This article series draws on lessons from literary greats to help consultants write better. Yes, ChatGPT is a brilliant resource. But given the influx of generic, sycophantic and often impersonal AI-speak in today’s market, sharp and focused client communication can be the key differentiator between you and your competitors.
So far, we’ve looked at the importance of remembering your reader and the power of emotive language. In today’s instalment, we will focus on the architectural blueprint behind persuasion: structure.
Episode Three: Structure
Consultants are trained to structure everything, from slides and data sets to arguments and reports. Often undervalued as a technical necessity, it is seen to be a final step in the organisation of ideas. Literary enthusiasts would recoil from such a mischaracterisation of this powerful tool: in the first year of undergraduate English Literature, we are taught that form is never neutral. Instead, structure shapes the reader’s experience, directs what they remember and influences what they believe. So, what can we learn about how to use structure more effectively?
1. Build balance
‘There are years that ask questions and years that answer’, notes Zora Neale Hurston in her beautifully written novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Her prose adopts her own sentiment, moving gracefully between dialogue and reflection, pace and pause.
In consulting as in literature, persuasive structure depends on pacing: know when to slow down, when to accelerate, when to let an idea breathe. Avoid stagnant repetition or cramming each slide with data. The best storytellers know how to create a balanced flow that moves the reader, or the client, forward.
2. Guide discovery
I am sure we’re all familiar with the great Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories are masterclasses in logic: each clue appears exactly when the reader is ready to see it, and we participate in the act of discovery as if we have worked it out ourselves. The revelatory gasp when we discover the denouement is satisfying precisely for this reason.
In a similar vein, to keep a client engaged, avoid giving away a conclusion too early. A persuasive argument should lead them, step-by-step through evidence and insight, to a conclusion they actively work out for themselves. Don’t instruct them: guide them to come along the journey with you.
3. Create unity
Toni Morrison’s Beloved, one of my all-time favourite novels, is unified by its recurring themes. Symbols, images and memory often circle back to freedom, identity and ownership of the self. Such consistency awards coherence to complexity: every part of the novel resonates with the same truth.
So, what does this mean for consultants in practice? Adopt a unified messaging strategy. Every chart, paragraph and insight should reinforce one core ‘spine’ of your argument, transforming scattered data into a persuasive story. Remember: narratives are more memorable than details.
4. Break the pattern
‘Little events, ordinary things, smashed and reconstituted. Imbued with new meaning. Suddenly they become the bleached bones of a story’. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy weaves together a nonlinear narrative to mirror the disjointedness of memory and emotion. A lesson in controlled disruption, each shift serves a purpose.
Similarly, breaking the pattern can be powerful in your consulting messaging, commanding clients’ attention at crucial points. Avoid dull predictability: change the order, pose a question before revealing data, open with a client quote instead of a statistic. Signal that you think differently by – briefly – breaking the pattern.
Key takeaway
Structure serves meaning: use it to your advantage.
A balanced flow, unified messaging, guided discovery, and controlled disruption can work wonders on the persuasiveness of your communication.
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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