When we were children we knew how to connect with others through the use of simple language and a smile or two.
And then we had that ability educated out of us.
Our high-school teachers taught us how to write in fancy sentences.
At university we learned even more exotic words and sentence structures.
When we started working in an office, we were exposed to all kinds of business jargon and other nonsense.
And somewhere along the way we lost the ability to communicate simply and clearly.
When the web arrived in our lives, way back in the mid 1990s, it heralded a wave of disruptions, one after another.
The web changed how we look for and find information, how we connect with others, how we shop… and a great deal more.
Over time, the web has also profoundly changed the way companies do business.
It was and continues to be massively disruptive to multiple industries. When did you last go to a physical store and buy a music CD? Or rent a movie on a VHS cassette?
Industries have been changed almost beyond recognition – like the taxi business.
And now we have a new wave of disruptions coming our way.
The focus of most of my posts is on writing sales copy that is less pushy and adversarial… and more open and conversational.
In this post I’m going to focus not on sales copy, but on web content.
Because content can go either way as well.
Content can be flat editorial that is broadcast AT an audience of passive readers.
Or content can be more engaging and conversational in its approach and tone.
If you want your own content to be more inclusive, engaging and conversational, here are 4 things you might want to think about.