Examples of Heart-Centered Article Writing
What’s covered in this learning:
The ability to write compelling content that gets read, listened to or viewed, and then remembered and recommended is probably one of the single most powerful foundational strengths you can have in business.
Below are five examples of heart-centered articles developed through this module. In the first one we’ve separated out the different sections that are outlined in the teaching. When you read through this, then the others, see if you can identify the pieces in the remaining articles.
This is an important teaching. It will help your content become a solid foundation for your business, helping your clients learn from you and see you as the person to help them with what they’re struggling with.
Example #1: Intimacy versus warmth in your business by Mark Silver
The Keyhole:
As a business develops, one of the big heart-aches business owners have is a loss of intimacy with their clients. Meaning, that as the numbers increase, it’s no longer possible to have an in-depth relationship with every single person.
I want to offer both an insight and a remedy for this dynamic.
The Teaching:
The insight is that, as the business owner, you may be far more concerned about this than your clients are. Yes, they want you to care, and yes, they want to be known to you.
But, they may not be expecting anywhere near the intimacy and connection that you think they are.
The Drama-rama:
Sometimes business owners become a bit isolated as they pour their heart and sweat into the business. They have social needs that aren’t being met because they aren’t seeing friends and family as much, and they are feeling worn down.
Also, each client, each potential client, represents a lot of emotional charge, around survival, around acceptance, around love. There’s a lot going on.
No need to feel shame about this, it’s absolutely normal. Of course you are going to care about your clients, and of course you are going to be attached to them.
However, often the client is not in the same situation you are in. They haven’t been pouring their heart and soul into the business. They may not have the same social needs at all.
They may not have the expectation that you are even available emotionally for that kind of connection.
Even more importantly, they may not want it. They may want a more distant relationship. They may feel safer emotionally, at least at first.
The Teaching:
The remedy I recommend.
As your business develops, and as you need to let go of some of the intimacy as your tiny client load becomes larger, and the circle of people around your business grows, I recommend you exchange intimacy for warmth.
Intimacy is when you actually know people deeply. You remember their birthday, you know how they are feeling, and they know you.
Warmth, however, is not so personal, but still deeply appreciated. You can bring warmth to interactions, you can express care, without needing to know details of each person.
As many know, I’ve taken on woodworking as a hobby the last couple of years, and, as a result, have been into our local Woodcraft store quite often. The folks who work there, without exception, are really warm, friendly, helpful. I feel welcome in the store, and I like going in there.
None of them know my name. The database knows my birthday, but they don’t. They don’t know what town I live in, or what my favorite projects are. They don’t need to, I don’t expect them to. We’re not friends.
But, the warmth and welcome is strong in them, and it makes a real difference to me.
That warmth is transferable, too, meaning I’m not attached to which person is there when I walk in, or who helps me when I have a question.
If you have warmth built into your business, it means that if you hire an assistant to help, that their warmth can be as important as your warmth, that you don’t have to personally engage with everyone who comes into contact with your business. This frees you up.
The Stepladder:
Some keys to warmth
— Everyone has to care.
This is the basic one. Everyone who works for or with you, even an extremely occasional VA, has to care.
— Ditch the “professional” language.
So many of us have internalized the corporatist-distancing-cold-sterile-so-called “professional” language that we miss how terrible it sounds. “We apologize for any inconvenience.” What the heck does that even mean?
If you inconvenienced me, you should hopefully know, and then you can apologize in specific for the particular inconvenience and make it up to me. “I’m so sorry I missed your email and it took me five days to reply!” Bonus points if you include emotional impact on you, and guessed emotional impact on them. “Ugh! My stomach dropped when I saw I had missed your email- I bet that feels terrible to not have heard from us! I’m so sorry it sat in my inbox for 5 days. Let me give you my reply now.”
— For folks within your business, it’s okay to monitor their communication for the short term.
Anyone who has ever worked for Heart of Business has taken some time to trust that it was really okay to be themselves, and that I meant it when it’s okay to be human. Often when someone new started working for us, I asked them to bcc me on all their emails so I could help warm up and de-professionalize their language. After a few weeks, they got it, and I no longer needed to be bcc’d.
Here’s an article I wrote about how to avoid corporate language.
The Caboose:
If your business is going to grow and develop, you will continue to have more intimate connections with some, but many of the folks around your business won’t have that relationship with you.
Instead, start noticing how to bring warmth into everything in your business, and reserve intimacy for those who are truly close in.
Here are four other examples of heart centered articles. See if you can spot key elements of the teaching in each one.
Example #2
Communicating to Your Readers When You Need to Cancel by Mark Silver
Example #3
What’s in a Brick? How Does That Relate to Feng Shui by Jillian Rothschild-Scholar
Example #4
Right Size Your Marketing: Solutions That Work for You by Diane Douiyssi
Example #5
Doing Enough by Mary Shields