You might have seen this recruitment poster before. But what if it said something like this? Hmm. Not quite as effective, is it? Not so compelling. It would be much easier to just walk past that one. Apart from old Uncle Sam's pointing finger, what's the key thing missing from this poor imitation poster? Yep.


It's 'you'. It's hard to ignore the word 'you'. And yet, when we write at work, all too often we do. And, you know, you shouldn't! Like Uncle Sam in the poster, the word 'you' points directly out of your document at the reader. It says, 'This means you.' This is relevant to you.


No, not that guy. Not people in general. You. A lot of the time when we write, we want something to happen as a result. We want people to act. For that to happen, those people need to know you're talking to them. You're not making a passing remark. Think about the difference between something like, 'Say, it'd be nice if someone could pass me a pen.’


And something like, 'Could you please pass me a pen?' Hey, thanks. OK, the reaction could also be, 'Get it yourself!' But that's still a reaction. Being indirect is a great way to get no response. It's too easy to ignore. Speak to everyone in general and you essentially speak to no one in particular.


OK. Um ... Does that mean me? Ah! OK. So when you write at work, remember Uncle Sam's lesson: talk to your reader directly. And yes, this means you.