Anyone who’s ever transcribed a real life conversation knows that they rarely read well on paper. They’re often rambling or repetitive or incoherent. And the thing about real life conversations is that there’s more than one person talking. What we mean by conversational writing is a cleaned up and one-sided version of a real life conversation. Writing that feels direct and warm and chatty, with the reader playing the part of the other half of the conversation.

You want your writing to feel like the conversation with a friend, not a lecture from a distant expert. So how do you do that? How can you write so that readers stick with you?

Being able to say what’s needed in a few good words is a skill that will help you communicate more easily.  Not every piece of writing needs to be short, of course, but in many places short copy is vital.