
Conversation writing is a writing style that does not follow grammatical rules and sentences may begin with pronouns and end with verbs. Words such as “but”, “and”, and “yet” may be used at the beginning of a sentence. When in school you are taught to strictly write in a formal style, which is not an easy habit to break.
Conversational writing aims at a targeted audience and addresses them as if you are talking to them personally. When one reads something written conversationally, it tricks his brain into thinking he is directly involved.
The positive side of the conversational tone is that it is more effective in getting messages across as well as making those massages stick in the audience’s minds. With the use of a conversational tone, the readers find it easier to follow the train of your thoughts. They do not have to struggle to digest your message or consult a dictionary for unfamiliar words.
Discussed below, are tips to help by this website on how to write in a conversational tone to increase readership
Record yourself talking
Record a conversation between you and your friend and then try to transfer it to written words. By doing this, you will have a better understanding of the way people play around with languages to get points across. You should pay attention to how the other person is speaking and how they react to what you are saying as your goal is to sound like a real human being who is having a two-way conversation and not a piece of business or academic writing.
Use Contractions
When you speak with contractions it helps you to get your words out faster, therefore, you should go ahead and write with contractions to sound more conversational. Examples of contractions are “don’t”, “can’t” and “won’t”. These are easier to speak than the full words e.g. “don’t run” in place of “do not run”. When using contractions you can save space in your media by not having to spell out every word.
Write in short sentences
Make short sentences with less than thirty-five words as they make it easier for your audience to go through the information. This is because in the real sense, we don’t talk in long monologues and speaking needs breaks to take a breath. Use commas, semicolons, and ellipses to break up your long sentences to visually separate ideas. Where your sentence contains two or more complete ideas, you can use a period to divide it into small but full sentences.
Start a sentence with “and” or “but”
Although this may go against what your grammar teacher taught you, it is alright to begin your sentence with “but” or “and” with conversation writing. This is because we do it more often when we are talking and we think of another point to bring when the previous one is finished. A sentence starting with “and” or “but” makes the sentence stand out from the others as it still carries the idea from the previous sentence. An example of such sentences is, “We can all go out for coffee now. But it’s quite late”
Use common words
In conversation writing, you should not use complex words unless the audience you are targeting understands them. You should instead concentrate on using common words that can easily be found in everyday conversations. These words are easily understood by your audience and they will not feel overwhelmed by difficult words or keep on turning to a dictionary for interpretation.
End with a prepositions
“People tend to think that ending a sentence with a preposition such as “on”, “of” or “in” is grammatically not correct. This is not so, as this is an excellent way to make your writing more conversational. This is how we mostly talk in our day to day conversations; moreover, they help to keep your writing in the active voice.
Incorporate Slang
Every group of persons has a slang they identify with. Adults use slangs that kids can’t understand and vice versa. When slang is added to your writing and it happens to be recognized by the targeted audience, it makes you more authentic. Words of caution though; use slangs sparingly and in extremely rare cases, and never use offensive words whatsoever. Using slang paints a clear picture without necessarily being vulgar and it should be directed to the intended audience who will not be offended by the words.
Write to your Target Audience
Before you start your conversational writing, you must identify your target audience. This will help you have a better understanding of the conversational tone that the audience can relate to. The same conversation you can enjoy having with your friend might feel awkward when sharing it with your parents. What may feel natural to one audience might feel offensive to another audience; therefore, you must be very careful when choosing a conversational tone.
Read your writing aloud
After you are done with writing, it is advisable to read your work loud preferably in front of an audience. In case there are places where you have hesitated to grab a breath; it means your sentences are quite long and you need to work on them to make them short. When you read your work aloud, it will help you determine if your writing flows in the same way you speak, and in case there are shortcomings you can easily rectify before presenting the final draft.
Conversational writing takes time and a lot of practice to get it right; therefore, you need not panic when you fail on your first or attempt second. With conversational writing, you are not pressured to adhere to the strict rule of grammar. With the above tips put in mind, why don’t you go ahead, give it a try, and experience the world of conversational writing. If you feel the need for assistance to help you start on the right foot as a conversational writer, you can seek help from writing companies available online at a small fee.