Storytelling in business writing is a hot topic, in part because we now know how powerful stories are. MRI tests, for instance, have proven that our brains light up more creatively when we hear or read stories. And we’ve learned that stories make our messages stick because they tap into our emotions, where we buy and buy in.

Of course, journalists have known this for decades. It’s in our DNA that stories make information more interesting and memorable. So, I’m excited that stories are increasingly welcomed in the workplace. Goodness knows we need to make our business writing more creative. Now that we’re writing more than ever (so many texts, e-mails, tweets, blogs, articles!), we need to make our messages stand out.

Stories can do that.

One of the best ways to develop your storytelling skills is to read the New York Times. Last week, I read an essay by Dan Barry about growing up a Yankees fan when, hard as it is to imagine, they hovered around the cellar. Barry’s essay is a work of art that made me involuntarily clutch it to my heart when I finished reading. Check it out: The Damned Yankees.

When you’ve read it a few times (once just isn’t enough), explore why this piece is so powerful. Deconstruct it from every angle: how does he start, how does he finish, how does he keep his middle from sagging? You’ll learn a lot about storytelling simply by poring over his genius.

When you tell stories in your business writing, you’ll set yourself apart. Most business writers still overlook this easy and fun way to engage their readers. And when you tell more stories, your business writing becomes more effective. You’ll not only increase your results, respect, and revenues, you’ll make your business writing more creative. And for that, I salute you!

What stories do you tell at work? How do you incorporate them into your business writing? What results have you enjoyed?

One of my favorite creative business writing techniques is to ask “What if?” First, those two words draw me in like Vegas to a gambler. I immediately want to know how this imaginary scene will play out. Second, “what if” sets up scenarios that enliven the delivery of ho-hum facts and technical information.

In your business writing, you can literally use the words “what if,” or you can simply imply them. That’s what Joanie Smith, the owner of my local bird-supply store, did in her story exploring the fantastic situation of “what if birds could talk?”

A few months back I was working outside in the hot sun. I was getting sweaty and tired, not paying much attention to anything other than getting the job done when I noticed a dark figure on the ground not further than 15 feet away.

Wondering why I didn’t notice it before, I moved a little closer. I was surprised to find that I was being watched by a turkey vulture. “Oh, hi,” I said nervously. “I don’t smell that bad, do I”  “Not yet,” he said matter-of-factly. “Things are kind of slow today, so I thought I’d glide down for a look-see.”

“So,” I said, trying to keep the conversation going. “How do you like being called a turkey vulture?”
“DON’T like it,” he replied. “We’re not related to turkeys. Not related to hawks or eagles either…”

Thanks to “what if?” Joanie successfully grabs my attention and holds it as I learn more about turkey vultures than I ever thought I wanted to know. In fact, I’m spellbound. She tells this story so masterfully that I find I actually do want to know about turkey vulture diets, their regurgitated pellets, and even their feces!

To close, she gives the turkey vulture a whiff of something irresistible.

“Whoa! Wait a second. I’m getting something here.” He waved his wing feathers in front of his beak… “Well, gotta go. It’s not every day you get a chance to gorge on a putrid cow carcass. See ya!” He and his offspring took off. Then, he quickly flew back around and called, “Hey, care to join us for lunch?”

“No thanks,” I said, “I think I’ll have a salad.”

Do you see how “what if?” allowed Joanie great freedom to create and inform? Give it a try in your business writing when you’re facing a litany of facts that need a spark or when you want to grab your readers’ attention. What if you do something? What if you don’t do something? What if pigs fly?

How can you use “what if?” to engage your readers?

P.S. If you’re lucky enough to live in San Francisco’s East Bay, stop by East Bay Nature at 1270A Newell Avenue, Walnut Creek. And sign up for Joanie Smith’s newsletters. They’re always this creative.

Lately, I’ve been teaching a lot of grammar, and goodness knows we need the help. I see lots of gaffes and typos every day. My two favorites from last week:

1. “I’m looking Howard your recording.”  Huh?  Who’s Howard? Oh, “forward.”  

