How writing from the heart makes you a more trusted business author

I’ve got a confession to make: I don’t really like showing my feelings. And I’m not even a man, how about that!

Actually I didn’t fully realise this about myself until someone pointed it out recently; after some resistance (which is always a sign) I had to admit they were right. So why does it matter?

Because I work in a business in which it’s important for me to generate trust. For you to relax into what I say, you have to know me a little. And for you to know me a little, you have to know how I feel. Not about everything of course (gaaad no!) but about whatever is relevant to what I’m talking about at that time.

It’s important for you, too. If you’re writing a book, a blog, or even a social media post, your emotions make it yours. They make it real, memorable and credible.

Many people shy away from this, and as I’m one of them I can hardly criticise. But I’m not advocating laying your soul bare, just lifting the lid on your passions, interests and – yes – a little bit about your life. You may think you do this already (I did). But if you’re honest with yourself, I’m sure there are areas where you could peel away a layer or two without starting to shiver.

Here are some to start you off:

The deal breaker

It sounds obvious, but if something really matters to you, are you putting it in your book, or even your blog? It doesn’t have to be the central topic – it could be a sub section or even a paragraph. We often push aside the things we’re passionate about, assuming others might not feel the same, but your enthusiasms are what make you ‘you’.

So if there’s one thing you feel you really must say, find a way to say it. You might have to weave it cleverly into your topic, or even create a space for it as a blog post (or a book in its own right); if you care about it enough, you’ll find a way.

Who’s speaking?

Using the words you’d naturally speak with is such a powerful way of bringing out your personality. Please, please, please never write like you once did to impress your school teacher; your readers want to get a real sense of who you are. That’s one of the reasons they’re reading what you have to say.

One way to do this is to record yourself speaking and get it transcribed; it won’t cost more than a few pounds or dollars for a small number of minutes. Once you’ve tidied it up and made sense of your words for your reader, you’ve got your writing in your voice right there; you might be surprised at how differently you come across to your normal way of writing.

Heartfelt examples

You’ll know how useful case studies and examples are for illustrating your points. How about choosing a personal story instead of a client or general one next time? I’ll give you one of mine here to show you what I mean.

This post is all about writing from your heart, so your audience gets to know you better. As part of this, one of my goals is to reveal my feelings and passions more online, so I’ve been taking a look at what I already talk about. When I scrolled through my pas Facebook posts yesterday, I realised there were some themes emerging; I like to talk about my family, work and travels, and also comment on events with my own brand of quiet humour. But I saw there a lack of comments about some of the other things I’m passionate about – new ideas, fresh ways of looking at established things, and other cultures. So I’ve decided to include more of this in the future, and see what happens!

Has this prompted any soul searching with you? What experiences from your own life could you include in your book, or are you doing so already? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to know.