Innate talent counts, of course, but there is another, more important factor: Putting the time and effort into consistent learning and practice. The writers we admire most have typically invested thousands of hours honing their craft and refining their voices.

Let’s face it—some people are born with superior language skills and get early exposure to literacy that enables them to use their inborn capacities to their advantage. These people might become the glittering literati of their generation. Yet even they put hundreds of hours into developing their craft before they gain the limelight. If they write at work, their reports are the ones that get kudos from top management, while other docs languish in the “unread” pile.

What about those of us who may not write the great American novel or even the great American email? The good news is that writing isn’t an all-or-nothing game. Each of us can improve our communication abilities, regardless of where we start. The question isn’t whether you can become the next Hemingway, but rather how much you can make the most of the talent you have through training and preparation.

Of course, no law says that you have to become a better writer. If you decide that putting in the hours to become your best writing self is not worth the effort, that’s your choice. However, if you are not improving your skills, you are losing ground. You might have to resign yourself to a lifetime of emails and phone calls asking you, “What did you mean?” or saying, “I didn’t understand what you wrote.” Or prepare to be ignored. The price of poor writing is a painful one.

Great athletes put in thousands of practice hours before TV commentators call them “naturals.” When you persevere in the effort to be a better business writer, you, too, can feel like “a natural.” By sharpening your skills, you will gain these advantages at work:

• People will be happy to hear from you.
• People will understand you the first time they read your words.
• People will be more likely to agree with your proposals.
• You are more likely to be promoted to ever more significant positions of responsibility.

If you decide to invest in superior writing, many resources are available to you — books, classes, blogs, apps, AI algorithms. You simply need to open the treasure box of tools to take the next step in your writing journey. Good luck!

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Did you miss last month’s Writamin on The Human Advantage: Improving Business Writing in the Age of AI? See it here.​

To read my recent Inc.com columns:

​This Strategy Helps Humanize Your AI-Generated Content​

​Include a Call to Action to Get the Results You Need​

​4 Ways to Tame the Email Tsunami in 2025​

​3 Essential Writing Tasks that AI-Assisted Writing Programs Cannot Do For You​

Read my article in Harvard Business Review about how to move your business writing from “average” to “great” by using the Three P’s.

The post Why Are Some People Better Business Writers Than Others? appeared first on Worktalk.

​Technology Contributor Content

To say that artificial intelligence (AI) has become vital to business workflows might be an understatement. Many companies today rely on AI to create marketing copy, draft emails, create reports, and more, taking advantage of its speed and efficiency. Given the degree to which businesses lean on AI, the question lingers: Can AI truly grasp the nuances of communication?

Elizabeth “Liz” Danziger, founder and president of Worktalk Communications Consulting, argues that AI hasn’t completely solved businesses’ writing problems. Yes, it’s undeniable that this technology excels at surface-level tasks such as proofreading or generating ideas. However, it can’t replicate human intuition or strategic thinking. Acknowledging this, she applies her framework called “The Three P’s” to help professionals improve their business communication.

Statistics reveal how AI adoption in business communication is accelerating. Approximately 70% of companies are using or experimenting with AI for primary use cases such as customer communication. Many use ChatGPT or Jasper AI to produce output rapidly at reduced costs. The benefits are vast; this is why Liz believes businesses can leverage AI as a tool. However, she emphasizes that individuals must continue developing skills that AI can’t replicate. If they don’t, organizations are likely to struggle when competing against businesses that continue to develop their human edge.

Liz can attest to this, as she has helped numerous businesses and professional service firms improve their written communication. After pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Pomona College in Claremont, California, she started her career as a freelance writer. She later attended UCLA’s Anderson School of business. Now, Liz is a highly acclaimed author of four books, including Get to the Point!, a business writing guide originally published by Random House. In addition, she serves as a columnist for Inc.com. Her articles have also appeared in Harvard Business Review.

This extensive writing experience differentiates Liz from others in the field, who mostly have a background in organizational development. Moreover, it has given her an all-encompassing perspective on the challenges of written communication. Through a unique lens, she assists clients in increasing their productivity, building their brand, and boosting their sales.

Nearly forty years of being a communication expert has enabled Liz to identify three essential writing tasks that AI can’t perform. First, AI can’t determine the intentions behind a document. AI is a tool: it needs a human to set it on its course. That means that even companies that rely on AI need staff members who are skilled communicators. Liz stresses that writing begins with understanding the purpose of your communication. What a piece of writing is for, what it’s meant to accomplish, is something only a human being can choose.

Secondly, although AI can mimic styles, it produces writing that feels unnatural. “AI will never give you a consistent, authentic voice, at least for now,” Liz emphasizes. This can damage customer relationships. Lastly, AI can’t predict objections and comprehend context. “Writing is more than just stringing words together,” she says. “It’s the thought and strategy behind a text that makes writing effective.”

