{"id":23410,"date":"2020-03-22T04:04:17","date_gmt":"2020-03-22T08:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/?p=23410"},"modified":"2020-03-22T04:06:12","modified_gmt":"2020-03-22T08:06:12","slug":"concrete-writing-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style\/","title":{"rendered":"Concrete writing style moves readers to act"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Concrete details outperform abstract writing in studies<\/h2>\n<p>Want to change readers\u2019 minds? Help them <em>see<\/em> your position.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23411\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23411\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"23411\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style\/concrete-writing-style\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style.png\" data-orig-size=\"600,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"concrete-writing-style\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Concrete details \u2014 in one case, a toothbrush \u2014 help audience members decide what to do, far more than abstract language. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.istockphoto.com\/photo\/toothbrushes-gm1128078155-297564654&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photo credit: mdphoto16&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style-300x150.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style.png\" alt=\"Concrete writing style\" title=\"Concrete writing style\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23411 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style.png 600w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style-300x150.png 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"23411\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style\/concrete-writing-style\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style.png\" data-orig-size=\"600,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"concrete-writing-style\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Concrete details \u2014 in one case, a toothbrush \u2014 help audience members decide what to do, far more than abstract language. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.istockphoto.com\/photo\/toothbrushes-gm1128078155-297564654&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Photo credit: mdphoto16&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style-300x150.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style.png\" alt=\"Concrete writing style\" title=\"Concrete writing style\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style.png 600w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/concrete-writing-style-300x150.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23411\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concrete details \u2014 in one case, a toothbrush \u2014 help audience members decide what to do, far more than abstract language. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.istockphoto.com\/photo\/toothbrushes-gm1128078155-297564654\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Photo credit: mdphoto16<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s what two researchers at the University of Michigan did in a 1986 experiment. For the experiment, participants played the role of jurors in a trial over whether a mother, \u201cMrs. Johnson,\u201d was fit to care for her 7-year-old son.<\/p>\n<h5>\u201cThe soul never thinks without an image.\u201d<\/h5>\n<h6>\u2014 Aristotle, Greek philosopher<\/h6>\n<p>All of participants heard 16 arguments \u2014 eight positive and eight negative \u2014 about Mrs. Johnson. But half of the subjects heard vivid examples of the arguments for her; the other half heard vivid examples of the arguments against her. For instance:<\/p>\n<div class=\"excerptbox\" style=\"border:1px solid black;\"><strong>Argument for<\/strong>: \u201cMrs. Johnson sees to it that her child washes and brushes his teeth before bedtime.\u201d Vivid addition: \u201cHe uses a \u2018Star Wars\u2019 toothbrush that looks like Darth Vader.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Argument against<\/strong>: \u201cThe child went to school with a badly scraped arm, which Mrs. Johnson had not cleaned or tended to.\u201d Vivid addition: \u201cThe school nurse had to clean the scrape, and in the process she accidentally spilled mercurochrome and left a red stain on the breast of her nurse\u2019s uniform.\u201d<\/div>\n<p>What a difference a detail makes. Subjects who heard the vivid arguments for Mrs. Johnson \u2014 the Darth Vader toothbrush \u2014 were 15% more likely to find her to a suitable parent (5.8 on a 10-point scale) than subjects who heard the unfavorable arguments in vivid detail (4.3 out of 10).<\/p>\n<h3>Tap the power of concrete language.<\/h3>\n<p>Why is a concrete writing style so effective?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe tend to have a better memory for things that excite our senses or appeal to our emotions than for straight facts and dry statistics,\u201d writes Sheena Iyengar, professor at Columbia Business School, in <em>The Art of Choosing<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h5>\u201cYou might overestimate the number of times your colleague wore a red tie, or underestimate how often he wore a gray one, simply because red is a brighter color.\u201d<\/h5>\n<h6>\u2014 Sheena Iyengar, in <em>The Art of Choosing<\/em><\/h6>\n<p>\u201cThis means that you might overestimate the number of times your colleague wore a red tie, or underestimate how often he wore a gray one, simply because red is a brighter color.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In short, \u201cvividly presented information is more impactful than pallid information,\u201d write the researchers, Jonathan Shedler and Melvin Manis.<\/p>\n<p>So use vivid word pictures to move readers to act.<\/p>\n<h3>Concrete details move readers to give.<\/h3>\n<p>Another study shows that vivid stories are more effective at moving people to act than abstract ideas.<\/p>\n<p>For the study, psychological scientists Laura Blackie and Philip Cozzolino of the University of Essex:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Asked one-third of their subjects <strong>open-ended questions about death<\/strong> in general<\/li>\n<li>Told one-third a <strong>vivid scenario in which they were trapped and dying in a burning apartment<\/strong> (\u201cYou run to the door and reach for the handle. You pull back in pain as the intense heat of the knob scalds you violently \u2026\u201d)<\/li>\n<li>Had one-third <strong>think about dental pain<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Then the subjects read one of two news stories: one saying that blood donations were at record lows, the other saying that they were at record highs. Finally, researchers offered subjects a pamphlet guaranteeing fast registration at a blood center and told them to take the pamphlet if they intended to give.