Write to express, not to impress
Perhaps people think that writing conversationally is dumbing down. This may have once been the case, but times have changed. We only have to look at the huge number of challenger banks who are using the tone of voice first made popular by Innocent Smoothies in the late 90s to see examples of how it can be done, and how popular this approach is with Millennials who are engaging with it wholeheartedly.
Innocent Smoothies pioneered a new tone of voice that sounded more like a friend than a distant, remote company. For example “This recipe is a bit special” sounds like someone who just made a new drink they’d love you to try rather than someone trying to sell you something.
Everyone and their dog has since followed suit, and admittedly it can sometimes grate (sometimes you just want to buy a salad without it speaking directly to you). But it doesn’t have to be done in exactly the same way; the concept is easier to follow if you think of yourself as being on a level with your client, rather than someone who is speaking down to them in order to impress.
For example, trying using these more conversational alternatives to formal words:
- Whereby Where
- Require Need
- Sufficient Enough
- Assistance Help
- Per annum Each Year
- Imminently Soon
- Discuss Talk
Adding ‘you’ can help even further:
- A “For those who attended last year’s event”
- B “If you attended last year”
And rather than dumbing down, the best part is that using such conversational alternatives can actually make you seem more impressive. A survey by psychologist Daniel Oppenheimer asked participants to read samples of text including graduate school applications, sociology dissertation abstracts and translations of a work of Descartes.
Some participants read the original versions, written in a jargon-filled style, while others were given edited versions, with the complex words swapped for simpler alternatives.
The psychologist asked the participants to rate the intelligence of the authors. Those who read the simplified versions rated the author as +10% cleverer than those who read the more complex, original text.
So now it’s clear – less jargon can even mean you impress more not less, while also making the process better for clients.
*Aviva, 2017
About Faith Liversedge
Faith Liversedge is an experienced communicator with a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the adviser profession. She was Marketing Manager at Nucleus for 5 years, creating innovative and award-winning campaigns. Before that she worked for Standard Life, Prudential and Royal London. In 2017 she set up her own consultancy to help forward-thinking financial advisers and planners to become more profitable through websites, communications and other laser-focused marketing techniques.
