By Scott Libin

I'm beginning to wonder if old-fashioned, longhand ink on paper is making a comeback. I hope it is, because it offers some real advantages to editors and news managers seeking new ways to inspire and reinforce performance in an era of scarce resources.

 

First, a few recent examples:

 

Participants in a Poynter seminar for new managers talked about how handwritten notes seem so special amid all the electronic correspondence that dominates these days. They said there's something different and enduring about actual handwriting and stationery, even if it's just a piece of paper from a cheap notepad.

 

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I saw several people in the room scribbling notes to themselves during that discussion. One of our visiting faculty members underscored the point masterfully in the seminar's final session. Jeff Kiernan, news director at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, surprised us all with a handwritten note for each person in the room. I don't know what message was in any envelope but mine. I do know that Kiernan's kind gesture was one of the more memorable moments of the week.

 

The week after that seminar for new managers, my faculty colleague Roy Peter Clark led one based on his book "Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer." He took what he called a "low-tech" approach, having participants write on pads of paper instead of computers. Some said they were uncomfortable. Others said changing the mechanism by which words left their fingertips changed the process in some larger way, too -- starting in their heads.

 

Roy thinks handwritten communication can have an even more important effect on the reader than on the writer: "Something about the physical presence of the person directly attached to the object delivered. Like being in college and getting a handwritten letter from your sweetheart, with a lip print near the signature and a hint of her cologne on the paper."

 

A few days later, another Poynter colleague, Vicki Hyatt, convened what she called a "writers' brown-bag lunch" for anybody interested in a little practice. Her e-mailed invitation was vague and intriguing enough to draw a pretty good crowd, by Poynter staff standards. I think a few of us considered trying to sneak out when she said she wanted us to do our writing by hand -- no laptops.

 

But Vicki led us in a free-writing exercise designed to defeat writer's block and other obstacles that impede the process. She's convinced by writing coaches like Poynter's Chip Scanlan that the benefits of writing with a pen or pencil and a blank piece of paper often outweigh the advantages of a keyboard and computer. And she convinced some colleagues.

 

"This was a completely different process," Poynter Online fellow Leann Frola said afterward. "I came up with new ideas and new ways of thinking about things."

 

Here's what all of that has to do with running a newsroom:

 

Too much comes between colleagues already. Side-by-side editing and face-to-face conversations are the exception, not the rule, these days. Electronic production and communication are essential to our work, and they put us in touch with people we couldn't otherwise reach. But in the process, they insulate us from one another.

 

We e-mail people who are just a few feet away. We text instead of talking. We chat online instead of in person.

 

Nothing will ever top talking while looking someone in the eye -- except listening while looking someone in the eye. Following up in writing adds permanence to the spoken word. Writing to a colleague works best to build on face-to-face communication, not to replace it. And writing by hand can make what's permanent more personal -- and more powerful.

 

The handwritten note is a great tool for reinforcing positive performance. Exclusive interview? Innovative approach? Impressive enterprise? All great occasions for a handwritten note.

 

Want to make it even more memorable? Consider mailing it to the recipient's home. For some employees, the chance to share a moment like that with loved ones adds enormous impact.

 

The handwritten note also works wonderfully on special occasions, and effective managers make occasions special whenever they can.

 

On birthdays or anniversaries of employment, a card from the boss can mean a lot, especially if the boss doesn't leave the text entirely to Hallmark. Even a few words personalizing the card will magnify the message. (Leave the lip print and hint of cologne off of all correspondence with colleagues.)

 

Other ideas for increasing the impact of handwritten notes:

 

• Make them prompt. Positive reinforcement is most effective when it's immediate. This may sometimes argue for hand delivery, instead of mailing it in.
  

 

• Keep them brief. You'll send more notes if each one is succinct. As a bonus, your hand won't cramp and your words will be more legible. (I know I've gone on too long when my first few lines look as though they were written by an architect and my last few, like a preschooler -- or worse.)

 

• Choose appropriate stationery. A scrawled sheet "from the desk of..." is fine for something quick and simple. For a milestone or major accomplishment, a quality card doesn't cost much and can carry real meaning. Even texture, weight and design say something about the sender -- and the recipient. Cards that are blank inside leave you room to say what you mean, which I think is best. Whatever you choose, keep some on hand, so you can use them on a moment's notice.

 

• Be specific and personal. If you're trying to reinforce positive performance, make sure you're clear about what you liked: "Your centerpiece photo today of the woman in Williams Park showed me a side of the story I would otherwise never have seen." If you're celebrating an occasion, go beyond the generic: "Can it really be five years since we had lunch together at Jake's the day of your job interview here?"

 

It shouldn't take more than a few minutes to put on paper words that may stay with someone for years. Not if you're the boss, writing to someone who reports to you. You can do it in less time than it's taken you to get through this column. And you might strike just the right note.

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