<\/p>\n<p>People who\u2019d thought about death in the abstract were more likely to take the pamphlet if they\u2019d read the story about the blood shortage. But those who\u2019d visualized their own death in concrete terms were likely to take the pamphlet regardless of how badly blood was needed.<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line: People who\u2019d conjured vivid images about death were more motivated to give than those who had pondered death in the abstract.<\/p>\n<h3>Concrete terms outperform abstract terms.<\/h3>\n<p>Other research shows that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/writing-tips\/how-to-write-creative-content\/concrete-details\/\">concrete details<\/a> work because they:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Provide greater emotional interest<\/strong> and have a greater impact on judgments than bland presentations of the same information.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make warnings more effective<\/strong>. Vivid scenarios and anecdotes make warnings more effective than bland numbers do (Hendrickx, Vlek and Oppewal, 1989).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Linger longer in the reader\u2019s mind<\/strong>. In one study, vivid, emotional and interesting information helped readers decide to avoid problem drinking. That impact grew over time; the impact of bland information weakened over time (Sherer and Rogers, 1984).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To move people to act, show, don\u2019t tell.<\/p>\n<div id='MC-CD' class='widgets_on_page wop_tiny1  wop_small1  wop_medium1  wop_large1  wop_wide1'>\n\t\t\t<ul><li id=\"custom_html-39\" class=\"widget_text widget widget_custom_html\"><div class=\"textwidget custom-html-widget\"><a title=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/business-storytelling-training\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storytelling-workshop.png\" alt=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" title=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 250px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 250\/250;float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storytelling-workshop.png\" alt=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" title=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max\"><\/noscript><\/a><h3>How can you make tedious topics interesting?<\/h3>\r\n<p>Fun facts and juicy details might seem like the Cheez Doodles and Cronuts of communication: tempting, for sure, but a little childish and not particularly good for you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Not so. Concrete details are more like salad dressing and aioli \u2014 the secret sauces it takes to get the nutritious stuff down.<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<p>Now you can learn to use concrete details to change people's minds \u2014 and behavior \u2014 at <a title=\"Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/business-storytelling-training\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Master the Art of Storytelling<\/strong><\/a>, our creative-writing workshop.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>There, you\u2019ll learn six quick ways to add color to your message and how to help readers understand big ideas through specific details.<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<div class=\"btn btn--depth\" style=\"text-align: center;  margin: 10px 0 20px; width:100%;\"><a id=\"btnTT\" style=\"\" title=\"BOOK NOW\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/business-storytelling-training\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-width=\"91\">BOOK NOW<\/a>\r\n<!-- [if mso]>\r\n<p style=\"line-height:0;margin:0;\"><v:roundrect xmlns:v=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/writing-classes\/business-storytelling-training\/\" style=\"width:153px\" arcsize=\"8%\" strokecolor=\"#D96237\" filled=\"t\"><v:fill type=\"gradient\" angle=\"180\" color=\"#f16522\" color2=\"#f16522\"><\/v:fill><v:textbox style=\"mso-fit-shape-to-text:t\" inset=\"0px,11px,0px,11px\"><center style=\"font-size:16px;line-height:24px;color:#FFFFFF;font-family:sans-serif;font-weight:bold;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;mso-text-raise:4px\">BOOK NOW<\/center><\/v:textbox><\/v:roundrect><\/p>\r\n<![endif]--><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><!-- widgets_on_page -->\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>Sources: \u201cHow Thinking About Death Affects Behavior,\u201d TS-SI.org, May 22, 2011<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sciencetech\/article-1389117\/People-think-death-likely-donate-charity.html#ixzz1X5bzLdJ2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">People who dwell on their own mortality \u2018are more likely to donate to charity<\/a>,&#8217;\u201d MailOnline, May 23, 2011<\/p>\n<p>Laura E. R. Blackie and Philip J. Cozzolino, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/pss.sagepub.com\/content\/early\/2011\/07\/08\/0956797611415542.extract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Of Blood and Death: A Test of Dual-Existential Systems in the Context of Prosocial Intentions<\/a>,\u201d <em>Psychological Science<\/em>, July 2011<\/p>\n<p>Roger Dooley, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.neurosciencemarketing.com\/blog\/articles\/vivid-stories.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vivid Stories Change Donor Behavior<\/a>,\u201d Neuromarketing, Sept. 6, 2011<\/p>\n<p>Chip Heath and Dan Heath, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1400064287?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwyliecomco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1400064287\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die<\/a>, Random House, 2007, pp. 138-139<\/p>\n<p>Wray Herbert, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wrayherbert.com\/blog\/ost-update-the-grim-reaper-revisited\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OST Update: The Grim Reaper Revisited<\/a>,\u201d Wray\u2019s Blog, July 21, 2011<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Shedler and Melvin Manis, \u201cCan the Availability Heuristic Explain Vividness Effects?\u201d <em>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology<\/em>, 1986, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 26-36<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Concrete details outperform abstract writing in studies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[251],"tags":[12335,12334,12333],"class_list":{"0":"post-23410","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-concrete-details","8":"tag-abstract-terms","9":"tag-abstract-writing","10":"tag-concrete-language","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v23.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Concrete writing style<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A concrete writing style persuades readers to act. 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