Booklet Tips - Do's, Don'ts, and Myths

A popular writing format for articles, books, booklets, and lists is based on do's and don'ts, and myths. While the authors' intention is always to be helpful, the result couldn't be more misguided, becoming the opposite of helpful.Imagine reading a list that, for the sake of efficiency, only had a header on it before the numbered listing. The header said "Don't" and then went on to have a list of 10 items. The only thing is you missed noticing the header when you read it. You got distracted, you were reading quickly, you had your thumb over part of the page, anything is possible. Regardless, you missed seeing "Don't." Not only did you miss noting the word "Don't" at the beginning of the list, your brain reads that list as if it had direct instructions of what to do rather than what not to do.At the very least, you have to remind yourself that the list is saying what not to do. That's a lot of extra and unnecessary mental effort to counteract what you see, isn't it? Do you want to put your reader through that? Even if you have one list of what not to do and another list of what to do, it is still confusing at best and requires extra mental effort to keep it all straight. As the reader is going through the list of "Don'ts" they are left wondering what to do. You may be giving them the answer to that in the next list, which is then disjointed from what they are now reading at this moment.The same is true of myths. The myths fall into the same category as what not to do. You have to process what you're seeing twice. First you read it and then you have to re-file it mentally into the ideas that the information is untrue, while deciding whether it is actually even true or not.


Look at all that excessive effort to sort through something intended to be simple, helpful, and easy. You may never have given a moment's thought to what is being triggered with do's and don'ts or myths until now. After all, many people use that approach - and many people are unaware of how counterproductive it is.There is a simple fix and one that makes you a more valuable resource to people who want what you offer. Put it all in the positive. With all the information coming at you and the rest of the world every day, you can do it differently. You can streamline the flow. You can simplify the process.ACTION - Tell your reader what TO do as your consistent way of delivering your tips. When you notice yourself headed toward "don't" or "avoid" or other words representing what not to do, ask yourself what you want the reader TO do, and tell them that. Do it simply and directly minus any sensationalism or exaggeration. Tell them the truth as you know it rather than myths. They will appreciate it and come back for more."Turn Your Tips Into Products, Your Tips Products Into Moneymakers.TM"© 2014