Liz developed the Three P’s framework (Purpose, Person, and Point) to help individuals fill the gaps AI can’t. Purpose reflects the intention of the message. It guides the writing process toward a specific objective. In business documents, the goal is usually to inform, request, or persuade.

The founder encourages writers to begin with the end in mind, inspired by the second habit author Stephen Covey discussed in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. She urges them to ask themselves: “What should the reader do after reading this? Is the document intended to prompt action or simply provide information?”

Person pertains to understanding the audience. Liz believes that a writer must comprehend the audience’s needs, questions, and emotional triggers to communicate effectively. This means tailoring language to the reader’s expertise level and interests. For example, it’s best to use technical terms when addressing a chief technology officer. When talking to a chief executive officer, however, using words that focus on outcomes might work better.

Point, the third aspect, is the essential message the document conveys. The audience may struggle to understand the writer’s intent without it. Liz shares an analogy: “If the Purpose sets the direction and the target is the Person, the Point is the arrow itself.”

Overall, effective communication hinges on authenticity. Writers who communicate with sincerity and purpose build stronger connections with their audience. “Authenticity is what creates trust between the writer and the reader. Now that we live in an age where AI-generated content risks breaking this trust, authenticity is what gives businesses a competitive advantage,” Liz remarks.

AI-generated content might appear adequate at first. It’s fluent and functional, after all. “But it doesn’t make a business win,” says Liz. She argues that allowing AI to fully take over writing tasks can normalize mediocrity.

Liz frequently hears from business leaders who trust their AI tools to handle communication tasks because they’re confident that their language models (LMs) are well-trained. She warns that overly relying on AI can dilute a company’s brand and damage its credibility—a valid claim, given that AI tends to create generic, impersonal communication that doesn’t resonate with customers and stakeholders.

Poor writing costs businesses nearly $400 billion annually. What are the repercussions? Unclear internal communication leads to employee disengagement and turnover. It also affects productivity, sales, and relationships. A single customer service email that lacks clarity and empathy can drive customers away. In high-risk industries like transportation or healthcare, vague instructions can lead to accidents and liability issues.

“AI can be a helpful intermediate step, especially for those who have limited writing skills, but it should never be the final word,” Liz notes. The expert shares an instance when she trained a company’s customer service team and reviewed their writing samples. A customer reported receiving the wrong merchandise, and instead of addressing the problem empathetically, the representative responded with a terse email containing only a new order number. In this instance, AI might have generated a more polished response. But only a human’s oversight could ensure that the tone was appropriate.

Danziger established Worktalk to help businesses improve their written communication. The company offers customized training programs, webinars, and coaching services that cover business writing, email effectiveness, technical writing, persuasive writing, leadership communication, and more. Today, in a team-driven environment, soft skills such as communication are the lifeblood of organizational effectiveness. Good writers elevate organizations by creating clear, empathetic, and purpose-driven messages.

Ultimately, writing with clarity, strategy, and authenticity is even more crucial today than in previous decades. AI can streamline tasks and offer valuable assistance, but it can’t replace the nuanced human judgment needed for meaningful communication. Elizabeth Danziger’s insights, as well as her Three P’s framework, provide businesses an edge in building trust, enhancing reputation, and strengthening connections with their employees and customers.

The post The Human Advantage: Improving Business Writing in the Age of AI appeared first on Worktalk.

When we can type at lightning speed and send messages in a nanosecond, who needs handwriting? As it turns out, we all do. Handwriting shows people we care about them, makes us think more carefully about what we write, and proves that AI didn’t compose our letter. Moreover, brain research shows that handwriting builds connections in the brain that cannot be accessed by typing.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the first personal letter on record was written by a man called Arrianus to his brother 2,000 years ago under Roman rule. The content would be familiar to us today – comments on friends and family, inquiries about his brother’s wellbeing, and topical chat. From that ancient beginning, the art of letter-writing bloomed, reaching its apex in the 18th century, when gentlemen and ladies penned long, thoughtful letters to one another (think Jane Austen).

With the advent of the typewriter, handwritten letters became less common, although many people still wrote social and personal letters by hand. Fast forward to the 21st century, when handwriting began to seem like an anachronism. Schools’ recent abandonment of cursive writing signals the establishment’s assumption that typing is the way of the future.

However, there are benefits to writing by hand, especially when writing to someone we feel close to – or someone with whom we seek a closer relationship. Research and common sense indicate that we should rethink capitulating to the allure of nimble-fingered digital communication.

Here are three reasons why, the next time you want to convey a personalized, important message, you dig your fountain pen out of the box it’s been sitting in since high school, pull out a notecard or clean piece of paper, and start writing.

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​Writing by hand shows that you care.

