Embodied Writing has been part of my Strategic Speaker Coaching process for over 15 years, but I first spoke publicly about it in 2026. The idea of a body in workplace communication and strategy was finally in the realm of possibility.
What is Embodied Writing?
Embodied Writing is writing that uses, or comes from, your body. This has a different feel and quality to writing that is “heady” or brainy. A lot of professional communication is cognitive and conceptual, which isn’t as closely related to natural speech, might not land as well with listeners, and can be disconnected from our thoughts, feelings and humanness. This doesn’t make cognitive communication wrong, it’s just different.
How do you develop the skill of Embodied Writing?
I started to learn Embodied Writing as a child, by accident. When I felt scared or confused, I wrote in my little journal. Getting things out of my head and onto paper helped me to better understand my feelings and emotions. It also created a bit of space between me and my feelings, making them easier to hold.
I found my most effective writing came when I let the feelings and sensations in my body lead my scribbles. That meant not knowing what I was going to say before I put my pen to the paper and just seeing what came out. This early Embodied Writing helped me to better understand myself and to move through worries and fears.
Why would you practice Embodied Writing?
Embodied Writing can feel therapeutic in the way I just described it. It can also help you to develop critical workplace and life skills. The practice of not filtering and noticing what is going on in my own mind allows me to better tune in to people around me and to hold more complexity.
If there is no embodiment in your workplace communication and strategy, it might be conceptually rigorous but will remain a bit disconnected. Whether you are writing a conference talk or preparing your company mission, your ideas need to be backed up by embodiment, or a body knowing, so that they can be grounded in your team’s actions and experiences.
Embodied Writing is one way that you can bring the body into your work as a communicator and strategiser. Some of the ways it helps my clients:
- Writing better speeches
- Knowing what they think (and feel) about an issue
- Creating meaningful communication plans
- Forming company visions and strategic plans.
How can I get started with Embodied Writing?
Many of the tailored exercises I give my clients are derivatives of a brilliant practice that you could start right now, on your own: Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages. Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way helped generations of inner artists to find their creativity. (NB I don’t think the blurb on her website does the book justice.) One of the first activities Cameron recommends is to allocate time each morning to free-writing. You get a pen and paper and write and write, until you fill three pages. I did this each day for years and it would clear my mind and open up discoveries. While I no longer treat morning pages as a daily practice, I will draw on it when things are difficult, complex or I can’t get out of my own head.
Embodied Writing helps you to get to know how you think and feel. I use it to help my clients write better speeches and strategies, and generally know who they are in the workplace. If you start to practice it now, when the stakes are low, the easier you’ll be able to access it when things really matter.
About Rachael West: I have been a Somatic and Strategic Speaker Coach for over 15 years. A former engineer, I draw on a rich professional background in strategy, social innovation and public health, as well as extensive training in physical theatre and somatic modalities. I offer complimentary get-to-know-each-other calls so, if you’d like to hear more about putting the ‘body’ back into your workplace strategy and communications, or ignite your next keynote, contact my by email or on LinkedIn. I’d love to hear from you.
