ARE YOU EVEN READING THIS?

I work for a major television network filled with people who are creative, smart and really good at telling stories. So good in fact, that it has gotten them into trouble. This brings me to a time when one coworker was sick of sending weekly emails that everyone appeared to be skim reading or skipping altogether.

 

This drove him mad…

 

I am taking the time to write these massive emails, and people are barely reading them, he would think every time he hit send on yet another weekly email.

 

Finally, he snapped.

 

He sent his normal email, but way at the bottom he told a story. It was one that a lot of people missed, but I read every single word. He told us of the horrible day he was having and poured his heart out knowing no one would bother to read any of it. He let go of secrets that had been bothering him and called out people by name who had wronged him. I couldn’t believe it.

 

The kicker to all of this? Not that many people noticed. Almost everyone clicked “read” and moved on with their workday. But once a few people finally read it and the word got out, it seemed like everyone went back to the email and indulged in every word. He was fired the next day, but the entire company finally read his email.

 

So, what’s the point?

 

We have become readers who skim and writers who are lazy…

Captivating an audience through written word is not easy, especially in a world where many people are reading on screens. There is an overload of information online and our brain feels the need to scroll past it all. When we think of good writing, we don’t usually consider emails, but how important is sending an email at your job? For me, some people rely on the emails I send out. So, it’s important I structure my writing in a way I know people will be engaged and won’t skip past the important details.

 

This could all be said about blogging too. If the reader is presented with blocks of information with no subheadings, breaks or unreliable information, chances are the audience will move on.

 

What can we learn about my friend from work?

1. Make your emails more appealing by formatting the information with bullet points and subheadings. Maybe throw in a picture, too!
2. People love a good story. If the information your presenting is boring, tell a story about it!
3. Maybe don’t make that story something about your life and send it to the entire company…

At the end of the day, we could all be better readers and writers, but there are ways to make the words more engaging. And with that, I will leave you with the most important question of all:

 

Be honest, did you read every word of this post?