Handwriting requires more time and effort than typing. Your readers know this; they appreciate that you cared enough to put the extra effort into reaching out to them. I recently sent a handwritten holiday card to an important client. A week later, I received a beautiful handwritten card from her, and she said how much she appreciated receiving a handwritten card. That card cemented me into her memory in a way that a holiday greeting by email could never do.

2. Handwriting makes you think more about what you write.

Who among us has not dashed off an email to a key business contact, only to read it later and rue our rush? When you write by hand, you have to slow down. You see every word as it emerges from your pen. You may even write out a full draft before you copy it into your card. While handwriting will not entirely protect you from writing something you’ll regret, it makes you more conscious of your words.

3. Handwriting proves your message was not written by AI.

AI-composed writing is everywhere. When we read emails and articles today, we might be hard-pressed to know whether the document was written by a human or a machine. When you write by hand, your reader knows the message came from a living, breathing human, who put the effort into communicating, rather than outsourcing your relationship to an algorithm.

All these reasons speak in favor of writing by hand, but there is more. When we write with a pen or pencil, our brains process information more effectively. Research indicates that students who take notes by hand understand and retain lessons better than their iPad-toting peers. Writing by hand truly engages us in the communication process – something many of us rarely experience.

So if you’re thinking of sending a Valentine or love letter, write it by hand. If you want to show a customer you appreciate their business, send a handwritten thank you.

The rarity of handwritten letters makes them stand out from the email onslaught that barrages people every day.

P.S. This Writamin was written by hand with a favorite fountain pen while sitting in a cafe in Venice, California. Ah, the bliss of being away from a computer.

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The post Show You Care: Write By Hand appeared first on Worktalk.

Many writers plunge into their work without a clear destination. They don’t stop to think about their goals, but hope their reader will manage to decode the message about which they themselves are unclear. But this approach wastes time and is unlikely to achieve results. Successful writers think about their desired outcome before they even touch the keyboard.

Start by asking: What should readers think, feel, or do after reading this piece? Your answer shapes everything that follows.

• Writing an email to set up a meeting? Don’t vaguely request “Let me know your availability.” Instead, write “Can we meet Thursday at 3 p.m. to discuss project updates?” This specific request drives action.
• Writing a memo about new fire safety protocols? Your goal isn’t to have readers stash the information away with other non-relevant emails. “Please read the following carefully and confirm receipt of this email after you’ve read it” will alert readers that the email is relevant. Then format the content to make it easy to follow and understand.
• Writing a persuasive proposal? Imagine the decision you want readers to make. Then build your argument to lead them there. Address their concerns early. Present your solution clearly. Support it with evidence. Create a path that guides them toward agreement.

Once you clarify your goal, organize your message to achieve it. Map out main points, anticipate objections, and craft a compelling call to action.

For example, you could break down a proposal for a new marketing initiative into the following sections: an introduction to the need for the initiative, the proposed solution, supporting data, and a closing call to action that encourages the decision-maker to approve the plan. By clearly mapping out these sections ahead of time, you ensure that the document remains focused and persuasive from start to finish.

When you start with clarity about what you want to achieve, you create a document that resonates with readers and leads them to the action you desire.

In the end, writing isn’t just about stringing words together; it’s about shaping an experience for your readers, guiding them through your ideas and encouraging a specific result. Whether you’re seeking to inform, persuade, or request, your message will always be stronger when you begin with the end in mind.

So, the next time you sit down to write, ask yourself: What do I want the reader to think, feel, or do after reading this? As you continue in your writing life, remember to think about the end result you are striving for. Focus on that as you organize, plan, and write your document. You will be amazed at the outcome.

copyright 2025 Elizabeth Danziger

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​Call Worktalk When:

• Companies lose customers due to poor messaging from sales and customer service teams;
• Clients complain about communication from professional service firms’ staff members;
• Employees need to humanize the output of AI-assisted writing programs so it doesn’t sound fake;
• Employees need help developing the right prompts for AI-assisted writing programs to generate more effective outputs;
• Employees waste time repeatedly emailing one another because their messages are unclear.

Contact me at lizd@worktalk.com or 310.396.8303.

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The post Begin With the End in Mind: The Key to Purposeful Writing appeared first on Worktalk.

Henry, a fictional CEO of a mid-size software company, needs his team to generate creative ideas for a new project. At the team meeting, he sits behind a large desk. His mouth is set in a tight line, his shoulders slightly hunched, and his arms are crossed in front of him. In a flat tone, he says, “Okay, everyone, I want you all to feel free to float your ideas to the group.”

Compare Henry with Eleanor, a CEO of a different fictional software company. She also needs her team to brainstorm. As each team member enters the room, she smiles warmly and thanks them for coming. She is standing straight with her shoulders slightly back. Her palms are open as she welcomes people. In a confident tone, she invites her team to brainstorm their ideas.

Which CEO’s team is more likely to come up with the big idea that transforms the company?

