You’ve been asked to write a blog, do a presentation, talk, or assignment and you’re running out of time - what do you do? This article has some tried and tested tips that I use, and I’ve heard others use. Read on, save this article somewhere, and read it again...

1. AESTROAESTRO
You’ve been asked to write a blog, do a presentation,
talk, or assignment and you’re running out of time - what
do you do? This article has some tried and tested tips that
I use, and I’ve heard others use. Read on, save this article
somewhere, and read it again…
FAST!WRITEAGREAT
ARTICLEOR
PRESENTATION
TIPS ON HOW TO
072 // JUL 2014 // THE-MARKETEERS.COM

2. JONATHAN(BILAL)A.J.WILSON
SENIORLECTURER&COURSELEADER,
UNIVERSITYOFGREENWICH,LONDONUK
EDITOR:JOURNALOFISLAMICMARKETING,
EMERALDGROUPPUBLISHING.
I’ve found that whether you’re creating
something, preparing for a gig, big match or
big pitch, the process is actually very similar.
Perhaps the only differences are how much
time you have to prepare, make decisions,
or what you write down as opposed to just
thinking them.
What you need to do
The more times that you practise the
processes and stages I’ve outlined in this
article, then the faster and better you’ll get
at them, and ultimately at achieving your
overall task.They will add structure to your
activities, help to build up your confidence,
and make it easier to work again and
again – even when you feel that you are up
against it, or are suffering from a mental
block.The key thing to remember is that
you are finding a way for your mind to turn
this mountain into a pebble, and that relies
upon your ability to manage your mind,
more than the reality around you. Manage
your mind, and the rest of your body will
follow.
Think about all those other people, day
in, day out, around the world, that are able
to do the same in their fields of expertise:
colleagues, medical doctors, athletes, rock
guitarists, chefs, and many others. If they can,
then you can. Remind yourself that you’ve
been asked to do this task for a reason; and
that reason is that people think that you
can do it, and do it well. Remember all of
the times that you’ve been able to succeed
at anything, even when you thought that
you wouldn’t be able to. Reflect upon how
you came out of the other side, able to
turn up for work the next day, stronger and
more accomplished.Tell yourself that you
don’t need as much sleep and food as you
think. Imagine what it will feel like when you
succeed and how others will look at you.
Plan how you will reward yourself, celebrate
your achievement with others, and convert
it into another stepping-stone towards your
career goals.
It might sound like an obvious thing
to say, but don’t panic. Stay calm, start
taking some deep breaths, try to relax
- but stay alert and keep that adrenaline
pumping, but under control.The mark of
a professional is being able to handle and
channel that pressure in a way that others
struggle to do, and to deliver the goods.
That also means handing more matters
back to your unconscious, rather than your
conscious mind.The more that you use
your conscious mind, the more tired, slow,
and stressed you are going to feel.Think
about Olympic sprinters, rock guitarists; or
footballers and stand-up comedians reacting
– when they’re in the moment, they don’t
really have to breathe or think about what
they do.They trust in their training and the
unconscious takes over.
Now that you’ve built up your confidence
and started the process of talking to
yourself; delving deep into your emotions
and memory - the real work begins…
Go back to the task at hand and study
what it is that you’re being asked to do
carefully – it’s easy to see something
that isn’t there, or to add more than is
required from you. If it’s a 20 minute talk, 10
PowerPoint slides, or an 800 word article,
then aim to do no more.Anything more is
a waste, and you don’t have much time to
waste.
You need to draw from your experiences
and not reinvent the wheel - you are an
expert in something, with experiences
and a perspective that collectively no one
else has.Think about what material you
might already have sitting somewhere on
your hard drive, smartphone, and browser
history.The key is to link them to the task
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3. AESTROAESTRO
at hand.
Actually now, go and reinvent the wheel.
Well, add something new to the wheel
that everyone already knows about and
understands - a new perspective, an
innovation, something... Something that
makes people think; something that maybe
they’ve not heard of before, or at least
for a while; share something of your own
thoughts and experiences, good and bad; let
people into your world.
But make it interesting.Tell us a story –
something that you’d like to hear, even if it’s
not actually strictly your story.The fact that
you’ve chosen to tell that story, and chosen
to share it with us, is what makes it special.
But don’t forget to tell us why you’re telling
us this story, how does it relate to what’s
going on here, and what’s in it for us? Also,
don’t make the story too long…
Before you start, you need to get
warmed up.WatchTV, whether that’s the
news, a documentary, a sitcom, stand-up
comedy, a movie – whatever gets your brain
ticking, stimulates and relaxes you. Phone
your friends, surf the net, watchYouTube
andTED talks, and absorb what’s going on
around you. Make notes and draw pictures
on paper, or your smartphone and tablet
– anything and anywhere, just save them in
one place.