2. “Our audience is composted of listeners who…”  Oh dear, composted audiences?  I think that presentation ran entirely too long! 

But I’m not going to rant about bad business writing. Enough people are doing that. I want to get beyond grammar and into creativity. Out of the weeds and into wide open spaces. 

Grammar is like a pile of bricks. Both are just building blocks. In the case of bricks, they lay the foundation for everything from a forbidding prison to a fabulous palace. Same with grammar. A dull blog and an exciting article can both be composed with perfect grammar. We can futz over this comma and that hyphen, but we also need to understand that without great ideas and creative ways of delivering them, no matter where we put that comma or hyphen, our writing will likely bore the socks off our readers! 

That’s where creative business writing comes in. Consider these three easy ways to write with more wow! 

1. Write to your readers, not at them. Offer benefits they’ll enjoy from your products/services instead of dumping a bunch of features on them. Be nice to your readers. Make their lives easier. Talk to them as though they’re your best friends. Use the word “you” a lot to engage them.  

2. Tell stories. I read recently where storytelling is now a “must-have competency for leaders.”  First, it probably always has been. Second, if those leaders tell stories with words like “must-have competency for leaders,” I bet their audiences start composting too. Tell real stories to engage people—and leave the corporate buzzwords behind.

3. Have fun! What? Fun with business writing? Yes, especially when you add creative touches such as dialogue, foreshadowing, similes, and alliteration. Your writing will stand out, which means you’ll get the respect you deserve. And your readers will read (and act on) your copy, which is why you wrote to them in the first place. 

What’s your experience with creative business writing? What do you like to do to make your writing stand out? 

P.S. Grammar is an essential element of good writing, and I encourage everyone to get one of these excellent books—Elements of Style; Eats, Shoots & Leaves; and The Well-Tempered Sentence—to bone up on basics.

I recently talked to a potential client about the power of storytelling. I wanted her to know just how much stories can influence and persuade in the workplace. We’re wired for stories. Why else do we remember stories ’round the campfire from so long ago?

I was getting no traction. Then the obvious made itself heard above the din: Tell her a story.

So, I shared with her how I’m still amazed that New York Times bestselling author Thomas Moore reviewed my book, Words at Work. That came about because I told him a story.

When I wrote him to ask for the endorsement, I reminded him that we’d met in Seattle at a book signing for his then-latest book, A Life at Work. He’d written inside my book: Don’t give up on joy in your work. On the trip home from the signing, I mulled over his inscription. Was it that obvious that I was burned out? I’d been a writer for 25 years, and I wanted to spend more time coaching business writing.

I told him that he inspired me to do just that. And that I’d written a book about business writing, a book my students and clients asked me to write because they were inspired by my stories of how, through trial and error, I’d achieved a successful writing career. (I also mentioned that his book Care of the Soul would always be one of the most important books in my life.)

Months went by, but I didn’t hear. I quit thinking about it.Then I received his letter:

Hello, Lynda,

Two days ago I got your letter and book in the mail. The letter was terrific, so I read the book and then noticed the date on your letter. You must have sent it eight months ago. Sending mail to authors via publishers can make snail mail look like express delivery. I like what you say in your book, and I have a passion for writing, so I’m happy to write an endorsement.

Thomas

If I’d written a typical letter and asked for an endorsement, I doubt he would have responded. He’s just too busy. But when we share our humanity through stories, they activate our brains in ways far more creative than the words we’re reading. (MRI tests confirm this.) Stories activate memories, trigger emotions, and resonate in personal ways that make our messages stick.

“Do you see the power and joy stories can bring?” I asked the woman listening on the phone.

Apparently not.

She soon offered a polite goodbye and hung up to return to “the way we’ve always done it.”

How about you? Do you believe in stories? If so, take advantage of stories in your business writing. Make a list of personal stories that resonate with you and then use them in letters and e-mail, articles and proposals. Oh, and for sure in your Web copy and blogs. Keep in mind, too, that stories set you apart since most people overlook this compelling tool for engaging readers and getting the results they want.