While the examples are exaggerated, it’s clear that team Eleanor will win. Other factors being equal, Eleanor’s nonverbal behavior bespeaks a leader who is self-assured, open-minded, and likely to succeed.

As a speaker, your body communicates as much as your words. Your facial expression, vocal tone and inflection, posture, gestures, and even attire have a powerful effect on your audience. Body language, also known as nonverbal communication, is a key element of impression management at work because people form snap judgments of your personality and professionalism based on the nonverbal cues they perceive.

Where Do Body Language Habits Come From?

Nonverbal communication has three primary sources. First is instinct. Facial expressions like smiling, grimacing, and crying are universal. Even toddlers understand them. You can greet an audience from any culture with a smile and they will know you wish them well (as long as the smile is sincere).

The second source of nonverbal behavior is the repetition of actions you have seen in the past. Deborah Shames and David Booth, cofounders of presentation and communication training company Eloqui, note that you might have been told to put your hands behind your back or you unthinkingly imitate a beloved teacher who always counted on his fingers as he taught. Whatever the source, once you have internalized other people’s ideas about appropriate gestures, you tend to mimic them.

A third source of nonverbal communication derives from unresolved emotional issues. Perhaps you want to look happy and relaxed, but deep inside, you feel anxious and sad. You can only fake it for so long before people begin to get a sense of the person behind the mask. Until you resolve the internal issues that drive your body language, you might find it challenging to bring your nonverbal cues up to your desired level.

“You can have the most beautifully written speech, but if your body language doesn’t sync, it’s all for nothing.”
—Eden Gillott

Given the strong impulses that drive nonverbal communication, how can you unlearn body language patterns that no longer serve you? Shames recommends that you videotape yourself giving a presentation and watch the video. You might be amazed to see that you are flapping your arms like a bird or staring down at the floor when you thought you were speaking straight and strong. You can also ask a trusted friend or colleague to watch your presentation and give you frank feedback.

Another way to transform your body language is to cultivate greater self-awareness. Note that this differs from self-consciousness, which is an unhealthy focus on yourself and what you might be doing wrong. Self-awareness is a nonjudgmental perception of your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations. When you practice self-awareness, you develop the “observing self” that simply sees what is happening. Once you become conscious of your mind and body, you create the space in which you can change.

How Does Body Language Impact Business Presentations?

When CEO coach and keynote speaker Glenn Gow works with business leaders who present their company’s data to stock analysts, he tells them to stand up straight, smile, and say out loud, “It’s showtime!” before they take the stage. He notes that if a leader is hunched over, disheveled, or sour-faced, employees might doubt the future of the company. He refers to research about body language and the brain: “The smile muscles create positive neurochemicals. If I use these muscles, my brain says, Oh, something good is happening here. A similar thing happens when we gesture openly with our hands.” There is a feedback loop between our bodies and our brains: When we smile and stand up straight, we have a real effect on our brain function.

Crisis public relations consultant Eden Gillott has seen business leaders both succeed and fail at using body language in high-stakes situations. She recalls an executive trying to reassure her team that the company was doing well while pacing rapidly back and forth across the room; her body language contradicted her words. Gillott notes, “You can have the most beautifully written speech, but if your body language doesn’t sync, it’s all for nothing.”

Gillott likens body language to the volume knob on an amplifier. Your posture and motion can raise the amplitude of your words from a five to a 10 or even, as in the classic film This is Spinal Tap, to an 11. In other words, your actions can make the difference between a ho-hum speech and a blockbuster.

Body Language Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

• Allow your gestures to emerge naturally. As speaking coach Shames points out, “If you don’t gesture naturally, you don’t bring oxygen into your lungs. When you gesture freely, you will breathe easier.”
• Adapt your body language to your audience. As in all cases, understanding your listeners is paramount. If you are speaking to a conservative crowd, keep your hand gestures smaller than if you are pumping up a team of sales representatives.
• Stand tall but don’t be rigid. Good posture brings oxygen and energy into your body. Booth, the presentation coach from Eloqui, advises, “Avoid standing with your legs crossed.” This creates a defensive position and detracts from your professional image.
• Speak conversationally, with a well-modulated, varying tone of voice. Avoid “upspeak”—inflecting upward at the end of each sentence.
• Wear comfortable clothing. Communications consultant Gillott suggests that speakers practice their speech while wearing the outfit they plan to wear on their big day. She says, “Make sure you can raise your hands without ripping your jacket.”

Don’t:

• Don’t hide your hands; allow them to move naturally in conjunction with your words.
• Don’t script your body language and gestures. Avoid telling yourself things like, When I say this word, I will move my hands. Let the words guide your gestures.
• Don’t obsess about whether you’re doing everything right. The more self-conscious you are, the more likely you are to commit a gaffe. Keep breathing. Keep your posture open. Be natural. And remember that if someone in the audience does not like what you say, it’s not the end of the world.
• Don’t strive to be formal. As Booth and Shames recommend, focus on being authentic, whether you’re talking to 10 people or 1,000.
• Don’t freeze. If you notice you’ve been standing in the same position for a while, move around. Stand up. Sit down. Step toward the audience. Let your face relax if you’ve been striving to look suitably serious.

