Creativity Muscle Workouts: Communication

Writing COMMUNICATION, is not as easy as it might look. But good news... it can be learned.  

Let's consider an example...

--> A simple idea like communicating to someone near you that they smell badly.

First, the actual words... 

• You stink. 
• You might want to shower. 
• Is that smell you? 
• Did you use deodorant today? 
• Have you showered lately? 
• Did you step in something? 
• Is that smell your clothes or you?
• You smell bad. 
• I'm not fond of your new perfume. 

Second, the tone...

• Sarcastic 
• Matter-of-fact 
• Motherly
• Compassionate 
• Insulting 
• Playful

Third, the delivery...

• Whispered 
• Loudly stated in a room full of people
• Written on a piece of paper and slid across the table
• Intentionally in the presence of another admirer 
• Told at the end of long meeting
• Pull them aside

Can you begin to picture how each combination could communicate the same idea, slightly differently? 

Can you also see how it communicates so much more? 

It reveals the relationship between the teller and the smeller. ;) 

This is why you can have the same topic, idea, issue, confrontation, or conversation... and it will look, sound, and feel differently depending on the people involved. 

THIS IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR A WRITER TO REVEAL RELATIONSHIP THROUGH DIALOGUE. 

Let's practice this.... 

Creativity Muscle Exercise #7: 

We are going to start simple...

1. The Message: Person 1 needs to tell Person 2 they don't like the dinner prepared for them. 
2. Select a combination of Person 1/ Person 2 (Husband/Wife,  Grandfather/Grandmother, Granddaughter/Grandpa, guy/girl on an early date, guest/ chef, brother/sister) 
3. Consider their relationship and how it might influence the words, the tone, and the delivery of this message.
4. Write "The Conversation," which is dialogue, description, and action.
5. Try it again, but this time reverse the rolls or change the dynamic between the two people (i.e. strained, best friends, can't stand each other, want to please etc.)... how might the conversation look and sound different? 
6. Try it again with a different combination of Person 1/ Person 2... 

The GOAL is to see how a simple conversation is affected by the relationship between the people involved. It's always subtly different. 

DEBRIEF: 

1. How did each of your conversations sound subtly different? What about their relationship contributed to this? 

2. Was this a difficult exercise? Or did this make sense as you dug into their relationship? 

3. Do you see how this may impact the storybook you are writing? How?