Be friendly. Be charming. Flatter. Say thank you.
Flattery will get you everywhere – not a phrase you associate with a train journey, but bear with me. It came to me as I sat on the 10.15am from Leeds to Kings Cross the other Monday morning. I was listening to the train manager read her script over and over again as we moved further south.
But what was it that made me carry on listening and not switch off? It might not have been flattery, but there was a certain charm to it and it was definitely about being human.
A writer without interest or sympathy for the foibles of his fellow man is not conceivable as a writer.
Joseph Conrad
Writing in plain English
She didn’t sound like a robot, reading words written by someone in head office who hadn’t been near a train in years. This was the perfect example of writing in plain English.
First person: ‘I’m sorry I only have five carriages on this train.’
Active voice: ‘I’m watching the CCTV and I can see that you’re all in carriage b.’
Human voice: ‘Please don’t sit there with a small bottle of water in front of you for the whole journey and think it means you don’t have to wear your mask. You do.’
Plain English: ‘Your mask needs to cover your nose and your mouth. There’s no point in doing it otherwise.’
It sounds so obvious, but how often do we hear corporate speak: stilted sentences and words we’d never use in everyday life, leaving us cold, underwhelmed and confused.
Top tip #1
Read your writing out loud
Charm is the secret of success
David Ogilvy
Yes there was a hint of ‘slightly exasperated schoolteacher towards the end of term’ vibe. But LNER showed that it is possible to communicate serious messages and instructions that people willingly follow. And with very little, if any, grumbling. No mean feat at all.
The answer is simple really, write in language we all use day to day. As if you’re having a conversation with a friend. Be friendly, be charming. Flatter. But above all, keep it human and keep it simple
As Ad man supreme David Ogilvy once said: ‘Charm is the secret of success’
It’s all about the feels
For so long business communication has focused on knowledge transfers and call to actions, but I am seeing a shift towards how we want people to feel. And this is where I think LNER got it right.
Next time you sit down to write any marketing content, run through this checklist. What you want the person reading it to:
- know
- feel
- do
and spend a little extra time thinking about the ‘feel’? How can you charm, flatter or make the person reading it feel good? Business is all about people. Its success hinges on building strong, enduring relationships. And it begins and ends with great communication.
Resources
Read
The Oxford Guide to Plain English is a fantastic reference book. It shows how you can get your messages across clearly using simple, jargon free language. And it has loads of great examples to make you wince and smile, like this one:
He was conveyed to his place of residence in an intoxicated state
He was carried home drunk
Watch
And if you want to hear from one of the marketing and advertising greats talking about why we charm is the missing ingredient in marketing, watch this 5-minute video from Drayton Bird, Warning: there is some swearing!