Besides, it’s a lot of fun to tell stories. They make your business writing more enjoyable to write and—even more importantly—to read.

A friend recently recommended a book. A research report, he added.

“Ugh!” I thought, recalling other research books I’d read.

But I can’t put this one down. Here’s why:

It’s creatively written. No dry language, no jargon, no “researchese.” Just great stories, case studies, similes, and quotes that relate to the readers’ best interest. (All the things I teach and preach about creative business writing.)

Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasiveby Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini illustrates how “small changes in the way that requests are made can often lead to some startlingly big results.” (Page 150.)

And they live up to that mission on every page of their bestseller.

Want to make your business book, blogs, and articles just as compelling?  Let’s deconstruct it, that is, examine their techniques so you can use them in your business writing. In other words, emulate to write great. (More on rhyming in a minute.)

Here are just a few ways the authors made their research compelling:

1. Stories: Yes! shares fascinating tales and case studies that grab your attention and make their message stick. Think about your own stories and how you can use them to engage and inform.

2. Famous quotes: Yes! includes memorable messages from Luke Skywalker, Oscar Wilde, and Benjamin Franklin, among others. Who can you quote to add information and inspiration?

3. Clever wordplay: Yes! ends a chapter with, “The brittle foundation of the relationship may crack, and the cooperative bridge you’ve built up may come crashing down.” (Page 59.) Play with your words to say something more creatively. The above sentence could have read, “The foundation may crack and ruin your relationship,” but the authors took time to write a more creative—and memorable—analogy. Give it a try next time you write a proposal or article.

4. Rhyming: Yes! explains that rhyming offers greater “processing fluency.” In other words, our brains process rhyming phrases more easily than non-rhyming phrases. To make your message more memorable, take the time to rhyme.

If this book had been dry, word of mouth would have died on our parched lips. Same goes with boring business letters, reports, blogs, articles, proposals—even e-mail. They just don’t get the job done anymore. Give these techniques a try. Engage and inspire so you can set your business results on fire.

I recently posted a tip about creative business writing on a popular newsletter site. The gist of the tip was to study writers you love in the same way that Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt studied the Great Masters. (You’ll take away fresh ideas about structure and style.)

A few days later, I got an anonymous note from a reader telling me that great masters is redundant.  Okay. Never mind that it’s a coined phrase—technically, I suppose, the writer is right.

I also occasionally hear from people stating that I needed a comma here or there in my writing. Maybe, maybe not. Just as our language changes every day, punctuation styles seem to change just as fast. No wonder people are confused—pick up six style books, and you’ll see six different ways to punctuate. Some have so few commas I have to reread sentences to understand their meaning. Other times, the writer uses so many commas, I feel as though I’ve got the hiccups. I don’t know if publishers are lapsing on their knowledge of punctuation rules, or if everything is changing so fast, but it’s getting wild out there.

So, what about my pen pals who like to focus on these issues? Part of me applauds them for paying such close attention to writing rules. Goodness knows we’ve gotten sloppy (if we ever learned the rules in the first place!). Yes, by all means, let’s be exacting and orderly in our writing; punctuation and redundancies are important.

But a stronger voice within wants to shout, “What about creativity? What about the message?” What I’d really love to receive is an e-mail challenging me to be more creative. Maybe to better develop an idea or to come up with something so fresh, so revolutionary it could be scrawled on a brown-paper bag and the whole world would still embrace it.

Our country is facing huge challenges now, and we need to come up with creative solutions and ideas. So, marshal your energy—proofread and find a proof buddy to help you find those ugly typos and omissions—then spend your time on crafting the most creative business writing you can. Write something so full of stories and similes, alliteration and anecdotes that no one notices the occasional goof in punctuation. (Though try to do better next time!)

Go forth and create business articles people want to read, business blogs that make us think, and business books that are worth reading and rereading. That’s the real business writing challenge facing us today. Tap into that marvelous brain of yours and innovate, innovate, innovate.  (Or is that redundant?)