How can the rest of us hook in readers so that our emails, proposals, and reports have a little more pop, even if we’re not naturally gifted writers?
Catherine Mattiske is a global business educator and author of the “Inner Genius” book and e-suite, providing individuals with a personalized blueprint for optimal communication. She says we can mimic the ways strong writers captivate their audiences, and provides tips on how anyone can “deliver on-point messaging every time!”
Catherine says that everyone has a preferred way to learn, communicate, connect, and influence, which she refers to as your “Inner Genius Archetype.” She’s mapped out 12 Inner Genius Archetypes in all, and her book and e-suite each provide specific methods for creating chemistry and hooking the attention of each. But what if you don’t know your audience’s archetype? Not to fear! Catherine shares
Instead of painting with fancy words in order to impress, give the audience a clear, direct transmission of the idea. This will hook in Inner Genius Archetypes “The Decrypter,” “The Narrator,” and “The Catalyst,” all of which want to know and identify the specific reason for your communication.
Stories are relatable and digestible, and an audience is naturally inclined to follow along and put themselves in a character’s shoes. Use stories to illustrate your points and put your information in context to connect your reader. This will hook in “The Decrypter,” “The Narrator,” and “The Catalyst” once again, as these Archetypes all seek to grasp the big picture!
You’ll never show anyone how to do anything if you don’t know how to do it well yourself, so it helps to have a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of the area you are presenting. This will hook in “The Scribe,” “The Valedictorian,” and “The Horologist,” all of whom are detail-, information-, and fact-oriented and will be interested to hear about your well-laid-out logic, facts, and data.
This isn’t grade school, so don’t look to up your word count just for the sake of it. Get to the point, mean what you say, and move on. Less is more when it comes to writing. This will hook in “The Scribe,” “The Valedictorian,” and “The Horologist” again, who all want you to get straight to the point without a lot of fluff!
Provide concrete examples of the knowledge you are trying to impart, backed by up-to-date information and practical research. This way your audience can see how the information can be applied in real life. This is a trick that’ll hook in “The Cartographer,” “The Composer,” and “The Mason,” who all want to know if the premise has been tested so they can go ahead and implement it.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but give people practical advice, examples, and ways they can implement what you are saying. If you want your reader’s attention, give them something they’re not going to get anywhere else! This will hook in “The Cartographer,” “The Composer,” and “The Mason” once again, who all want to dig in, get their hands dirty, and actively use new concepts!
Acknowledge that real life happens, and that rigorous methods need to be counteracted or disregarded to accommodate it. Miss this tip at your peril, as your audience is applying your information to their practical world and materializing it for themselves as you present it to them! Give tips, tricks, traps, and real-life challenges that people may face. This hooks in “The Futurist,” “The Energizer,” and “The Explorer,” all of whom are experimenters, and find new ways of thinking and concepts others might not have considered!
