feel better after writing, it is a form of therapy. Often if I am anxious or even just filled with a sense of ennui, writing seems to unblock something in my mind and it can lift me out of the fog.

I’m not sure of the process of why this happens. My hypothesis would be that thoughts can become circular, as we try to make sense of the world. We are going round in circles in our mind. Maybe writing provides an escape route for these trapped thoughts. Just like the discomfort of trapped wind, maybe we just need a good belch. It goes without saying that I wouldn’t publish this type of writing and I may not even read it back.

3. Work Through Problems

In a similar way to therapeutic writing, I will often write to work through some problem or issue. Here, though, I am looking for a certain insight. I will approach this with stream-of-consciousness writing.

First, I think about the problem and then just write. I will then keep writing, exploring all the angles of the issue. Certain passages will lead to other trains of thought, so I will explore these. If I go dry, I will force myself to write some more. I can take a break if I must, but I will then return to the writing, until there is no more to write. I will then get a feeling inside that I have put all my thoughts down and I am ready to analyse them.

The next step is to then re-read what I have written. Often most of it is gibberish, however I will highlight or underline anything that seems relevant or seems like an insight. It’s amazing that usually some course of action will reveal itself.

4. Organise Your Thoughts

The mind does not operate in a linear fashion. If we let our mind wander, our thoughts will seem to flit from one unrelated subject to another. The subject matter doesn’t appear to be linked logically, but there will be some connection, however tenuous. In a similar way to the two examples above, writing out our thoughts, to get them out of our heads can be a step towards organising them.

Mind mapping

To organise your thoughts, rather than using stream-of-consciousness writing, it can be useful to use mind mapping. Developed by Tony Buzan, Mind Mapping is a way of putting your thoughts, on a particular subject, down on paper. If you start off by writing one word or phrase in the centre of a piece of paper to represent the central theme of the subject, you then draw lines out to represent all the related thoughts, in a spider formation. See below:

Repeat with the sub-themes, by radiating sub-sub thoughts. Keep radiating out until you exhaust the subject. The important thing is to use one word for each theme. This vagueness helps the mind come up with related thoughts. What you are left with can look like a jumble of nonsense, however the pictural nature of the Mind Map allows you to see connections.

I use mind mapping to plan outlines for blog posts and nonfiction books. Once I have an outline, my creative juices are able to fill in the gaps.

5. Creative Expression

Talking of creative juices, I believe that everyone is creative, but just like anything else creativity can be developed with practice. Having a creative outlet whether it is writing, art, music or whatever, can make you a more rounded human.

Don’t be a consumer all the time

Over consumption is epidemic. There is so much to consume today from TV, Podcasts, social media and mindless scrolling. If we are not careful, we will become a species of zombies, constantly plugged into the matrix. Instead of consuming, why not produce content or art.
Writing for me, is my creative outlet. I hope I am perfecting my art, maybe you can let me know. However, even if nobody reads a word I write, I am exercising a core faculty of my human being – my creativity.

6. Find Your Voice Through Writing

Most writing is someone’s opinion. Opinions are neither right nor wrong, they are just that – opinions. I write so that I can broadcast my opinion. Are my opinions not as valid as anybody else’s? Somebody may disagree with my opinions, but that is fine. That is why they are opinions.

In a similar way, your opinion should also be heard, or at least expressed. Why not start your own outlet where you can voice your opinions. You deserve to be heard.
I truly believe in freedom of expression and I believe much of the current cancel-culture is extremely dangerous. Stamping down on freedom of expression, throughout history, never ended well.

7. The Business of Writing

Could you make writing your business? Its feasible although difficult. The best way to look at it is that you may make some extra cash. I myself have made a small amount of money with my writing, although no way near enough to live off. Yet.

If you write non fiction ‘how to’ type books and blogs, you could build up a following, or tribe in the modern parlance. If you truly provide value, some people may be willing to pay you for coaching or consultation work. You will need to have marketing skills as well as writing skills, though.
The first thing to think about is whether you are writing to entertain or inform. Or you could do both as in infotainment.

If you want to make writing your business, be prepared to commit to the very long term. It can take years to build up a following and even then, the remuneration is meagre.

Where can you write?

What platform can you write on?

Daily journal

If you are just starting out writing, I would suggest starting the habit with a daily journal. This can be just for yourself. If you hit on a great idea, then maybe you can start to expand on it.

Weekly blog

Once you get into the habit of writing every day, then you could expand into writing a weekly blog. If you can write about 200 words a day, then you could in theory publish a weekly blog of around 1,000 words. You would write for 5 days and have one day for editing, publishing and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Writing 200 words a day is not hard at all. This section is around 200 words and took about 15 minutes, so that gives you an idea.

If you would like to know more on how I write, read my post on How to Write a Weekly Blog Post. In this post I show you how to structure your time so that you consistently manage to create and publish regular content.

Self-Published Books

As you develop your style and your knowledge of the subject matter grows, why not write a book? It may take you a few months to write, format and publish, but the process is as easy as ever with Amazon KDP. I’ve written several books, please check them out.

I’ve given you the reasons why I write. If any of this resonates with you, then start today. Find your voice and get writing.

The post 7 Reasons Why Writing is Good For You appeared first on Mike Holden Sales.

