We read you because you are you. Because you sound like you, talk like you.
You are identifiable, clear, and you have a point of view. Whether that is polished or rough, grammatical or not…whether you use ellipses and start your sentences with “and” are all part of what make you you.
We read you because you teach us, or challenge us, or make us laugh.
You give us a feeling we’ve come to expect most of the time, and a feeling that surprises us some of the time.
By reading you we tell ourselves a little something about who we are. When we share what you’ve written with others, we are sharing what you’ve said and, also, shared a glimpse of what makes us us.
We can’t read “you” (an identifiable someone) if we can’t identify you, if you don’t sound like something.
If you’ve read this far and are still nodding, you’ve got no choice but to conclude that your organization’s voice isn’t supposed to sound like nothing and no one. If you’re nothing and no one, we won’t miss you when you’re gone.
