Gill Moakes 0:00
Welcome, welcome to the heads together podcast. Thanks for joining me again. So I was just about to try and do one of those. This week's episode is sponsored by, I can't do it. I literally cannot bring myself to be that disingenuous. I was gonna say like, this week's episode is sponsored by my upcoming What if workshop? I can't do it. I'm just gonna tell you about the workshop anyway, I'll tell you about it at the end. If it's something you're interested in hearing about, you're gonna have to stay to the end.
Gill Moakes 0:36
So this week, what are we talking about? What are we talking about? This week, I want to talk to you about how to write like you talk. This is something that I think we really underestimate the importance of. But we really notice when people don't get this, right. So I want to do a little bit of a dive in because I think this is something where when you crack it, it really makes creating content, a hell of a lot easier. Yeah, let's dive in. And, and let's kind of really go into just some of the tricks around writing copy the way you talk. So that a bit like this podcast, it's just kind of easy to listen to as you're reading it. If that makes sense. I know you don't listen and read the same time. But if you're like me, when you're reading, you kind of are you're you're you're trying to read in a conversational way. And if someone writes very formally, and it's almost like reading a school textbook, when you're reading their website copy or their social media posts or their blog posts, it's really off putting, and you don't always get from it. Quite often really valuable content that they're putting out there is just that it's not coming through to you because your brain isn't processing it as it would if it was in a more conversational style. Okay, let's go.
Gill Moakes 2:15
Welcome, welcome to the heads together podcast, I'm Gill Moakes. And I am obsessed with cutting through the noise when it comes to growing your business each week via intimate coaching conversations and inspirational stories. I share what it really takes to get the results you want, in a way that feels right to you.
Gill Moakes 2:38
I am all about attracting higher ticket opportunities, building authentic relationships, and creating the abundance or fat version of your dream business. I mean, how many of us have been pulled away creating a light version of what we really want?
Gill Moakes 2:56
The thing is, I honestly believe when you're outstanding at what you do, there is no limit to what you can achieve. So are you ready to put our heads together and make it happen? Let's go.
Gill Moakes 3:17
Like I just said, I think we all really notice when someone gets this right. And when they get it wrong. Because I love a conversational tone when I'm reading anything really, to be honest with you. I can really notice when someone hasn't quite hit the mark when they've tried to use a bit of corporate speak or they've just not really mastered that lovely kind of flow that it has when you're writing in a conversational way. When I sat down and really tried to pull apart, what is it exactly that we do because I've had a few people say to me that they love to read my posts, and the things I write because I do write in quite a conversational style. So I tried to really pick it apart for you to teach you what I do. So that if that's something you want to work on in your business, with your content, you can try and replicate it. Okay. And the first thing like this is the first thing that stands out to me like a sore thumb when people don't do it is using contractions contracted words. I'm not sure if in the states you might you might call them conjunctions. Possibly, you might have to google that. But anyway, I call them contractions. So that's what we're going with. And this is words like instead of saying we had you'd say we'd we instead of we had been to the park. We've been to the park straightaway, way more conversational. I am going to share with you.
Gill Moakes 5:00
I'd like to share with you, I will explain how to, I'll explain how to it just straight away makes any sentence way more conversational, way more relatable for the person reading it. So that's like, such an easy one. If you did that one thing, don't just mean in your social media copy, I mean, all of your copy in your emails in and particularly I see this all the time on websites.
Gill Moakes 5:38
And I'm not saying that we don't all let the odd ones slip through. And I'm not saying that it isn't appropriate to let the odd one slip through. But what I'm saying is that if you can, more often than not contract the words like that, it really makes everything so much more readable, so much more easy and flowing. Okay, so that's like a super easy, quick fix, get in the habit of doing it and look out for it, start looking out for it in copy that you're reading books that you're reading, you know, whatever it is, start looking out for it and seeing how much of a difference it makes. The other thing I want to talk about is using really complex language, in your emails, especially when it's around your expertise. Yeah, I think we do have a tendency to kind of, it's like, you know, you know, we put people have like a telephone voice that they put on, my mom used to do this so badly. She's Hilaire sounds a little bit like our wonderful queen. Yeah, she, she would always just kind of put on this strange fake telephone voice. And I think we might have a bit of a habit of doing that sometimes, when we are talking about more kind of work II stuff. So maybe we're talking about our area of expertise, and we're starting to use a bit more jargon, for the industry that we're in. What we tend to do then is start using complex sentences and new fancy words. The biggest problem with that is actually is that it gives you as the writer, the fake impression that you're saying more than you actually are.