Now switch off from the world and
isolate yourself. Have a coffee, wash
the dishes, iron some shirts, cut some
vegetables, go for a walk, do something
boring or simple that let’s your mind
wander some more and process all of this
information.
Make some more notes on paper, or your
smartphone – anything, but start to write
bullets and phrases...
Now put your notes down, go away and
do something else - anything…
Now go back and sit down, lock yourself
away and write.
Put: who, what, how, when, where, why,
and wow at the top of your page.
Write the body first, then the conclusion,
and then the intro and title last.
You need pictures. Either that means
actual images, or painting images in peoples’
minds through your storytelling. If there’s an
opportunity for both, then great!
Within your work, you need to offer
several perspectives.Try three angles as a
starting point; odd numbers work better,
and remember to tell your audience the
number in your list – it makes it easier for
us to process your message.
Break things down into several points.
Use this as a three-stage structure
for each perspective that you present:
facts, explanations and conclusions; or
conclusions, explanations, and then facts.
It may take you some time to work out
what flows better; and often the first
time you’re putting things together, the
explanation might pop-out first. However,
resist the temptation to let your mind
jump to conclusions, missing out a stage, or
bounce back and forward. This is all about
communicating in a clear, logical and easy to
understand manner – no matter what the
topic is.
Don’t be afraid to pose questions, even if
you don’t know or provide the answers to
everything.This is about looking to connect
and engage with your audience.Whether
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4. you like it or not, their brains will be asking
questions, as they process your information
and everything around them; some of which
may not be intended by you or within your
control. By asking questions, you’re bringing
them back into your space and your script.
Whilst you’re preparing and writing, imagine
you’re having a conversation. Sometimes
it helps just record you chatting into your
phone.
I’m going to make this point again. Make
it interesting. Make it something that you
would be bothered to listen to, or read, and
share. Link it to what’s happening now.
A real example to get you thinking
Okay, so you might be thinking about
what stories or examples you could use.
I mean how far off track can you go, and
then bring it back on track? Here’s one of
my stories that I used in a talk about the
importance of cultural understanding in
leadership and branding:
So here goes…
Now, we all know that not everything
is as black and white as it seems, right?
Well, when I was thinking about this point,
an image of a zebra popped into my mind.
So what about the zebra?Well, here’s a
question for you: is a zebra a black animal
with white stripes; or a white animal with
black stripes?
It might seem strange, but that’s the first
question that popped into my mind. But as
an academic, creative and consultant who
spends a lot of his time thinking about
things and finding solutions, then actually
I’m used to my mind asking these seemingly
irrelevant questions, when there seem to be
more pressing matters.
So, as you might expect, my mind was
quick to answer this trivial question.
However, the more that I thought about it, I
started be become unsure about whether I
knew the right answer so not.
What do you think? Let’s have a hands
up who thinks it’s a black animal with white
stripes; now hands up who thinks that it’s a
white animal with black stripes?
Okay, you want to know the right answer,
right?Well, I did what any academic would
do; I suspended my own judgments for a
minute, and went searching through various
literature sources.
Well, the answer is – it depends… If
you take the position put forward in one
academic study, in the field of anthropology,
then they will tell you that it depends too.
From their findings, it depends on your
cultural frame of reference.
It appears that people from Africa, tend
to see it as a black animal with white
stripes; whilst people from Europe see it
as a white animal with black stripes. So I’m
sure that you can see how that works.
But, when I’ve asked this question on
my travels amongst various ethnic groups,
especially from former colonies, more often
than not, they tend to see zebras as white
animals with black stripes. So does that
mean they have colonized minds?
Think about what impact the culture of
today and yesterday has on the way that
we see things.Also, think about when you
get older, does your hair go white, or does
it get darker? If you take the position of
some zoologists, then they will tell you of
course it’s a black animal with white stripes;
because the white stripes are the places
where there is an absence of pigmentation.
So why am I telling you all of this?Well I’d
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5. AESTROAESTRO
like to say that it is for three reasons.
Firstly, not everything is black and white,
or black and white in the way that we think.
Secondly, that our culture, experiences,
and frames of reference shape the way that
we see things; and that may be different to
the way that others do.
And finally, that we have the ability to
change the way that we see things, if we
want to. But this can only happen if we ask
questions, no matter how simple or trivial,
that it’s important to do this both alone and
in groups, and through looking for answers
in diverse sources.
Once we do this, and we share what it
is that we have found, then we can start
working out what makes a great leader,
or brand – because culture matters, it’s
everywhere, and it touches everything.
A personal admission
And do you wanna know a secret? Most
of this article was written on my iPhone.
I was stressing about what on earth I’m
going to write for my next column piece,
after I missed the deadline - because I was
fighting jetlag and other work distractions,
whilst I was away speaking at: the Kellogg
Innovation Network (KIN) Global
conference, at Northwestern University,
USA; followed by the PR Trends Summit in
Qatar. Happy writing to you all!
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