The best way to improve your body language is to create opportunities to practice. Volunteer to give presentations at work, even if the prospect terrifies you. Stay loose and have fun. When you learn to master your movements, the impact of your speaking will soar.

Click here to read more articles on how body language can benefit or hinder your message.

Take Your Leadership Beyond Words Through Body Language and Nonverbal Communication
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The post Learn to Master Your Moves appeared first on Worktalk.

While giving a presentation to a group of sales representatives, I noticed their phones seemed to have a magnetic effect on their hands. Some seemed to be taking notes on their computers—but I had no way to tell if they were memorializing my brilliant ideas or catching up on their emails. I was speaking to them, ironically, about communication. They were genuinely interested in my topic, but they found it hard to concentrate. They were a distracted audience.

Distraction is here to stay. Research shows that people distract themselves every few seconds. Whether they are daydreaming or feeling the urge to grab their phone, they are not fully in the moment. The universal presence of smartphones and tablets provides an endless supply of diversions, ranging from emails to articles to that old standby, Candy Crush. Gone are the days when, as in the Lincoln-Douglas political debates in 1858, the audience sat attentively for hours while each speaker presented his case. Now we are lucky to get someone to go 10 minutes without looking at their phone. So how can we capture the audience before they pick up their device?

Classic Ideas for Capturing Focus

Plan your speeches to anticipate audience distractibility and use these tips to increase the likelihood that your audience will pay attention.

Put your main point first. People are paying the most attention at the beginning of your message. Start with a hook that grabs their attention, such as a question, statistic, anecdote, or quotation. Then deliver the main message within the first two minutes to ensure it is received. Don’t start with history or background. Cut to the chase.

Use clear, simple language. If you simplify your speech to a primary school level, people will find you easier to understand. Even if you know that all your listeners are college grads, if you speak at a secondary-grade level (e.g., 12th grade), they are likely to disengage.

Language level is a combination of sentence length and vocabulary. Vary the length and rhythm of your sentences but keep your average length low. Use short, familiar words in place of vocabulary that you think will make you sound smart. Instead of utilize, say use. Instead of taking it under consideration, say considering. Don’t say prior to; instead, say before.

How Can We Retain Our Audience’s Attention?

Even if you’ve prepared a knockout speech, your listeners are likely to feel twinges of distraction. Given the atmosphere we live in, how can we retain our audience’s attention?

First, realize that people pay attention to what they find valuable. Your audience will make a snap judgment when you begin speaking, deciding whether your material will benefit them. Demonstrate unequivocally that listening to you is the best thing they will do all day.

Even after you have won your audience members’ attention, you will have to work to keep them engaged. Marianne Fleischer, speechwriter and presentation skills coach at Fleischer Communication, has decades of experience helping presenters lasso the wandering listener. She points out that most people have an “automatic guessing machine”—they believe they know what you are going to say, so they don’t have to listen to you. She suggests that speakers disrupt this automatic process. Here are a few ways to re-engage your listeners.

• Ask a big question. Challenge your listeners by asking them a riveting question such as, “Why do you think we’re here today?” or “What do you think is the biggest cause of business failures in our society today?” Get them talking and let them share a bit of their own experience—they will then be more likely to listen to you.
• Tell a killer anecdote tailored to the audience: Always have two great, targeted anecdotes ready to go in case you need to bring back a distracted crowd.
• Change something. If you’re standing up, sit down. If you’re sitting, pop up from your chair. Walk around the room. Walk to the other side of the podium. Say something funny. Surprise them.

These tips will help you keep your listeners on their toes. When they don’t know whether you’re about to pop a question or call on them, they will be more alert.

Speaking to an Online Audience

The tips listed above will help you create powerful presentations, but challenges linger when speaking online. For example, it’s frustrating when people keep their cameras turned off. Speaking to a sea of black boxes does not inspire great performance.

If many people in your audience have turned off their video, point out that it is more respectful to other group members if people turn on their cameras. If you are a manager or instructor, you can say that having the camera on is required. When I present online writing training, I always call on people without cameras to answer questions first.

People pay attention to what they find valuable.

When people work on multiple screens as you speak, it’s tough to keep their attention. Multitasking is rampant despite research showing that it ultimately makes people less productive. People feel more productive when they are juggling six balls in the air, and they may be unwilling to let their other work wait while they listen to you. If I see someone looking down at their phone or at another screen, I call on them, asking them to answer a question or comment on something I have just said. We need to keep bringing them back to our presentation.