Gill Moakes 7:38
So I want you to think about that. It's really important that what we write, gives value. Yeah, if it we will all agree with that. And the danger of using complex sentences and really fancy words, it can really make you think you're doing that it can actually fool you into thinking you're adding a tonne of value, when actually you've just overcomplicated your communication. Right? You don't need complex sentences, to express complex ideas. That's the truth. And in actual fact, if you look at things like I don't know, if you're looking to the field of science and, and that kind of thing. One thing I've noticed is that it's almost like the more complex the subject, the more informally, the experts will speak. And I think part of that is because partly, I think they've got less to prove. But also, I think, the bigger and more complex the ideas that you're talking about, the less you can afford to to let language get in the way. So from that kind of scientific arena where it's really important, I think there's a lesson in that for all of us. And that lesson is, if you want to get across to someone, something in a really clear and concise way, then you don't want to let the language you're using get in the way of that if it's the idea you're trying to get across. Don't let fancy language get you tied up and stop you from getting across that basic foundational argument or idea.
Gill Moakes 9:27
Right?
Gill Moakes 9:29
Because I do you think there's a tendency to overcomplicate and kind of over explain in writing. And sometimes I think when I do it, and I do notice myself do it sometimes. I feel like I do it from a place of not being sure whether I've made my point really clearly. So then I'll kind of say it again in a slightly different way. I think I'll do that when I'm talking as well to be fair, my word if I do that on this podcast, post answers on a postcard, please. Yeah, so overcomplicating using complex language. Letting that get in the way of the message you're trying to get across is really another reason to just write like you talk, if you're explaining something, you just wouldn't dress it up in such complex language.
Gill Moakes 10:21
Third thing is about not weighing all over the place, no one likes someone that weighs all over the place, do they? Right. And by that, obviously, I do mean, don't use, we like to think or we often at Moakes headquarters, we do this and we do that. I think people particularly it's sometimes you are going to use it, if you are talking on behalf of your company or on behalf of a team, then yes, you're going to use we, the problem comes when instead of when you're just speaking on behalf of your yourself and you start using what we over here in the UK called The Royal we you know, don't use the royal we.
Gill Moakes 11:11
And again, you know, similar thread, make sure that your content is really kind of you centric. So talk directly to your audience using you. Using the word use throughout your content, you will feel you, you might have noticed that you're never going to you're never going to find x y Zed it does make the reader feel like the content or the message is tailored for them when you do that. So I think that's another really good tip. So try not to we but rather, you and I are really going to make your content a lot more engaging. Okay.
Gill Moakes 12:00
Number four, number four in writing how you talks in a conversational way. For me, I do this quite a lot. Again, like I say this episode is all about me picking apart what I do. So this isn't a I'm not a no, Rebecca Gunther, let's face it, I am not a copywriter. But I did think it's useful to just pick apart what I do and try and kind of really put it under a microscope to for myself to work out. Well, what is it then because it is something that I am complimented on a lot that whether it's the podcast, or whether it's actually writing emails or social content that I write in quite a conversational tone, and speak in a non formal way. Part of that is authenticity. So part of it is that I just don't I refuse to buy into writing, or speaking in a way that isn't me. And I think there's a hell of a lot to be said for that. But also another thing I do. So coming back to the to the list of tips, another thing I do is ask questions, when you're writing, and you ask a question. And that can be anything it could be, you know, if I didn't know, what's an example of a question, I might put in an email, how would you feel if would be one obvious ones that I use? A lot are what if you could? Or what if this didn't matter? Or what if you changed your mind kind of open questions. Using those kinds of open, engaging questions in your copy really engages your readers. It really does. And it absolutely simulates that feeling of a conversation. So it pulls them in.
Gill Moakes 14:04
So that's another tip to think about. Another one. And this is really popular at the moment on LinkedIn. And that is spacing out your text rather than writing great big clumps of copy. But spacing out the text with lots of paragraphs. But there's a little caveat to that. But I just want to say because I have been noticing it going to a slight extreme on LinkedIn at the moment. One thing I would try to do is don't make it too uniform. Because that's not natural either. We don't talk in one sentence and then pause and then one sentence and then pause. So I would try not to make each micro paragraph just one sentence long. Try and mix it up a bit. If you're going to have a single sentence make the next one, two or three sentences and then another short one. But you know, try and make it irregular because that's how a natural conversation would flow.
