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At a loss again.
So you think marketers or brand people are idea factories and have a million things to say by default. In reality, some are wordsmiths. A few storytellers. I happen to be one that goes here-there-everywhere and then translates randomness into structured perspectives. People generally have 48.6 thoughts in a minute. Yet the occasional struggles with writer’s block remain. Blame it on self-pressure to make each piece of content relatable and informative (thanks a bunch for making it this far by the way, peeps).
COVID-19 has since led many of us to spend work / personal hours at home instead. Its implications? Ayes to online shopping, Netflix-binges, more exercise and family time. Noes to (unexpected) OTs and surging electricity bills! Notwithstanding voice and video calls, the importance of written communication invariably gets more real. The beauty of words makes a person become happy, sad, fearful, disgusted, angry and / or surprised. A heedless comment could either create or destroy, and unwittingly stay in someone’s mind beyond years.
For those who wonder, writing is known to be invented by Sumerians during 3500 BC. Credits to Shakespeare, the letters he put together eventually became proper terms and phrases used in our everyday life. To date Merriam-Webster has added more and more new ones into their dictionary. On a personal note, looking swole sure sounds awesome!
By hand or type, this form can be defined as any type of interaction that involves the written character. With social media, emails, legal documents, gift cards or text messages, the exchange of information easily occurs online and offline. Did you know that handwritten thank-you notes actually improves the well-being of the sender and recipient? To put in time and effort suggests love, care and affection from one to the other. Expository, descriptive, narrative persuasive or creative, writing is like a chameleon.
Before the internet, paper was king. Penpals poured out their feelings to the intended over long distance by post. Knowledge was disseminated to large audiences mainly through word of mouth and manuscripts in ancient China. Apart from rich learning experiences, beautiful memories were created for later generations.
Why the preference to pen down our feelings? For one to understand, reflect and respond to the news at leisure and not disrupt his / her current schedule. A permanent reference, putting ideas in black and white also instills trust as the outcome gets finalised and facts / complex information recorded with exactness. Imagine having to remember by heart the list of prices, project specifications and timelines after a heated business discussion (!).
Written communications are great to supplement verbal discussions, particularly for visual learners or if the spoken is forgotten. Message tonality somewhat determines the type of reply the sender would receive subsequently. Client proposals typically require a formal language and sentence structure so to build goodwill and confidence.
We Singaporeans are absolutely in love with our set of abbreviations and often get very creative about it. Think ERP (“Electronic Road Pricing”) as “Every Road Pay”. It does risk alienating audiences that are unfamiliar with the local slang. Only for the literate, written words lack confidentiality and consume time. It may be seen as impersonal and cause miscommunications as well — a double whammy for (already) bad conversationalists.
Nonetheless quality writing need not be perfect, so long as it is clear and succinct to lower chances of confusion and doubt. Battle is won if the response is made in full and proof-read beforehand as well. With more done in a shorter period of time, it benefits everyone.
Actions do not always speak louder than words. Humans are not mind-readers and tend to react to situations based on assumptions, or even patterns. Exclamation marks do not always mean anger or pain, but expressions of irony, excitement, surprise. Sincerity and uniformity prevail in the spelling, grammar or punctuation chosen. Words thus, are not always cheap.
Some tend to write better than they speak, like self-professed introvert authors John Green and JK Rowling. In her research, Dr. Marti Olsen Laney concluded that words flow more freely for the reserved individuals. Millennials and Generation Z too rather exchange information via texts than hold real conversations. Mobile phone is #life. When words are not enough to describe, social likes, emoticons, .gifs, pictures, music become effective alternatives.
When was the last time you only depend on the written to connect with someone? Start by scribbling something. Anything.
*Now please excuse me while I ponder what to write for the next blog post…*
