Improve Your Business Writing With Two Heavyweights - Magnum, P.I. and Dirty Harry
by
Al Borowski
SUMMARY:
Clear, concise, effective business writing relies on a positive, personal tone. Hollywood script writing and common sense, personal approach can show you how. |
Your business writing can improve with help from Magnum, P.I, and Dirty Harry.
Yes, I know what you're thinking.
How could anyone possibly tie Thomas Magnum and Dirty Harry together to improve our business writing.
Lets check out both characters.
Dirty Harry Callahan, Clint Eastwoods character in five highly successful films, portrayed a renegade cop. The movies were filled with action, suspense, and drama.
Magnum, P.I. featured Tom Selleck in a hit TV series for CBS that ran for eight years.
Heres where the tie-in to business writing comes in.
Both characters uttered those famous words, "I know what you're thinking."
So you're still thinking, "Whats this got to do with business writing."
In 1971, when Clint Eastwood said, "I know what you're thinking, punk," he followed it with, "Youre thinking, Did he fire six shots or only five."
Thats what Dirty Harry Callahan said to Scorpio, the bad guy.
But in reality, he was addressing everyone in the theatre. Everyone in the theatre, or at least those that were sucked in to the drama and suspense and the action, were thinking to themselves, "Did he fire six shots or only five?"
This was a brilliant piece of script writing because the actor was talking directly to the theatre audience.
The series, Magnum, P.I., became a highly popular show that featured a great cast, great writing, exotic locations and mix of action, comedy, and suspense.
But here again, the writers used the same technique in the 1980s that made the Dirty Harry movies successful in the 1970s.
In every show, Thomas Magnum talked to the TV audience. Again, you were drawn into the show because you felt he was talking to you. He often started the a segment by saying, "I know what your thinking."
Again, brilliant script writing.
Both actors talked to the audience by "knowing what they were thinking."
So, if you want to be successful with your business writing, you always have to focus on your audience. You have to think of them and as you compose your message to the audience, you must say,
"Yes, I know what you're thinking."
Whatever you are writing is not about you. Its about your audience.
You must get to know the audience. You must know what they want, need, expect or ask for.
You must know what they are thinking, not what you think about. Thats how you connect with them - on their level, not yours.
In other words, you must use a PERSONAL TONE when you write.
Let me give you an example.
IMPERSONAL
"It was a pleasure meeting you at the national convention."
PERSONAL
"I enjoyed meeting you at the national convention."
I truly believe this is what people mean when they say, "It was a pleasure meeting you."
People use this sentence because they are terrified of starting a sentence with the personal pronoun "I."
Yes, you can start a sentence with "I."
Because of this terror, people created an awkward construction that de-personalized the message and made the sentence longer.
Lets try another.
IMPERSONAL
"It is therefore incumbent upon all employees to put forth their best efforts to overcome the minor problems that beset our company."
PERSONAL
Before I share with you the way I would change this sentence to make it more personal, let me ask you a couple of questions.
What kind of person or what level of person would be inclined to write a sentence like the above example?
Most of my workshops participants agree that a sentence with a message like the example sentence would most likely be a high level person in an organization. That person would probably be a
CEO, President, Vice President, or Senior Officer.
I would like to place you in two situations.
In the first situation, you come home from work to find a letter or telegram that contains the impersonal sentence above.
In the second situation, the sentence reads,
"I ask you to help us get through these difficult times."
Which sentence would produce positive results for the writer?
Again, workshop participants agree. The second sentence, with the simple language and personal tone, would bring better results.
The more you take a personal approach towards your audience, the better your chances of getting positive results.
So go ahead. Make my day! Or better still, make your day.
Article Source: http://www.elrincondelantropologo.com/
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