By accepting that some people are bound to be distracted during your presentation and preparing to deal with distractions, you will find it easier to keep your cool when someone in your audience pulls their phone out of their pocket and starts scrolling while you’re speaking. Provide solid value, put verve in your voice, and keep the audience on its toes: You’ll win back your listeners’ attention.

Click here to read more articles on writing and speaking to a distracted audience.

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Cultivating Authenticity as a Speaker

The post Speaking to a Distracted Audience appeared first on Worktalk.

Ron, a middle manager at an automotive parts company, had the chance to make a good impression on top executives by giving a presentation at a company wide meeting. Though he was naturally a gregarious person, he felt he should adopt a more formal persona.

He carefully scripted the whole presentation, even practicing where and when he would gesture with his hands. The big day came. In his attempt to follow the script, he neglected to make eye contact with his audience. Struggling to remember when to move his hands, he used gestures that didn’t match his words. In the end, he came off as wooden and off-base. He seemed inauthentic and did not elicit his listeners’ attention and agreement.

Clara, who spoke after Ron, took a different approach. Clara was comfortable with herself and did not feel the need to present a different persona to her audience. She studied her facts until she could quote the major ideas from memory. Without notes, she spoke openly to her audience and held their attention. She knew as she finished that she had successfully connected with her listeners. Later, the head of her division praised her for being sincere and authentic.

What Does It Mean To Be Authentic?

The dictionary defines authenticity as being true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character. The word also describes something that is worthy of belief because it is genuine or true. By contrast, inauthenticity seems fake. Unfortunately, even a sincere speaker like Ron can project an inauthentic image if they are uncomfortable onstage.

Being authentic does not mean winging it or saying whatever is on your mind. It requires thought and preparation. Communications coach Nick Morgan writes in a Harvard Business Review article that since neither casual spontaneity nor traditional rehearsal leads to compelling communication, “You have to tap into the basic impulses underlying your speech. These should include four powerful aims: to be open, to connect, to be passionate, and to listen. Each of these aims informs nearly all successful presentations.”

The intention to openly connect to your audience and listen to their reactions guides authentic speaking. You can develop these foundations with the following elements of authenticity.

Know yourself.

Self-awareness is the underpinning of authenticity. After all, if you don’t know who you are and how you feel, how can you be your authentic self? Developing self-knowledge begins with having the courage to see yourself as you really are, including your imperfections, doubts, and fears.

You don’t need to blurt out your every anxiety when you speak, but by grounding yourself in the reality of who you are, you will make other people more comfortable. Judyth Jernudd, keynote speaker and founder of the Jernudd Company, a speaking and media coaching company headquartered in Los Angeles, California, reflects on her early career as a news anchor. “The producers told me, ‘We want you to be yourself. Don’t try to be anyone else.’ That was the best advice I ever had,” she says.

Know your audience.

To build your credibility, consider your audience members’ backgrounds, language patterns, and cultural mores. Customize the images and metaphors you use.

Frank Furness is the past president of the Professional Speakers Association of Europe and has worked in 69 countries. He says, “Your stories have to match the culture and you have to be aware of cultural sensitivities and maybe change some of your slides and presentation. Examples must also match the culture. If I speak in India and mention sports, I will speak about cricket, not American football. In Europe, I might speak about football (or soccer) and not basketball, as the audience needs to relate to what happens in their country.”

Your audience members need to feel that they have something in common with you. Building on pertinent cultural details helps achieve this goal.

Know your material.

It’s impossible to come across authentically when you are stumbling over facts or key elements of your message. Rehearse until you know your material cold. Review your notes repeatedly. Memorize vital details and statistics.

When you speak, your listeners expect you to tell them something they have not heard before. That means you need to be original. Furness adds, “The most important thing is to be genuine and use your own stories and material. Never copy anyone else.”

Paradoxically, it takes planning and effort to build an authentic presence. Here are three ways to build your authenticity.

1 Match your gestures and tone to your content.

Morgan, the communications coach, writes, “People’s natural and unstudied gestures are often indicators of what they will think and say next.” If we try to control our gestures, our words and motions might get out of sync and confuse our listeners.

Using rapid movements, “studied” gestures, nervous tics, and other physical tells can detract from your image of authenticity. Allow your hands to move naturally in sync with your words; don’t try to artificially connect certain words to specific movements.

“While it’s helpful to learn from those more experienced than you, imitating another person’s speaking style or gestures may come off as inauthentic and fake.”
—Lauren Kerwin, Ph.D.

“Sometimes new speakers watch videos of successful public speakers and try to imitate their style and/or mannerisms,” explains Lauren Kerwin, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as a psychologist and a coach to business leaders. “While it’s helpful to learn from those more experienced than you, imitating another person’s speaking style or gestures may come off as inauthentic and fake.”

