Tag Archives: conversational style

Some parts of conversation should not enter your writing

Plain language / Plain English, Thinking & writing, writing tip,

One of the techniques of writing in plain language is to use a conversational style – to write as though your reader is physically in the room with you.

But there are aspects of spoken conversations that should not enter your writing. ‘ums’ and arhs’ and ‘you knows’ are clearly out.

Sometimes when we speak with each other we include words that are not really necessary for the content we are delivering. These clutter phrases and additional words can be helpful in conversation to slow down information delivery, giving the hearer a little more time to process the ideas.

But this not needed when communicating using the written word. Readers can control their reading speed and the rate they encounter new ideas in a way that hearers can not.

Personalise your writing

Plain language / Plain English, writing tip,

Your writing will be read by people, so write directly to them.

Organisations don’t read letters or other documents, people inside them do.

So it’s OK to use personal pronouns – words like you, me, I, us.

Using personal pronouns helps make contact with your readers and creates a more engaging, conversational tone. It helps them better understand how they should respond and what actions they need to take.

Write ‘you must …’ rather than the vague ‘the ratepayer must ….’. Writing directly makes your writing clearer, more accessible, and helps readers feel acknowledged and respected.

This simple shift from third person to second person can dramatically improve comprehension and response rates.