Lincoln's guide to email

--> honestly

Last week I read a little article about how Abraham Lincoln’s most-read book as a child was Aesop’s Fables.

It played a huge role in shaping how he thought - and how he communicated.

And it’s a big reminder of the power of simple stories for getting across ideas.

When we listen to an interesting story we pay more attention than when we’re bombarded with facts. And if that story lets us draw a conclusion we tend to believe it more too.

It’s the key that unlocks engagement.

And the good news is that we don’t have to have the imagination of Aesop or the ability to come up with analogies about lions and bulls or hares and tortoises to get our ideas across.

We have a ready-made source of stories: our own experience.

It could be our formative years, our early career, our highs and lows at work. Or what happened last week.

All powerful sources of little stories we can tell to make a point.

Earlier this week I shared a tip about beating procrastination when you’re writing. And I illustrated it with my own experiences of avoiding doing by thinking and researching.

Judging by the response, I’m far from the only person to have played those games with myself.

Sharing your own experiences builds empathy with your audience. It shows you’ve been through what they’re going through and marks you out as the ideal person to help them progress.

And it allows you to share your ideas and insights without coming across as preachy or know-it-all-y.

Next time you’re writing an email or article sharing one of your ideas, preface it with a sentence or two about how you discovered the idea. Or the problems you used to have in that area. Or even something you read recently about a president who used the same techniques :)

You’ll get more engagement than just the bare idea. I promise.

- Ian