Be lazy. Learn to survive with less. Stop making cuts (and start building revenue). Put in the time and effort to do as little as possible to get the job done. Bernard will share tips and tricks to do less and deliver more. Reduce content. Improve meeting value. Increase quality. Get other people to do the work for you. See how. Examples of each core idea are provided.

1. 1
10 Tips Towards
Reducing Content Complexity
@publishsmarter 14:15

2. 10 Tips Towards
Reducing Content Complexity
Wr i te Less. Wr i te Bet ter.
Bernard Aschwanden
www.publ ishingsmar ter.com
f or a pr int v er s ion, pleas e emai l
ber nar d@publ i s hingsmar t er . c om
14:15
2
@publishsmarter

3. About this session
3
1. Be lazy
2. Learn to survive with less
3. Stop making cuts (and start building revenue)
4. Put in the time and effort to do as little as possible
5. Reduce content
6. Improve meeting value
7. Increase quality
8. Get other people to do the work for you
9. Tips and tricks to do less and deliver more (in 2+
parts)
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4. Housekeeping and note taking
4
Not all slides or topics are
equally weighted
Use some, discard others
Slides speed varies
(reference)
Questions? Ask along the
way!
I’d love to claim errors/typos
is on purpose… they isn’t,
ain’t, and weren’t never;
however, I’ll fix ‘em as I
can…
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5. About your speaker
5
Publishing Smarter:
President
Content strategist,
publishing technologies
expert, author, and geek-enough
Certified Technical Trainer
 DITA
 Content management
 Topic-based writing
Society for Technical
Communications
 Vice President
 STC Associate Fellow
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6. Solving business problems through communication
6
We help clients:
 Create great content
 Manage content as an asset
 Deliver content the right way
 Socialize the message
 Listen to the consumer
 Improve experiences by
helping
Create great content
Manage content as an asset
Deliver content the right way
…
By helping clients:
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7. Standard disclaimer
7
In the interest of brevity I
will make some blanket
statements to keep it
simple
It’s not all 100% “the
truth”, but I’ll stay close
Purists may complain
 And they are wrong!
 (except when they are
right)
Topics may be
contradictory
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8. What are we worth?
8
Let’s get a quick count on
 Number of people
 Rough salary range
 Total $ in this room for 1 hour
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9. 1. Be lazy
9
Complexi ty can star t wi th over - thinking
something that could be simpler.
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10. The problem
10
We spend too much time
trying to do too much
 Make content 100%
perfect
 Make people 100% happy
Trying to make 100% of
the people 100% happy,
100% of the time leaves
you 0%
You can’t continue to
meet overly high
expectations
 You: Burnout, stress,
dissatisfaction
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 Them: Desensitized, blasé

