Seven easy ways to improve your writing style by Graham Roberts-Phelps

Writing with style

By Graham Roberts-Phelps

There are many techniques you can use. Here are seven of my favourites.

1.????Alliteration

2.????Aristotle’s Triptych and lists of three

3.????AIDA

4.????Puns, songs and film titles

5.????Quotes and sound bites

6.????Metaphor

7.????Power and sensor-based words

Taken from the training course business writing skills.?

Alliteration

What is an Alliteration? An alliteration is the repetition of letters or sounds that is used for emphasizing or stressing importance. They usually happen when words that start with the same sound – not necessarily the same letter- are repeated within the same phrase or sentence. For example: Rocky Road, Happy Holidays, Weight Watchers Win.

Triptych and lists of three

The Aristotelian Triptych is simply this:?tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them.

What’s so magical about the number three?

The number three is pervasive. Some of the most famous quotes throughout history are structured in three parts.??It all comes down to the way we humans process information. We have become proficient at pattern recognition by necessity, and three is the smallest number of elements required to create a pattern.

AIDA?

The acronym AIDA is a handy tool for ensuring that your copy, or other writing, grabs attention.

·??????Attention (or Attract).

·??????Interest.

·??????Desire.

·??????Action.

Using the AIDA model will help you ensure that your writing is clear, compelling and persuasive. First, it must grab the target audience's attention, and engage their interest. Then it must build a desire for the product offering, before setting out how to take the action that the writer wants the audience to take.

1.????Attention can be gained by using a rhetorical question.

2.????Interest is often facts, problems, statements.

3.????Desire is linked to gaining benefits and avoiding consequences.

4.????Action is getting you to keep reading or take the next step.

Puns, songs and film titles

What is a pun? A pun is a sentence that makes a play on words. Puns rely on words that are similar in spelling, sound or meaning to make the reader (or listener) smile, laugh or groan. Weaving song, film or TV titles into your text has a similar effect. They make good headings as they will catch the eye and get attention.

• "Now is the winter of our discontent. Made glorious summer by this?sun?of York."
• The cyclist was two tired to win the race.
• It’s easy to like musicians because they are very upbeat.
• ?Mexico waves goodbye to economic recovery.

Quotes and sound bites

A sound bite is a?short phrase or sentence that captures the nub of what you are trying to say. “This is not the time for simple sound-bites, the hands of history is on our shoulders.”?

Or, sound bites are a few pithy words that capture the essence of your message. Crafted correctly, sound bites are memorable and often become quotations.

A quote is something relevant that somebody has said, usually from a notable person.

Metaphor

A metaphor is a technique writers use to make their writing more evocative.

Metaphors often get confused with similes. Whereas a metaphor makes a declarative statement that one thing is another thing, a simile uses words “like” or “as” to compare two similar things.?

·??????Let’s get a grip on this situation.

·??????He has very strong opinions on this topic.

·??????It left a sour taste.

Power and sensory-based words

Power words are used by smart writers to trigger a psychological or emotional response. They're called “power words” because they are so persuasive that people simply can't resist being influenced by them.

For example: New, free, lose, because, you, imagine, different, interesting, instant, easy, proven, how to, even more, reduced.

Sensory words. Show don’t tell.

Sensory words are descriptive. They describe how we experience events and emotions.

That is, how we smell, see, hear, feel or taste something. For example, using words related to sight that indicate colours, shape, or appearance: gloomy, dazzling, bright, foggy, gigantic. You can do the same for hearing, feeling, taste and smell.

Taken from the training course business writing skills.?

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