Clear up your writing in 5 steps
You have 10 seconds.
10 seconds for your readers to digest what you’ve written. Less if your message is garbled by jargon, overly-complex phrasing, or useless information.
Want to make sure your copy gets more than a 10-second scan? Follow these tips to bring clarity to your content.
1. Don’t bury what’s important
Lead with the most important, interesting, or attention-grabbing elements of your message, and include those in the first paragraph. Most corporate writing fails at this, either by including irrelevant information in the first sentence or bogging down the opening with too many details.
Needs help: Nodles Company is excited to announce that on October 2, 2019 their board of directors voted to offer free shipping for their customers with every order.
Better: Nodles company will now offer free shipping with every order.
2. Start with the why
Including the “why” in your first sentence helps everyone understand the purpose of your message up front.
Needs help: When employees return to the office in July, they should practice social distancing.
Better: Because the coronavirus can be spread by those who have no symptoms, all employees should practice social distancing when they return to the office in July.
3. Use simple words
No one is impressed by unfamiliar or complex terms. The use of complicated copy can make you seem out of touch, interferes with comprehension, and slows down your readers.
Needs help: As the new year commences, we are leveraging our core competencies as we endeavor to meet our customers’ needs.
Better: In 2021, we will work hard to meet your needs
4. Cut, cut, and cut again
As Elmore Leonard said, “Leave out the parts that people skip.” Be merciless when it comes to eliminating extra words. Even if you think you can’t cut anymore, have someone else look at your content and tell them to get rid of anything that’s not needed.
Needs help: As many of you are already aware, happy hour starts at noon.
Better: Happy hour starts at noon.
5. Clean up your quotes
Poorly worded quotes can doom your copy. Most readers skip quotes from CEOs or other executives because they know the quotes are made up. Make your quotes worth quoting. Keep the language conversational and free of jargon.
Needs help: “This new product from Nodles company will foster a new synergistic environment where customers can leverage real-time conversational tools to communicate.”
Better: “Suppliers often do not have real-time access to customers. This app enables them to send secure, instant messages to anyone in the supply chain.”
Use your 10 seconds wisely . . . lead with what’s important, include the why, and make every word count.
Readers, any other tips?
