By Lisa Schievelbein

In my six years of serving the CEC membership, I’ve learned one truly fail-safe technique to provoke conversation among communicators (which admittedly is not that hard to begin with). To wit: if I’m ever hosting a lunch-table of members at an executive retreat where, after a while, the conversation is getting a little dry…some BlackBerry action is happening under the table…all I have to do is ask a single question: “Do you think it’s still important to be a great writer in the profession today?” [Insert passionate declarations, high-fives, generous exchange of business cards, etc.]

So, the fact that communicators tend to be passionate about writing is something of an understatement. Whether you’re on the cutting-edge of the profession or just trying to keep the lights on in a 1-woman shop, everyone seems to agree that writing skills are the most important characteristic of a top-notch communicator.

That said, the mark of a great writer in Communications today is about as stable as the ground moving fast beneath our feet. With apologies to other Strunk & White acolytes, it has to be said: effective writing today is about SO much more than the mechanics of language—at the end of the day, it’s about getting your message heard. And in today’s networked environment, that often depends on people wanting to share your message with others.

In our much blogged-about investigation of how Comms can help make messages “flow” through stakeholders’ natural communication networks, we’ve learned that writing certainly isn’t everything, but it’s a BIG part. Our thinking is a moving target right now, but we’re pretty interested in these three factors as potential ingredients of highly “sharable” content:

1. Hyper-relevant: We all know it’s important to tailor our writing to the audience’s interests. But do we know what will motivate that particular audience to share the content? Here are a few common motives that, when “amplified” in a targeted message, will make that person more likely to pass it on:

• Desire to help (inform) others
• Personal gain for passing it on
• Need to look smart
• Feeling of obligation to share knowledge they have
• Intrinsic motivation—feeling that it matters, is interesting, and/or is fun to do

2. Emotion-triggering: Our research reveals that people are more likely to share information that has triggered an emotion in them—for example, hope, fear, surprise, or competitiveness.  Writing that uses bold language, evocative metaphors, and sharp contrasts (for a few examples) can spark this personal connection with the audience and make them want to share that experience with others.

3. Web-digestible: Now more than ever, content gets consumed in online “bites.” But too often our writing is skewed to longer-form explanations in our attempt to drive a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. The CEC team is thinking especially hard about how communicators can write more consumable material that’s well-matched to the online medium.

As I mentioned in my last post, we’re seeing a lot of change in the types of skills—writing included—that characterize the world’s best Communications teams, who tend to be highly focused on “enabling” communication and provoking conversation.  CEC members can check out our brand-new presentation with tips and examples of these associated skills:

• Writing to provoke dialogue
• Consultation
• Coaching and training
• Project management
• Listening: gathering information
• Listening: analyzing information

Now, let’s hear from you. How have you adapted your own writing style to improve its “sharability”?