2 Be vulnerable, but don’t overshare.

Allowing yourself to show your humanity is a good thing. Blurting out overly personal information is not recommended. As Jernudd says, “Delivering a speech is not therapy.” Do not share overly personal information unless you are confident that doing so will not make anyone uncomfortable.

Sometimes, individuals think that being authentic means spouting out whatever is on their mind. They might say, “I’m just being honest and authentic by sharing my truth.” Saying whatever comes to mind is not being authentic. Authenticity includes emotional intelligence, which dictates that we should only share our thoughts when our audience is able to hear and understand them. For example, if you strongly disagree with something another speaker says, you can respectfully state your alternative view without sharing a negative opinion of the other person.

3 Don’t speak from a script.

Authenticity implies naturalness. Reading from a script is the opposite of natural. It is forced and often stilted. Moreover, it takes you away from connecting with your audience by limiting you to standing at a lectern and keeping your eyes on the script instead of your listeners.

As you speak, you should be scanning the audience—are they listening to and looking at you? Are they leaning forward to hear you or slumped back, waiting for you to finish? If you are reading from a script, you are likely to miss indicators about whether you are getting through to your audience.

Prepare carefully. Jot down your key points on a note card that you leave on the lectern in case you need to stroll by and look at them. Then let your language flow.

Cultivating self-awareness in your daily life is the best way to develop an authentic presence as a speaker. Be honest with yourself. Be truthful with others within the bounds of sensitivity. Walk through the world with integrity. You are the only you to ever exist: Let your true nature shine through when you speak, and you will always be authentic.

Click here to read more articles on public speaking and authenticity.

3 Ways to Cultivate Authenticity as a Public Speaker

10 Ways to be a Better Speechwriter

Speaking to a Distracted Audience

The post Cultivating Authenticity as a Speaker appeared first on Worktalk.

Here’s how to craft meaningful thank-you emails for different audiences, complete with templates to make the process easier.

Why Gratitude Emails Matter

Gratitude emails are more than just kind words; they serve a deeper purpose:

• Strengthen relationships: Acknowledging others’ contributions or presence reinforces connections.
• Build goodwill: A simple thank-you can enhance trust and pave the way for future opportunities.
• Reflect and celebrate: These emails provide a chance to reflect on the year’s successes and express genuine appreciation.

By taking the time to write a thoughtful message, you demonstrate that you value others’ efforts, trust, or support.

Key Elements of a Gratitude Email

For a gratitude email to feel personal and genuine, include these elements:

1. A warm opening: Start with a friendly and engaging greeting.
2. Specificity: Mention why you’re thankful and highlight specific actions or moments. Writing “Thank you for all you do,” is less effective than “Thank you for always making sure my proposals are turned in on time.” Saying thank you for everything is like saying thank you for nothing.
3. A forward-looking note: Express hope or excitement for continued connections in the future.
4. A thoughtful closing: End with a sign-off that matches the tone of the relationship.

Personalization is key. A cookie-cutter message won’t leave the same impact as one that feels tailored to the recipient. This means you must make the effort of writing individual emails to each person. A mass-mailed email has little impact and can even alienate some readers.

Templates for Gratitude Emails

1. Clients

Clients are essential to your success, and a thank-you email can reinforce their trust in your business.

Subject: Thank You for an Amazing Year Together!

Hi [Client’s Name],

As the year comes to a close, I want to thank you for being such an integral part of [your company’s name]’s journey. Collaborating on [specific project or service] has been one of the highlights of this year.

Your trust and partnership have made an enormous difference to me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to support you in [specific goal or outcome they achieved].

I look forward to what we can accomplish together in [upcoming year] and to continuing our partnership.

Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

Warm regards,
[Your Name]

​

2. Coworkers

Coworkers play a significant role in your day-to-day successes. A gratitude email fosters camaraderie and acknowledges their efforts. Pair it with a small gift and it will have even greater impact.

Subject: Grateful for Your Support This Year

Hi [Coworker’s Name],

As the year ends, I want to thank you for your incredible support and contributions. Your dedication to [specific task or project] has made a big impact on our team’s success.

I’ve appreciated your [specific quality, e.g., creativity, reliability, or positivity], and I feel fortunate to work alongside you.

Looking forward to tackling new challenges together in [upcoming year]! Wishing you a happy and restful holiday season.

Best regards,
[Your Name]

​

3. Friends

For friends, a thank-you email is a chance to deepen personal connections and acknowledge the importance of their presence in your life.

Subject: Grateful for Your Friendship

Hi [Friend’s Name],

As this year wraps up, I want to tell you how much your friendship has meant to me. From [specific shared experiences] to simply being there when I needed someone to talk to, your support has been a gift.

I’m so grateful for all the laughs, advice, and memories we’ve shared this year. I can’t wait to see what adventures [next year] brings us!

Wishing you a holiday season filled with joy, love, and plenty of [mention something they enjoy, like good food, cozy evenings, etc.].

