Reading Scripts to Achieve Clarity

Reading plays is an excellent way to get a feel for the dialogue of life in general, and the questions of businesspeople  in particular. Few people read plays, yet we write at work based on imagined dialogues with our readers.

Imagine opening an internal proposal to your manager with this sentence: 

Splitting the Northeast Region into two sales territories will double our coverage, leading to 25% additional revenue after the first year.

You are assuming the following dialogue:

Manager: What do you want?

You: We should split the Northeast Region into two sales territories.

Manager: Why?

Writer: It would double our coverage. 

Manager: What would that do?

Writer: We would increase revenue by 25 percent after the first year.

Reading dramatic pieces not only entertains, it also gives insight into how people react, reply, retract, and repeat. Read some plays with this thought in mind and see how your ear for your audience improves.