I’m constantly asking my clients who they’re trying to reach. When it comes to effectively communicating, you must know who you’re talking to. You wouldn’t talk to a first-grader the same way you would talk with a college professor, right?

Here’s a tip for getting inside the mind of your audience:

Go to where your customers are and silently observe. Watch what they do and how they do it. Read the emails they send customer service. Eavesdrop on their conversations with each other.

Refrain from making assumptions. Resist the urge to lead. Don’t ask questions (just this once). Simply watch and listen.

I promise you’ll come away with a new perspective about what their proverbial “pain points” are, but you’ll also have fresh insight into what motivates and excites them.

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I’ve been paying attention to how everyone from clients to clergy and teachers to toddlers communicate. And one thing I’ve noticed is that those who incorporate a personal story (theirs or someone else’s) capture — and retain — their audience’s interest.

Telling a personal story (and by personal, I mean sharing an experience related to what’s being shared with the audience) helps create an emotional connection between you and your audience. It puts your message into context but it does so in a way that’s relevant, engaging and memorable to the reader or listener.

Need some inspiration for how to infuse a little human interest into your copy? Read a newspaper, listen to a sermon, visit with a former soldier, or ask a child what they want to be when they grow up and why.

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From pseudodictionary to unword, the web is replete with sites dedicated to made-up words. TV personalities and sitcoms are famous for them, too. (Think Rachael Ray’s “fantabulous” and Archie Bunker’s “groinocologist.”) Made-up words have no doubt helped define pop culture for the better part of the last few decades.

Using made-up words is especially fun among family and friends. Our favorite is “musharoni pizza,” short for half mushroom, half pepperoni. It came about purely by accident, but it stuck and is now a standard at our house most Friday nights.

But take heed: made-up words have little to no place in your web copy. Words like “customerization,” and “dimensionalize” are not so much clever as cute and do little in the way of optimizing search or helping customers understand who you are and what you have to offer.

And, while you’re at it, be wary of overused words such as “solutions” and “optimized.” Best way to do that is to speak to the benefit of the customer … not to yourself or your company.

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If I could recommend one good habit for anyone who does any kind of writing, it would be this: keep a swipe file.

Early in my career I worked for a regional publication. My first day on the job, I could barely contain my giddiness at actually being paid to sit and read their magazine. Oh, how I loved that job!

One of the best takeaways from my publishing experience was the concept of a swipe file. A swipe file is simply your own file of good writing and creative examples: tearsheets, quotes, headlines, photos, direct mail pieces … pretty much anything that will inspire you.

My own swipe file includes Kelly Benham’s rooster story, a sweepstakes entry from Mary Kay, a well-crafted profile piece of the Barefoot Contessa and a kick-ass autoresponder from an obscure e-commerce site.

Start your own file right now — either physical or electronic  (I use both) — and then add to it over time, making sure to weed out things that are dated or no longer to your liking.

Keeping and using a swipe file is a good way to overcome writer’s block and inspire a creative breakthrough. Sometimes reading a well-crafted sentence or seeing a sample of what you’re working toward is enough to get those creative juices flowing. And who doesn’t need that from time to time?

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