Gill Moakes 14:59
Right here's another one is, and this is this is a tip that I got from Beth Clinton's book proposal masterclass. And that is when you're drafting something, always write your first draft without editing it until you've completely finished it.
Gill Moakes 15:21
Because if you try and edit as you go along, so in other words, you're writing a few words, and you're going back and correcting and scribbling things out, you're interrupting the your thought flow. And your words aren't going to come out as naturally, I found that this works an absolute treat, I refuse to edit anything now until I finish writing it. So if I'm writing a social media post, or not that I write an awful lot of social media posts to be fair, but say LinkedIn, I do write on LinkedIn. Say, if I'm writing a post for LinkedIn, I will just do it in one go one take, then I'll go back and edit it. And it is hard not to edit it as you go along and keep like using that backspace button all the time. But it honestly does help for your authentic voice to come out. If you just keep typing without the worry of how it all sounds just yet. Make sense? I think the last thing and this is kind of on the same, same subject really is that once you have finished writing it, and this just works, so well just read the finished post or piece of copy whatever it is, read it out loud to yourself. Honestly, when you do that, it becomes so obvious what needs tweaking, because as you're reading it, it will sound really unnatural. So for example, it might say it will sound and you might put it well, I tend to use contractions for everything. So I would put it all sound, I would probably contract that. But try reading things out. Honestly, it works so well. And I love this. And I just want to leave you with this quote Donald M. Murray. I don't know who he is, I'm going to link to him in the show notes. Because obviously I'm quoting him, that's really bad. So I need to make sure that I research him and I will drop it in the show notes. But he has a quote, which is the ear, not the eye is the final editor. Isn't that
Gill Moakes 17:23
I bloody love that. I think. I think that's so true. There's nothing that will give you a better final edit than reading out loud to yourself, and making the tweaks according to that. So really want you to think about that one? quite a
Gill Moakes 17:43
quite a actionable episode today, I think I would honestly I'll try. And what I might do for this one is actually put each point in bullet points in the show notes so that you can just kind of copy and paste or something, rather than you having to take notes and write them down. Because I do think if you could just master these. What was it maybe five points? Honestly, it could transform your ability to write copy for yourself for your you know, because got to be honest with the biggest budget in the world. You don't want to be hiring a copywriter to write everything you know. So when you're writing an email, or a social media post, why not just try and master this more conversational tone? I think it will really elevate your writing. Yeah, so I'll put some good show notes in so that you can copy it. So this episode was brought to you by
Gill Moakes 18:43
i still can't do it. What's wrong with me? Why can't I do one of those like this episode sponsored by? If anyone's out there wants to actually sponsor this podcast. Let me know maybe I'll find it easier if it was someone else's stuff that we're sponsoring. I'd know do we want adverts everyone? Would you think? Would you find it annoying? I find it annoying.
Gill Moakes 19:02
Never say never? Who knows. So I just want to share with you that on the 28th of October we had our first What if workshop, which I just want to extend a huge thank you to the amazing women who were with me for that. It was fantastic. And if you would like to come to one of these What if workshops, it's a very safe space. It's three hours where we get together to talk about and explore big ideas, pivots, changes, we want to make anything around up levelling our businesses. These are cracking workshops for getting new ideas expanding on ideas you've already got. And really getting opinions and some feedback and other ideas people layering their ideas on top of yours
Gill Moakes 20:00
So it's a great way to spend an afternoon. The next one is in November. I'll put the details in the show notes. Or you can go to gillmoakes.com/whatif, and you can book on the cost for one of these workshops, a full three hour workshop cost is only $125. So this is very accessible deliberately so intentionally so very accessible. So even if you're in the beginning stages of building a business, or if you're in that stage where you're kind of already built your business, but you're getting pulled a feeling that there's something else that you want to bring out another big idea, maybe you're like me, you've got shiny object syndrome, you want to explore everything, then these workshops are for you. So again, have a look, check out the show notes, because I'll pop a link in there for you too. Okay, well, thanks again for being with me, and I will catch you again next week. Bye for now.
Gill Moakes 21:05
I hope you enjoyed this episode, and that getting our heads together this week has filled your mind with what's possible. If you love the show, would you do me a massive favour please? Would you leave a five star rating on Apple podcasts? It would really help you put more heads together, reach more ears and expand more minds. Until next week. Bye for now.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
