"There’s more to spinning a story than simply putting words on a page. How you share information can be as important as the information itself, shaping the perception and reaction of your readers — and determining whether they get all the way to the end.
If you want your audience to engage with what you’re writing, it’s time to sharpen your storytelling skills. Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place…
Working as a global company with diverse teams, our online content and emails often address colleagues with a wide range of expertise and subject knowledge. It’s essential to bear that in mind, unless you explicitly know that 100% of your readership is subject matter experts on the topic you’re communicating about. Otherwise, you risk your message being lost on colleagues who don’t have the context of having worked on a particular project, or in a specific area of the business.
Imagine you’re telling the story to the stranger sat next to you on a plane (apart from the fact that you wouldn’t share internal information with a stranger, of course.) Make sure that what you have to say is understandable for anyone, and as much as possible, interesting too.
Are you trying to encourage action? Write to persuade. Celebrating success? Inject some enthusiasm into it! Sharing some more difficult news? Consider the sensitivity you’d use to relay the same information in person.
Verbally, most of us automatically adjust our tone and language to suit the situation, but it doesn’t always come so instinctively when we’re sat behind a screen. When we can’t rely on facial cues, voice and body language to help us convey the right message, it’s more important than ever to be mindful of how our words will be received.
Stick to the information you need to communicate to prevent your main message from getting lost among unnecessary details. Ask yourself what you really want your readers to take away from your communication, and make sure your focus is on those essential points. Drafting a quick bullet point plan before you start writing can help with this.
Once you’ve identified the key information to include, present it in a logical order. Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. At best, you’ll lose the intended impact if you mix the “chapters” up—and at worst, it won’t make any sense[...]"
