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  Joseph Pulitzer of Pulitzer Prize fame has this to say about writing well; “Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and above all accurately so they will be guided by its light”. When it comes to conversational writing we are going to talk about the do’s and don’ts of informal writing so that people will get your message. Some ideas to be looking as you read this eBook include who is in your audience and who are you writing to? Is it one person or is it a group of people? Are you writing to one personality style or several types of personalities? What is the point of what you are sending them and by what means are you informally communicating? For example, is this by email, will this be handwritten or typed, is this a memo, or a letter, even an instant message or a text?

  WHO IS IN YOUR AUDIENCE?

  Let’s explore these questions and the do’s and don’ts of informal writing beginning with who is in your audience. Is it an audience of one or are there several people in the audience? First of all, DO write as though you are writing to one individual. DON’T write as though writing to a group. Regardless of the number, always write your message as though you were speaking to one person. Even if you are communicating a message to a large audience, each individual is reading …… well….individually, not collectively. Therefore communicate your message individually. For example, if you are writing a form letter don’t say, “hello everyone” or “dear friends” but rather open with a simple “hello” or “dear friend”. Better yet, if you can personalize your intro with a mail merge, this would be best. If merging data isn’t an option, then consider handwriting the person’s name at the beginning of the letter and include a handwritten note at the end of the letter, though this is not as professional as a mail merge, it is still all right since this is an informal or conversational letter and your handwriting adds a personal touch.

  Let’s move now to some do’s and don’ts with regards to personality styles and electronic documents such as emails.

  PERSONALITY STYLES

  Keep in mind when you are writing it is your responsibility as the sender to make sure that you’re your meaning is understood. For that reason, do your best to address the different personality styles that might be reading your email. There are four general types of personalities you can address in writing. First, people who are direct, second people who are analytical, third people are social extroverts and fourth people who are relational.

  Direct

  Let’s look at the first one, people who are direct. They want the point right up front and don’t like a lot of time wasted with stories, anecdotes or fluff. The best way to communicate with this style is to remember the three “B’s”: Be Brief, Be Brilliant and Be Gone! Be brief, get to the point. Don’t give an intro - or even a background - just get to the point. Think of a news article beginning with the headline or the attention grabber and then be brilliant! Think subtitle or of a sentence that is going to keep their attention and finally, be gone. Keep your sentences short; you can even use bullet points. For example, if you are sending an email to someone regarding a canceled meeting that is scheduled for this Friday, be sure to include the bottom line in the top line also known as the subject line. It may read something like this, “Friday meeting canceled”, whereas you don’t want to just write “Friday meeting” in the subject line expecting that the person is going to open the email to get the rest of the message.
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  The person who is direct might not open the email until Thursday, the day before the meeting. Once you have written a header or the attention grabber, go ahead and use brief bullet points inside the body of the email, reiterating the first point that the meeting is canceled. The second point could be the proposed new date or dates and the third bullet point should be a call to action for them to let you know which date is preferred or if either date is unavailable for them. The bottom line is if you want direct people to actually read what you write, remember that less is more. The less time it takes a direct person to read your correspondence, the more likely they are to read it. So get to the point, be brief, brilliant, clear and accurate and then be gone.

  Analytical

  Let’s move now to the second personality style, writing to the analytical person. Use all of the rules I just listed for the direct person plus a few more. So far you have grabbed the attention of your reader with your header or subject line and now you are moving into the body of the email. Being linear and sequential is extremely important here. Instead of just bullet points, think “Outline Format”:

  I. Roman Numeral I

  A. Point A
  B. Point B

  1. Subpoint 1

  a) Subpoint 1a
  b) Subpoint 1b

  Remember even though this is an informal email, when addressing the analytical person this is not the time to be cutesy or random so we don’t want to address them in our style. What we do want to do is address them in their style. DO progress in a logical, linear manner. DON’T jump around or mix your metaphors. For example, do give the logical reasons why the meeting for Friday has been canceled, do apologize for the inconvenience this may cause the analytical person, especially the inconvenience on their time. Don’t go into personal details as to your level of frustration or your feelings about the facts. Remember analyzers respond best to logic and reason not feelings and emotions, so do address the facts. The best way to remember this is to think of the TV personality Joe Friday from the show Dragnet. He was famous for this saying, “just the facts mam, just the facts”. It’s a good way to remain analytical even if this isn’t your dominant style.

  Social Extrovert

  All right, we have talked about the do’s and don’ts of informal writing when writing to people who are direct as well as writing to people who are more analytical. Let’s move now to the third style, social extroverts. When it comes to writing to social extroverts, generally speaking, they are . . . . . generally speaking! They tend to be more auditory in their communication style and often times would prefer to “hear-it” or “see-it” rather than “read-it”. If you are getting frustrated because this type of personality is either calling you on the phone or wanting to meet in person to “discuss” anything you write them, remember social extroverts gain more understanding when they can picture, see or have an audible conversation regarding what you are talking about. If possible, copy/paste graphics or pictures into the email to make your point or send a spoken email or voice mail. If these aren’t options for you, then keep the rules as already listed beginning with your subject line as your attention getter, then format the email in a linear, logical manner and then for the social extrovert emphasize your text by using one or more of the following formats such as bold, italics or highlight. I realize that bolding a document, some letters or some words, italicizing something or even going back through your email and highlighting something takes a little extra effort on your part.
• About the Author
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  "Dawn Jones has had an exemplary career as a high-powered professional. She is an international speaker, corporate trainer and business leader. After more than 19 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience, she knows the secrets to success inside out.

  As a professional speaker, Dawn is passionate about helping people reach their goals and live their dreams; as well as helping them discover the essentials of communicating for results, building self-esteem, and unlocking their paths to success.

  Her fast-paced delivery, sprinkled with impacting stories and anecdotes, makes her one of the most stimulating and sought-after speakers in her specialty areas. Dawn addresses eager audiences both LIVE and on audio. Her corporate travels have taken her to Australia, New Zealand, England, and across North America. Her recently published recordings include “Taking Control of Time and Priorities and Organizing Your Work and Life,” as well as “Conflict Management Skills for Women.”

  In her free time Dawn travels with her husband to East Africa where they volunteer with non-profit groups to help build a hope and a future for the next generation.

  More than a theorist, Dawn has put her insights and methods to the test over and over in real-life situations both professionally and personally. They are easy to implement. They work. And when combined, they create a concrete road map people can use to triumph over obstacles in their life and achieve their goals.

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