Repurposing content is an efficient way to increase your reach and potential audience. Its efficient because, instead of creating new pieces of content for each platform you use, you take then one lead piece of content and repurpose this into multiple platforms. Here’s how I am attempting to do this. 

How I repurpose content 

My lead content type is writing. It is what is natural for me, I’ve always written and it was what I excelled at, at school. I’m not a natural presenter, although I have worked at this during my career in sales. I’m laid back as well, as you will see from my YouTube channel. 

My first step is the concept. I first get an idea of what to write about. At this stage I don’t know how long the piece will be. I will produce an outline using a mind map and then transform this into a linear outline, with section headings and subheadings.  

I will then start writing in free form around this outline. At the end of this process, I will then decide what the format will be. If the piece is over 10,000 words, it will become a book. Anything below this and it will be a series of blog posts or single posts. 

This is an honest approach and gives the reader more value. If the piece is not long enough to be a book, why bother padding it out? Just give the reader the essentials. 

Books

Once I’ve decided that the piece will be a book, I then go through a different process as to that which I go through for blogs.  

First the book needs a title and subtitle. I will produce about ten titles and then whittle this down to the best one. Next, I then find a great cover. I now use Fiverr for this. You can get a professionally looking cover for a few quid. I’m not a graphic designer, so I’m not serving myself by toiling over this chore. 

My editing process is different for books compared to blogs. I will edit each chapter as it is done and then if changes are made, they are re-edited at the end. I will also make sure that each chapter flows into the next. 

Blog posts 

Books can be split down into blog series. Each blog post should already flow to the next, but it is also important to make sure that each blog post can stand alone as a separate message. The reader can then decide whether to explore the rest of the series. 

Single blog posts are easier to manage. There is one message in the text, that I need to keep in mind. The single blog post, whether standalone or part of a series, then becomes the basis of my repurposing. 

YouTube 

The single blog post, if around 700 words, is an ideal length to be repurposed into a short video of around 5 minutes. I will record myself reading out the blog post on my phone and then use Camtasia to edit this video. Camtasia also allows you to add incidental background music, annotations and splice in other video and photos.  

I go through a multi-step editing process to get these videos out. 

What I plan to do 

I’m aware that there is much more I can do around repurposing, for instance I am planning to breakdown these shortform videos into even shorter forms that can be uploaded to twitter/X or Facebook. Camtasia will allow me to do just that.  

With the text itself, this can also be repurposed. I am planning to set up a Facebook page and dedicated twitter/X account, so that individual blogs can be split into shorter soundbites and pieces. Other platforms that I use such as LinkedIn are also opportunities for me to expand my reach. 

The one thing I am clear on, however, is that I will concentrate on maximising one platform at a time before I add a new one. There is too much to learn, to start trying to do everything at once. That is why I am concentrating on building up this blog first. 

The post Repurposing Content  appeared first on Mike Holden Sales.

Do you want to start blogging, but are not sure if you can and should? This post is for you. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I never knew how. When you think about that last sentence, it might seem strange. It’s like saying I’ve always wanted to be a jogger but don’t know how. You just do it.

So if you want to be a writer: just write. Then you’ll be a writer.
There are two useful beliefs for you to adopt as you start on your blogging career:

1. You can be an authority before you get the results. You don’t need results now to be able to write. Say you want to write about being a successful entrepreneur; you don’t need to be one, you can share your journey.
2. You can do it part-time, because  you don’t need to drop everything to become a blogger. In one hour per day, you should easily be able to write a decent sized blog post per day.

The steps to being a blogger

1. Have a vision

Having goals is not enough. Who do you want to become? How do you want to be known? Instead of focussing on how much money you will make, concentrate on what you will contribute.

See yourself in a better situation than you are in now, without justifying where you are now. If you tell it like it is, you will stay where you are.

Change your language:  “I don’t understand” “It’s easy for him” or “I don’t have the money/time/skills …”. These are all examples of disempowering language and they don’t serve you. Change what you say to yourself.

2. Immerse yourself in your chosen field or market place.

You could get coached or go to training courses or seminars. Devour all the books you can on your subject. It goes without saying that you should follow other blogs and contribute.

3. Create Content with authority

The fastest way to become an authority is to teach. You can teach in many ways such as a writing your blog or posting videos. The added benefit of teaching is that you also learn and gain insight. Invest in your own education and share your learning with others. Blogging really is the best and simplest way to do this.

If you imagine that the various social platforms you use, such as Facebook, twitter and YouTube are spokes, these will generate the traffic to your blog. Your blog will become the hub of your business, especially if you self-host your blog. You will have full control over the platform, whereas you have no control over Facebook etc.

4. Build and Serve your audience

Go where you are celebrated, not tolerated. There are always more content consumers (learners) than there are content providers (teachers), so it should always be easy to find a small niche audience that love what you do. Write for them, not the masses.

Learn to generate leads for your business daily and serving these leads with solutions to their problems. Engage with your target audience.

5. Monetise

Finally, you can monetise your blog. This should always be your final consideration after you have built your audience, served them and engaged with them.

How can you provide more value, in more detail, in a way which people might pay you for it?

The post Blogging To be an authority appeared first on Mike Holden Sales.