Do you unknowingly write like this?

I saw a quote from a spokesperson that made me think of you.

It was in a piece about a good Samaritan who stepped up and helped someone who had a seizure. The story was heartwarming.

At the end, the writer reached out to a spokesperson for an organization that helps people who struggle with seizures. Here’s the quote:

“People who live with seizures have to deal with a pervasive stigma fueled by misinformation and misconceptions about the disorder.”

Kind of ironic, isn’t it? That a sentiment about misunderstanding would be expressed with somewhat formal and less accessible language?

I mean, most readers know what each of those words means. But few people actually talk like that in real life. And that makes readers either skim over the quote or not connect with it emotionally.

In a moment, I’ll recommend one possible way to rephrase this statement to make it more effective. But first I want to explore why this type of language is so common among PR pros.

There’s a simple but little-known reason for it that you might unknowingly struggling with. If you’ve already overcome it, that’s great – maybe this post would help you teach others how to avoid it.

In my writing workshops I’ll interact with chatty, approachable PR pros who then turn into corporatized automatons when their fingers touch their keyboards.

A strange thing about this phenomenon, I actually see it most often among younger professionals. You know, the ones who get stereotyped as being overly casual in their communications.

And that’s how I came to the understanding of the biggest reason for this faux formal communication style:

Insecurity.

Like most aspects of our business, it’s actually not rooted in skill or technique. Instead it stems from our mindset. I talk more about the interplay between knowledge and beliefs about ourselves in 4 Pillars of a Media Relations Master.

When you’re not sure of yourself, you tend to overcompensate by trying to speak and act the way you think people want you to. When I started giving speeches at PR conferences I was totally guilty of this. Instead of focusing on whether my message was getting across, I was fixated on whether the audience thought I was qualified to be speaking to them.

Once I got my feet under me, I noticed much better engagement and uptake on the principles I was teaching. Funny thing how that happens when you focus more on your audience than yourself.

The same principle applies when writing PR materials or crafting statements for media interviews. No need to impress anybody – externally or internally – with your vocabulary or formal grammar. That just comes off as self-important and detached.

Okay, I do need to insert what should be obvious – there is a bottom floor to how informal you should be in business communication. I draw the line at emojis and exclamation points. And of course you should speak and write in a voice that’s consistent with your brand – a playful startup is going to have more fun with media statements than would a research hospital.

So a good rule of thumb for your PR writing is to use the same style you use when emailing your professional colleagues – people who already know you and trust you, where you don’t feel like you have anything to prove.

When you adopt this voice, you translate the statement about seizures to something like this:

“People who struggle with seizures get judged by strangers and misunderstood by friends. But once we learn just a little bit about the condition we are in a much better position to help.”

And then you find that audiences are more likely to pay attention to, agree with, and act on your messages. So instead of impressing people, you’re actually helping them.

P.S. Every month I share in-depth training on improving your PR skills and mindset. I do it for members of my Inner Circle group coaching program. We only accept new members twice a year – the next time will be in mid-May. The slots usually sell out quickly, so it pays to learn about the program in advance and make your decision early. Get more info by registering for a free Preview Pass.