11. The solution
11
Be realistic about goals
 100% is an A, so is 90
 80 to 89 is a B
 Even Cs get degrees
Maybe 80% is good
enough
Set realistic expectations
early and then meet them
Trying to make 80%+ of the
people 80%+ happy, 80%+
of the time leaves you sane
Perfection does not equate
to success, action does
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12. The outcome
12
People know that you
have to balance things
 Work
 Family
 Life
Show appreciation, meet
them part way, but you
can’t be everything to
everyone
Content can be simpler
when you work within
your means; do less, but
better
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13. 2. Learn to survive with less
13
Less content is of ten bet ter content .
And i t of ten takes longer to wr i te
less.
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14. The problem
14
We think that more is
better
 Not only “would you like
fries” but we supersize it
 We document everything
 We include
screenshots+++
What we fail to realize is
that no one reads it all
The “junk” label is
applied
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15. The solution
15
Less is more
 Document what matters
 Keep images when they
help
Reduce overall content
and deliver relevance
instead
People appreciate the
effort and perceive
greater value
You may even be able to
charge more and people
are willing to pay it
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16. The outcome
16
People can survive with
less
Perceived quality matters
Provide the right
audience:
 The right information
 At the right time
 In the right format
 To make the right decision
Don’t provide anything
more unless someone
pays
Additional
fees may
apply
(but they are WORTH
it, and here is why!!!)
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17. 3. Stop cutting, generate
revenue
17
Bet ter and targeted content means
you can win the dol lars bat t le.
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18. The problem
18
Cuts are tough to repeat
 Like cutting personal
spending
 At some point, you don’t
have anything left to cut
Instead of Starbucks:
Instant
No longer a week in
Europe: A long weekend
“stay-cation”
Forget going to movies:
You watch a library puppet
show
Cuts are seen by many
as hurtful, should not
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19. The solution
19
Generate revenue (great
approach, can be
repeated)
 More like investing for the
long term
401K, mutual funds,
stocks and bonds, treasury
bills
Interest is compounded,
you get paid again and
again
Revenue builds profits
Profits are seen by many
as an ideal, keep it
coming!
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20. The outcome
20
Assume there is a cost to sales in what you do (I
pick 10%)
 You deliver a 10% cut
Assume there is revenue gain in what you do (I’ll
pick 2%)
Rev Docs - / + in Y1 Y2 Y3 Y5 Y10
 I deliver a 2% boost
10M 1M 100K /
200
190K / 400 271K / 610 410K/
1.04M
650K / 2.19M
25M 2.5M 250K /
500
470K / 1M 780K/
1.5M
1M / 2.6M 1.63M / 5.5M
100M 10M 1M/ 2M 1.9M / 4M 2.7M/ 6.1 4.1M / 10.4 6.5M / 22M
500M 50M 5M / 10M 9.5M /
20.2
13.5M/30.
6
20.5 / 52M 32.6 / 110M
1B 100M 10M / 20 19M / 40 27M / 61 41M / 104 65M / 219M
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21. 4. Invest to do less
21
Take the savings and invest in bet ter
content tools and processes to
simpl i fy the workf low.
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22. The problem
22
Stuck with the same
process
Use the same templates
and outdated tools
Build the same tired
output
The audience is
empowered
Business (docs) isn’t
paying to ID the
audience, or fix the
problems
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23. The solution
23
Independent process
review
Create the right content
types with the right tools
Build the right output
Know your new audience
Invest money and time to
fix the core of the
problem, don’t poorly
repackage the same
thing over and over
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24. The outcome
24
Proper process
streamlines
Better tools simplify
Templates meet real
needs
Multi-channel delivery
Deliver what the
audience wants, simpler
content, better formats
They come to you to
investigate, and to buy
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25. 5. Reduce content
25
Know when and where text and
images b e l o n g . D o n ’ t s c r a p t h em , u s e
them.
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26. The problem
26
Learning’s complex
enough
People clutter docs with:
 Screen shots
 Unneeded images
 Useless text
Readers don’t have time
They want to just do the
job
Stop telling them
everything you (or the
SME) knows
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27. The solution
27
Simplify the message
Unclutter your docs:
 Drop most screen shots
 Consider the value of
images
 Replace text with images?!
People stop manual
searches
Provide just the core info
If it is that important, put it
online, in an appendix, or
a dedicated spot
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28. The outcome
28
People trust
documentation
Content is clarified:
 Screen shots have
meaning
 Images enlighten readers
 Less text, better images,