With gratitude,
[Your Name]

Final Thoughts

A thank-you email doesn’t need to be long or elaborate to make an impact. By tailoring your message to the recipient and including specific details, you can create a meaningful note that strengthens your relationship.

As you prepare to close the year, take a few moments to send gratitude emails to those who’ve made a difference in your life. It’s a simple yet impactful way to reflect on the year with positivity and build stronger connections for the future.

So, who’s first on your gratitude email list?

​
​Call Worktalk When:

• Companies lose customers due to poor messaging from sales and customer service teams;
• Clients complain about communication from professional service firms’ staff members;
• Employees need to humanize the output of AI-assisted writing programs so it doesn’t sound fake;
• Employees need help developing the right prompts for AI-assisted writing programs to generate more effective outputs;
• Employees waste time repeatedly emailing one another because their messages are unclear.

Contact me at lizd@worktalk.com or 310.396.8303.

The post Gratitude emails build relationships appeared first on Worktalk.

When politicians, business leaders, and others use words to blur their meaning rather than clarify it, both writers and readers suffer. The main cost of divorcing words from their meaning is a loss of ability to think clearly. As the saying goes, clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. When people cannot think coherently, they cannot write coherently and vice versa. Fortunately, however, Orwell’s essay offers hope. He believed that if each individual takes it upon himself to use fresh, compelling images, avoid pretentious language, and write clearly, we can change the world one word at a time.

I recommend that you read the entire nine-page essay (just Google the essay’s title and you can find the pdf or book). Here I offer you a few excerpts from the piece. He suggests that writers ask themselves six key questions and follow six rules:

“A scrupulous writer will ask himself these questions:

• What am I trying to say?
• What words will express it?
• What image or idiom will make it clearer?
• Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?
• Could I put it more shortly?
• Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?”

Once we have answered those questions, we must write our document. For this, too, Orwell has practical suggestions that apply to all writers. He says, “What is above all needed is to let the meaning choose the word, and not the other way about.” Here are the rules he suggests:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech that you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word when a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive voice where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

As the author of 1984, Animal Farm, and numerous outstanding essays, Orwell knew about good writing. I hope you will take his advice and eschew obfuscation forever.

​
​Call Worktalk When:

• Companies lose customers due to poor messaging from sales and customer service teams;
• Clients complain about communication from professional service firms’ staff members;
• Employees need to humanize the output of AI-assisted writing programs so it doesn’t sound fake;
• Employees need help developing the right prompts for AI-assisted writing programs to generate more effective outputs;
• Employees waste time repeatedly emailing one another because their messages are unclear.

Contact me at lizd@worktalk.com or 310.396.8303.

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If you missed the last Writamin on being gruntled that irregardless is a word, find it here.

The post George Orwell’s Call to Action appeared first on Worktalk.

— E.B. White

It can be tempting to use hedge words like just, very, seemingly, and their ilk. Sometimes, we use these words because we fear being too bold or appearing too certain; we want to acknowledge the room for disagreement or more information on a topic. In other cases, we are unsure whether our message is valuable, so we offer it noncommittally in case others shoot it down.

In both cases, avoiding hedge words will add strength to your message.

If you are afraid of making a point too boldly, remember that there is always a chance that people will disagree with you; however, if you make your point using fuzzy language, your readers might not understand you well enough to know if they agree or disagree.

If you have something valuable to say, say it. If it is not valuable, why say it? But don’t hedge your words with language that makes you seem unsure of your message.

Resist the urge to fatten up your work by hedging your points with namby-pamby modifiers. If your goal is to make your point clearly, why clutter it up with words like very and seemingly?

Notice as you read whether these words add anything to your comprehension other than an uncomfortable sense that the writers don’t stand behind their words.

· just

· by and large

· rather

· seemingly

· somewhat

· kind of

· mostly

· really

· very

· pretty

· little

· sort of

· it would seem

· in some respects

· for the most part

· for all intents and purposes

What is wrong with hedges and modifiers? They block your points. They betray uncertainty. They consume the reader’s time and energy with words that add nothing to your message.

So, for the most part, just be very careful to be pretty clear when you write, because it would seem that when you add hedges to most of your statements, you seem sort of a little unclear about what you are trying say.

​

Call Worktalk When:

• Companies lose customers due to poor messaging from sales and customer service teams;
• Clients complain about communication from professional service firms’ staff members;
• Employees need to humanize the output of AI-assisted writing programs so it doesn’t sound fake;
• Employees need help developing the right prompts for AI-assisted writing programs to generate more effective outputs;
• Employees waste time repeatedly emailing one another because their messages are unclear.

Contact me at lizd@worktalk.com or 310.396.8303.

Did someone forward this Writamin to you? Sign up here.

If you missed the last Writamin on being gruntled that irregardless is a word, find it here.

The post Don’t Hedge appeared first on Worktalk.