Let’s be honest . . .
A lot of training content is somewhat blah! It sounds boring. It lacks a human voice.
It feels like anyone in any department could have written it.
How can you add a touch of personality? Start by nurturing a sense of play.
When trainers are having fun, they’ll connect with their readers more naturally. Learners will sense the fun in their writing.
But, you say, training is a serious business, we are charged with getting people to learn.
People aren’t computers, who we teach by writing code for them to follow. Teaching people new skills is not achieved by writing code for them, we are wired differently.
Exercise 1:
Settle for the first word that comes up in your mind?
That’s usually a word commonly used.
To add some more spice, some personality, try a slightly unusual or a more precise word; or play with sensory words;
This exercise works best for a single sentence, so here goes:
You can consult a thesaurus if you wish.
Here’s an example . . . I’ve written several headline options for this article:
Okay you can take it from here. Turn your boring headlines into razzle-dazzle. I’d love to see some of your changes.
Exercise 2: Hotwire your words
This exercise works especially well if you feel stuck in a wordy rut as it helps break through habitual word patterns.
We all follow habitual word patterns: Shoppers stroll, Supervisors scowl, Managers insist.
How can we break through these patterns?
Songwriter Jeff Tweedy suggests a 4-step creative exercise:
The aim of this exercise is not to produce a beautiful text instantly. As Tweedy suggests, this exercise can jump-start your brain, so “language and words have your full attention again”.