Dont be afraid of writing Writing anything is a chore of which many people are afraid. If this is you, let me give you a hint that may make it easier. Do you have trouble speaking to a friend? Do you worry about grammar, spelling mistakes, the proper way to say things? No, you just come out and say what's on your mind. You are you, natural. When you sit down to write an e-mail or any other type of message, simply imagine you are talking with a friend. Imagine that friend in your mind's eyeand say whatever it is that you want to say. You wouldn't have any trouble with that, would you? Rattle off the words as quickly as you can. This is what I do. Imagine this were an e-mail to. See, I'm not writing an e-mail now, I am talking to youand only to you. The fact that I use a keyboard and not my mouth is simply because you are not here with me. The fact that other people are reading this piece doesn't matter. As you read it, I am talking to you alone. I am trying to involve you, to make you think about you. Why should you care about other people who are reading this same message? Use spell checker Grammar, or spelling? That's why spell checkers were invented. Use yours after you have put what you want to say on the screen. It doesn't matter how many mistakes there were; once you correct them, no one else will ever know. Think I don't make mistakes? Huh! But I don't just rely on a spell checker; I read carefully what I have written. It's surprising how often I can spell a word correctly, but use the wrong word. Spell checkers don't catch that. Short sentences and paragraphs Try to remember to use short sentences and paragraphs, too. It helps people to understand you better. Let's face it, isn't that what you do when you are talking with a friend? The only difference between talking and writing is the way in which we communicate. We use the same words, although some people seem to think they should use longer words when they write. Wrong! Change the subject and you should start a new paragraph. It doesn't have to be long. In some ways, the shorter the better. Long paragraphs make gray pages and are more difficult for some people to read. White space on a page, as between paragraphs, helps that page to be more visually appealing. Write as you speak You don't even have to use complete sentences. 'Many may be complete' is not a complete sentence, but isn't that most likely what you would say in a conversation? Enough of that; let's look at something even more important, now that we may have got you past the mental block of writing. It's this: put your reader's wants and needs first. To some extent, we are all selfish. When we read something, we want to know what's in it for us: information, benefit, interest, pleasure, satisfaction, entertainment. Provide your e-mail recipients with a benefit of some kind a benefit for them, not you. If you are trying to sell something (not a good idea on a first contact, before you have established trust), let the person see why what you are offering is a benefit to them, how it solves a problem, saves time, adds to the quality of their life, provides amusement. But don't just tell them "my purple widget will amuse you." Let your reader see that he or she will be amused. "My purple widgets get people talking with each other and are great party icebreakers. Your guests will be absorbed in the games that can be played with them by two, four or 12 people. Warn your neighbors not to worry if they hear hysterical laughter coming from." Get the idea? Paint word pictures. You can do this in all your e-mails, personal and business, and your readers will appreciate hearing from you. Speak of benefits, not features But for business e-mails, make sure there is a definite benefit to your reader. When they finish your e-mail, you want them to be happy they opened it instead of clicking the kill button. Sometimes, and you will often see this in advertising, you have to let your reader know that he or she needs your benefit. "Does your child play on the rug? Does she suck her thumb? Most toddlers do both, but have you seen a microscopic view of what lives in your rugs, no matter how well you vacuum them? Let me tell you about our patented virus and bacteria blaster that eliminates." |
