In the realm of effective communication, the written word emerges as a more potent tool than its verbal counterpart, especially for managers. While verbal communication is often the default approach, particularly with presentations, its effectiveness tends to diminish over time, with many leaders sending incorrect emotional signals after only five minutes of speaking. In contrast, a well-crafted document surpasses verbal explanations due to its ability to evoke emotions more effectively and accurately. This is because, when reading, the brain actively fills in the blanks, adding emotion, imagery, and context, whereas spoken words are often influenced by the speaker’s tone, expressions, and stage presence, which can easily lead to misinterpretations.
The written word allows for a consistent emotional tone throughout the message, something very difficult to achieve verbally, where even a practiced speaker may falter at a crucial moment. Therefore, for managers, mastering written communication is essential for delivering messages with the intended emotional impact.
Written Communication: Conveying Emotion
Effective communication is not merely about the words themselves, but also the emotions they evoke in the audience. It is about how you want your team, stakeholders, or customers to feel after reading your communication. While grammatically correct sentences matter, the emotional strength of the words and how they are conveyed has more impact. The written word is adept at this because the reader’s mind adds emotion, imagery, and context, focusing on the message rather than the speaker’s delivery. This is why written communication is superior for longer content where maintaining a consistent emotional tone is challenging in verbal settings.
Narratives and the Power of Storytelling
The most effective way to communicate complex thoughts with emotion is through narratives. Unlike bullet points, which encourage “sound-bite thinking,” narratives provide a comprehensive structure with a beginning, middle, and end. Bullet points short-circuit thinking and fail to provide sufficient details, while well-written narratives explain the “so what?” of the message and convey meaning without a voiceover. Like a good movie, a narrative introduces characters, sets the plot, introduces conflict, and ends with resolution. This structure helps the audience to fully understand the context and feel the desired emotion.
For example, consider the difference between a sound-bite message and a narrative:
Sound bite: “Project X’s release has slipped to next week, and because of that, Project Y’s kickoff is delayed, as well”
Narrative: “Our engineering team did a root cause analysis as to why the builds are taking more time than usual and determined that we have to re-architect how we are doing our CI/CD process, and that effort will take a week. Because of the slippage of project X, project Y’s kick-off will be delayed by a week. We are still on track to make sure project Z’s release will be on time.”
The sound bite will prompt many questions, while the narrative conveys urgency, thoughtful decision-making, and a clear path forward.
How to Improve Your Writing Skills
To develop effective written communication skills, managers can adopt the following strategies:
- Read Extensively: Reading long-form books helps develop a sense of rhythm and pacing in writing. As Stephen King advises, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot”.
- Write Narratives Regularly: Writing narratives every week will help to convey complex ideas with emotion
- Use Grammarly: Tools like Grammarly can immediately improve your writing quality.
- Avoid AI-Generated Content (Initially): When starting with long-form narratives, avoiding AI tools like GPT is better until you discover your unique style. AI can be used later, but the first focus should be on cultivating a personal voice.
- Read Fiction: Reading fiction can improve your ability to create engaging content.
- Practice Regularly: The key to writing well is practice. Write five hundred words a week to become a better writer.
By using narratives, managers can effectively convey complex information and evoke the right emotions in their audience. Mastering the art of written communication will ultimately make managers better overall communicators1.
In conclusion, the written word is a powerful communication tool that surpasses verbal communication in many contexts. By embracing narratives and continuously practicing their writing skills, managers can become more effective leaders who can deliver their messages with clarity and emotional depth
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