There are times that
words slow down the
reader
Let readers scan and
find
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29. Sometimes more images mean better results
29
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30. Images can replace text! Consider scale.
30
6’ / 2m
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31. 6. Improve meeting value
31
Does i t simpl i fy complexi ty? Yup.
Fewer, and focused meet ings also
means less suppor t ing content .
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32. The problem
32
People don’t have a
sense of the true cost of
a meeting
Too many meetings are
endless debates that
could be settled offline
Meetings have bogus
start times that are
ignored
The agenda is for show
No order to the
discussion, chaos theory
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33. The solution
33
ID how much, per hour,
for attendees and state it
Ensure offline discussions
are supported, held, and
shift content to them
Start on time even if you
are the only one in the
room
The agenda is gospel
Based on meeting size:
Roberts Rules: Get it.
Read it. Own it.
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34. The outcome
34
People see the true cost
of a meeting, in hard
dollars
Offline discussion means
less content dragged into
a room when it’s not
relevant
People begin to show up
so that they don’t miss
things
Agenda topics are offered
Well managed
discussions means better
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35. 7. Increase quality
35
Qual i ty versus quant i ty: In the long
term, qual i ty wins.
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36. The problem
36
Striving for an A+ is an
issue we’ve discussed
Docs are often worked
on into the last minute
Minor improvements are
pushed into content
Deadlines come and go
Unique experiences
guide different writers
and consistency suffers
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37. The solution
37
Don’t mix A+, B, and C;
instead, be consistent
Work on documentation
as the schedule dictates
When docs are done,
they are done, no more
tweaks
Stick to the deadlines
Get everyone on board,
standardize writing, topic
types, content order
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38. The outcome
38
Now move everything
from a C+ to a B, to B+,
etc.
Respect the schedule
and it becomes a
template for time
Ensure finished materials
are exactly that
Deadlines become
serious
Within and across teams,
people (and users) see
patterns to content
Install/Config Guide Client Satisfaction
Topic v1.0 v2.0
Requirements overview A B B
Download software A C A
B
Prep the system D C A
C
Partition file space B B
Install software C C
B
Default setup A B C
F
Create user groups B F D
B
Set group permission D C A
B
Configure user IDs A C A
B
Assign to groups A B B
Rollout final version B A
B
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39. 8. Get others to do the work
39
Want to reduce content complexi ty?
Remember being lazy? Go beyond
that .
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40. The problem
40
We take on too much
Others just can’t perform
at our level of perfection
Success is tough to
come by
People are driven away
from trying as they just
fail over and over again
Discouraged, they stop
providing anything and
your workload increases
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41. The solution
41
Outsource it internally
Don’t expect perfection,
appreciate what they
give
Provide little victories
Encourage people to
continue to try; provide
support along the way
Encouraged and guided
people contribute more,
and it gets better
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42. The outcome
42
Others begin to do more
The quality level begins
to increase step by step
Rewarding success =
more
Shared support early
leads to people teaching
each other as they move
ahead
You end up writing less
and can focus your time
on improved quality
levels
Quality is more
important than
quantity. One
home run is
much better than
two doubles.
-- Steve Jobs
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43. 9. Tips and tricks to do less
43
M i l e a g e m a y v a r y a s I ’m s h o w i n g
ideas, so adapt them to your
envi ronments. Some
funct ions/ features showing best
pract ices wi th core tools.
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44. Tip 1: Own/manage the schedule
44
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45. The problem
45
People sign off on a plan
They come back with
new work that is outside
scope
We blindly accept the
new work as “it has to be
done”
Push back is often weak
or without any logical
support and backing
Plans fall apart and
schedules are left to die
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46. The solution
46
People sign off on a plan
They come back with
new work that is outside
scope
Show them their parts,
ask what gets removed
instead
Push back and ask them
to find new funds,
resources, or extend
timelines
Plans are firm and the
schedule must be
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47. The outcome
47
Plans become the rule
Support for scope creep
goes away
Others can decide what
stays and what goes
An agreed upon plan
means stakeholders
must find funds,
resources, or time
Plans and schedules
become the new normal
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48. Tip 2: Excel for estimating
48
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49. Use Excel and put estimates in place
49
Initial estimates are created
Values are estimates, based on last project(s)
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50. Track actuals as well as possible
50
May not know true numbers, but gather data
Populate with as much accuracy as possible
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51. Calculate differences
51
=Estimates!B3-Actuals!B3 gives us a value in B3
Use conditional formats to ID change, show as charts
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52. Tip 3: PowerPoint for high level planning
52
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53. PowerPoint and the outline view
53
Use this to create your highest level slides quickly
Don’t worry about format yet, create quick high level
slide content only
Additional fleshing out, reorg, can be done later
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54. An initial outline may be flat
54
Quick high-level overview of what is to follow
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55. Further development of outlines
55
Rework content to new slides (auto add/remove)
Tab or Shift+Tab to promote/demote content
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56. Tip 4: Word templates for everyone
56
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57. By default you see a lot of options (too
many?)
57
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58. Restrict the list in Word
58
1
2
3
4
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59. Recommend styles in order
59
1
3
2
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60. Set up what’s next in Word
60
1
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61. Keep together, breaks, hyphenation
61
2
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1
3

62. Beyond the table of contents in Word
62
1
2
3
4
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63. Creating summaries of paragraph types
63
2
4
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3
5

64. Tip 5: FrameMaker
64
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65. Generated lists in FrameMaker
65
4
2
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1
3

66. Publishing to multiple outputs
66
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67. Tip 6: Get connected and use your
resources
67
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68. Conclusion and contact
68
Summing up the discussion,
and opt ions to cont inue i t
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69. About this session
69
1. Be lazy
2. Learn to survive with less
3. Stop making cuts (and start building revenue)
4. Put in the time and effort to do as little as possible
5. Reduce content
6. Improve meeting value
7. Increase quality
8. Get other people to do the work for you
9. Tips and tricks to do less and deliver more (in 2+
parts)
@publishsmarter 14:15

70. Final request
70
Please suggest these slides to others
If there are any problems with them, please let me
know
Remember my disclaimer at the beginning
 Not all slides are equal: Use some, discard others
 In the interest of brevity I make some blanket statements
 It’s not all 100% “the truth”, but I’ll stay close
 Purists may complain
And they are wrong!
(except when they are right)
Topics can be contradictory
 Not really
@publishsmarter 14:15

71. Follow up contact information
71
905 833 8448 (Eastern Time)
bernard@publishingsmarter.com
www.linkedin.com/in/bernardaschwanden
@publishsmarter
www.publishingsmarter.com
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