The first article in this series was inspired by a Soba UK study on the critical importance of good, original and most importantly human communication in the consulting industry.
The glossy and assured voice of ChatGPT is often airy, evasive, and intangible, which can give an overall impression of telling clients what they want to hear, but without real impact or resonance.
To be successful with clients in today’s saturated market, it is imperative to remember how to use language effectively.
In today’s article, I will return to what great works of literature can teach us about how to communicate better with our clients, writing specifically to their needs and avoiding an over-reliance on AI. Last time we looked at focusing on the reader. This time we will zoom in on another useful tool: emotive language.
Episode Two: Emotive Language
Facts alone do not persuade.
Whilst consulting at its core hinges on data-driven insights, emotional connection with clients and stakeholders is paramount to securing business and maintaining relationships. Yes, presentations and proposals need to be fleshed out with numbers and logic. But decisions are rarely made on facts alone. Trust is the key differentiator between you and a firm that is showing a client the same data and ideas, and it is built through emotions. Literature reminds us that great writers use feeling to move minds. But how?
1. Go beyond the facts: give emotive context to data
‘Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life’. Dickens’ dryly satirical character of Mr. Gradgrind in Hard Times exposes the sterility of pure rationalism in Victorian Britain. His obsession with data dehumanises learning and experience. Such derision could easily apply to consulting today: armed with models and metrics, it is easy to forget that facts are only meaningful in a relevant context. With clients, data should always be tied in to address their overall emotional needs: how will they feel as a result of this information and insight? Why does it matter, who does it affect, and what does it enable?
2. Speak to the senses: make it tangible
Wordsworth’s seminal essay, Preface to Lyrical Ballads, counsels using ‘the real language of men in a state of vivid sensation’, choosing ‘incidents and situations from common life’. He describes how powerful feelings are best evoked via language that harks back to sensations that we all know and feel in our daily lives. In a consulting context, this reminds us that emotional impact comes from concreteness instead of abstractions such as ‘leveraging synergies’ or ‘optimising performance’. On a granular level, implement language that draws on what clients will actually see, feel, or gain. Keep it grounded in real, relatable emotion.
3. Don’t overdo it: balance emotion with credibility
Who better to learn the art of persuasion from than Aristotle? His Rhetoric reminds us of the trifecta of ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion) and logos (logic). Whilst he praises the ability of pathos to significantly impact the way in which people impart judgement, such principles should be balanced. In practice, emotive language is most powerful when in harmony with credibility and logic. Avoid sentimentality, and root your appeals to your clients’ emotions in both the quality of your argument and your confidence.
4. Make it memorable
The great Maya Angelou once said in an interview that ‘people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel’. Emotional impact is memorable, and will make you stand out. So, choose a tone. Do you want to focus on optimism, reassurance, conviction? What is the one feeling you want your client to walk away with, and how do you want them to remember you?
Key Takeaway
Remember: emotion does not weaken professionalism. When implemented correctly – giving appropriate emotive context to data, rooting emotive language in the tangible and relatable, balancing emotion with logic and credibility and achieving a lasting resonance – it is a transformative tool.
India Jordan Jones is a final-year undergraduate student at the University of Oxford, reading English Language and Literature. She is interested in a career in consulting or commercial law and passionate about sustainability and energy matters in business.
Image: DALL-E
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