Never be boring!
Years ago, I managed a 70-person, 5-office publications department, which meant I sat through an enormous number of interviews. My friend Caley, then a colleague, started noticing something: whenever a candidate put my brain to sleep, I'd begin jiggling my leg under the table. I hadn't even noticed I was doing it.
Full disclosure: I'm a seven on the enneagram (the type prone to restlessness and a hunger for stimulation), and I get bored easily.
When I started my company seven years ago, I wanted "Never Be Boring" as my motto. I even had stickers made. But the phrase turned off one of my friends, so I shelved it.
I want to revisit that decision.
Why would anyone want to be boring,
unless they were actively trying to put someone to sleep?
Do any of these sound familiar?
A conference speaker reads all 100+ slides verbatim.
Someone monologues about their technical job at a social event and never asks anyone else a question.
You're reading a report or proposal written entirely in the passive voice, with no personality or momentum.
One person dominates a staff meeting, complaining about their project in a flat, slow monotone, oblivious to the room falling asleep around them.
Nearly half of employees report being regularly bored at work, according to studies by Korn Ferry and Colorado State University Global. Gartner found that nearly 70% feel uninspired or disengaged. You don't want to add to that number.
When you're talking with someone, boredom shows: they glance away, turn their body, slouch, fidget (see my opening story).
The trickier problem is your writing. You usually can't watch someone's face while they read your report. So you have to be proactive from the start:
Open with a story, fact, or problem. Catch attention immediately.
Put your point up front, not buried at the end. Don't assume anyone will read all the way through.
Use analogies and metaphors to make ideas vivid.
Cut the passive voice and cut sentences. Both slow a reader down.
Get a second reader. An editor catches what you can't see in your own writing.
Make it visually inviting with bullets, bold, italics, images. Give the eye somewhere to land.
Most of these tips can be used anywhere, even technical writing.
I see no upside to being boring. Ever.
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