Writing as a Conversation
Our
lives, as we know it, depend on interaction and communication to progress and thrive.
In today's world our conversations span over a variety of techniques and are debatably
moving further and further away from the traditional, and seemingly ancient, technique
of physically meeting and engaging in a verbal and emotional conversation on a
personal level. Technology has launched our generation into a communication method
heavily dependent on text messaging,
e-mail, instant messaging, social networking, blogging, etc. all of which have
inadvertently switched us over to written communication; however, people "don't think of creating text messages,
e-mail messages, status updates, comments, notes, forum posts, or blog entries
as writing (Palmquist, 6)." Maybe because our younger generations think of
writing strictly as a formal subject required for educational assessments or an appropriate means of
communication with a professor or future employer, they don't consider how
often we use it and how important this method has become.
When
we have a conversation, whether verbally or though our various methods of technology,
understanding and recognizing our audience allows for the most effective
communication.
To efficiently write as a conversation, the author must first be able to make that connection to their audience in real life through "...acting" or taking on different mindsets..." (11). Palmquist addresses six roles that we can adopt during conversations: observers, reporters, interpreters, evaluators, problem solvers and advocates, all of which are roles that can be taken into account and used as different mind sets and ultimately lead as a "guide through the conversation" (11-12) Each role can and should be used amongst different situations to better connect with and understand the audience so as to convey your point most efficiently. When the individual can learn how to address their role amongst real life conversation and what different audiences want to hear, they can use that skill to most effectively connect with the reader during written conversation and, like Palmquist says, ""help [me] achieve [my] purpose" (11).
To efficiently write as a conversation, the author must first be able to make that connection to their audience in real life through "...acting" or taking on different mindsets..." (11). Palmquist addresses six roles that we can adopt during conversations: observers, reporters, interpreters, evaluators, problem solvers and advocates, all of which are roles that can be taken into account and used as different mind sets and ultimately lead as a "guide through the conversation" (11-12) Each role can and should be used amongst different situations to better connect with and understand the audience so as to convey your point most efficiently. When the individual can learn how to address their role amongst real life conversation and what different audiences want to hear, they can use that skill to most effectively connect with the reader during written conversation and, like Palmquist says, ""help [me] achieve [my] purpose" (11).
When an author can use this technique, or any of the six roles, (though it is a lot of thinking and planning) as they introduce a written conversation, formal or informal, and "...reflect on their readers' values and beliefs, determine what their readers are likely to know about a subject, and take into account their readers' likely experiences... and what readers might be interested in knowing" (15) the actor/conversationalist/writer can share information in a well-rounded, amiable, inquisitive, meaningful way which creates an atmosphere of truly "good" conversation.
