Thinking Is Writing

                Let’s talk about communication and how it relates to writing. 

            They say men are from Mars and women are from Venus.  They say that the young folks think differently than the older folks.  The fact is that different people have different thought processes –and when you have different thought processes, conversations are received in different ways.

            Here’s one scenario.

A few years ago, I watched Oprah Winfrey: LifeClass.  In this show, Oprah discussed how men and women communicate differently.  According to her and her guest, Iyanla Vanzant, men speak in headlines and women speak in fine print.  Oprah provided an example about her boyfriend.  One day, he returned home after golfing with his buddies.  Nonchalantly, he informed Oprah that his friend’s wife left him for another woman.  That’s all he said—and then he moved on.  Baffled by the ‘headline’, Oprah started to ask questions.  Who did she leave him for?  When did this happen?  Is he okay?  Stedman didn’t supply the answers and she couldn’t understand it.  How could someone hear something so devastating and not follow it up with questions?  They say that’s just the way men converse.  I’m not sure about the truth of this.  However, I can say that I’ve observed this when communicating with the opposite sex. 

            Here’s another scenario—a more business-related one.

A member of upper management is a stickler for numbers.  Just saying that business is better isn’t enough.  You need examples.  Providing numbers show the ‘how much’ rather than the statement of ‘it was done.’  It’s more believable—more precise.

Another previous manager was a stickler for proof statements.  Just saying that business is better isn’t enough.  You need examples.  Providing statements of success show specifically what happened to show that business is better.  It’s more believable in another way—it shows accomplishment.

            I thought about both of these scenarios after reading an article the other day titled ‘Does Your Business Audience Have a Split Personality’.  In this article, it talks about how business writing should consist of business and personal benefits.  The business side will do the convincing and emphasize how this change can improve things.  The personal side will impact a person’s individual feelings.  The personal side is where you consider your audience and how they will receive you.  Are they male or female?  What’s their age group?  How will this change impact them on a personal level?