Spelling things out is a compass

When you feel like you haven’t really nailed your message, one of the most powerful things that you can do is to write it down – because it forces you to commit to one specific version of saying what you want to say.

When we keep a message in our mind, we tend to keep things a little abstract. And vague. We keep juggling alternatives. And objections. Worse, by constantly altering it, we are never entirely sure what the current version actually is.

All of this changes when we write it down. It forces us to commit. But here’s another aspect that’s even more powerful: As soon as we write it down, we can hand over to our gut. Because as soon as we commit, our gut will immediately tell us whether this version feels right or not.

Suddenly, we have a compass. A compass that shows us the direction. All we need to do to make it work is listen to our gut. And then, once we recognise the feeling, we can start asking questions: What exactly doesn’t feel right? Why? What would happen if we changed this word? Or if we flipped the order? Also: What do others actually think?

Spell it out, write it down, and then trust your gut to guide you to a solution that feels right.