Conversational writing: interact

Written language, spoken language and the internet

Ever since we were little, we were taught that written and spoken language are very different things. Spoken language (or vernacular) is casual and informal, whereas written language is more strict and rigid. But then, the internet showed up. Chats, emails, etc. were introduced. Classic written language morphed into “written vernacular”. Conversational writing was born.

‘The Internet breaks down the age-old boundary between the written and spoken language and gives rise to a third option: conversational writing.’

Carmel Wiseman & Ilan Gonen, "Internet Hebrew" (2005)

Hallelujah, we can write the way we speak! Not quite. Correct grammar, clear constructions and consistent and respectful word usage are still essential. And there’s one rule: don’t write anything down that you wouldn’t say out loud. Even as a bank or insurance broker.

Why digital products should speak

We, humans, are used to people using only our language. If something communicates with us using language, our brain handles it as if it were a human interaction. It makes sense, then, that computers need to respond in a human way. And the only way to do that is through words.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post about microcopy , a digital product is similar to the perfect representative of your brand. You probably prefer someone friendly and helpful. You would look for someone who is concise and sincere. Someone who would offer you a personal service.

Look at the words on your website or app as if it were a representative talking to a user. They need to sound authentic, warm and human. That allows you to create a better experience for the user.

A better experience leads to higher conversion rates

Clifford Nass & Corina Yen conducted various experiments looking into the relationship between humans and their computers (“The man who lied to his laptop”, 2010). Those showed that we respond the same way to computers and digital interfaces as we would to humans. We are polite and expect politeness in return. For instance, we expect a compliment when we do something correctly. However, if the response would be rude or disrespectful, we would interpret it as such, and our trust would diminish.

Just think about how you deal with apps and websites. Let’s say you fill in a contact form and hit Send. You would probably enjoy getting a confirmation message that everything went well and that you can expect a response soon. Or think of an error message on your computer. Does it clearly state what went wrong, or are you left to your own devices with a simple “Something went wrong” (followed by a “I could’ve figured that out myself. How do I fix it?!” on your end)?

More importantly, if the digital product gives you positive feedback and, in that way, shows emotions we would expect from a human, we would:

be more productive
respond to requests more quickly
believe what the digital product tells us

Long story short, the more human an interface and the more it fits our social standards, the more the user will connect to it and become convinced by what is said. That makes users carry out the desired action more quickly and leaves them with positive feelings about your product.

Dos and don’ts of conversational writing

Written language is a part of our way of thinking. That’s why it can be difficult to apply conversational writing. You need to consciously think about how to write something. A couple of dos and don’ts:

Do’s

Use the active voice as often as possible. Vernacular usually uses the active voice, whereas written language often uses the passive voice. However, that voice is much less personal.

“Your question will be answered shortly.” vs “We will answer your question shortly.”
Trigger interaction with your user by asking questions. Another psychological fact is that humans have trouble leaving questions unanswered. Your user will, therefore, be more inclined to fill something in if you ask a question. Make sure your app or website isn’t full of questions, though. “Fill in the email address we can send the whitepaper to.” vs “Which email address can we send the whitepaper to?”

Don’ts

In apps or on websites, we often leave out connecting words. That’s something we would never do in a normal conversation. These small adjustments can make a phrase much more human and personal:

“Order details” vs “Your order details”
“Close map” vs “Close the map”

In digital environments, you can often notice robotic writing. That means the writing sounds like it’s been written by a robot. We often do this automatically, but it’s not an option in conversational writing.

“View your login details below:” vs “These are your username and password:”
“Products you wish to buy.” vs “Your shopping list”

What about the language you cannot write down?

Conversational writing is tremendously close to spoken language. Yet there is also a big difference: the lack of non-verbal communication such as body language, intonation and eye contact. This is why emojis are so popular. They express the emotions behind the written words and take over (partly) the role of non-verbal communication. So do not simply assume that you can write down everything you say, but think about how you can correctly weave this spoken language into a digital context.