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5 Tips to Ensure Your Written Message is Clear

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by Barbara McNichol

No matter what your written message—a sensitive email, a report, a proposal, even chapters in a book—you aim to make it easy for readers to understand. But how can you ensure what you actually write is what you intended?

Ignore this question at your peril. No matter how busy you are or how quickly you want to advance your projects, slow down. When you rush to action, you risk having to redo, revise, and explain. That doesn’t save you time!

Turn These Writing Tips into Habitsmaking your writing clear

What can you do improve the readability of your message as you write it? Turn the following five tips into strong habits:

  1. Write short words and limit the total number in a sentence. No more than 21 words per sentence is a good rule of thumb.
  2. Include one major point per paragraph and one major concept per chapter. Don’t try to do too much in either one.
  3. Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly so the strongest, most salient ones can stand out in a crowd.
  4. Break up large blocks of type with subheads—enough that readers can skim the subheads to quickly find what they’re looking for.
  5. Don’t change the point of view within a paragraph (e.g., switching from a “we” to “you” orientation). When you have to shift the viewpoint, start a new paragraph.

Always Proofread Your Written Message

Most important, always proofread your own message and, if possible, have a colleague check it, too. As you reread it, ask: “Is this exactly what I intended?” If not, rework it until you’re satisfied your message can be easily understood by others.

The benefit to you? You will save time in the long run.

What proofreading habits are most effective for you? Share them here.

5 Tips to Improve the Readability of Your Writing

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by Barbara McNichol

After reading all my edits on the first chapter of his book, a new client studied my copious changes and, looking for encouragement and wondering about readability, asked me: What do you think of the message?

Yes, it’s easy to lose sight of an author’s message when I’m knee-deep in the weeds of editing paragraph after paragraph. In this case, I connected strongly with the author’s content. However, with so much repetition and long-windedness, understanding his message made for a tedious task.

What’s my advice to him to improve readability? Turn the following five tips into strong habits:

  1. Write short words and limit the number of words—preferably fewer than 21 words in a sentence.
  2. Include one major point per paragraph and one major concept per chapter; don’t try to do too much in any one place.
  3. Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly so the strongest, most salient ones can stand out in the crowd.
  4. Break up large blocks of type with subheads—enough that readers can skim the pages to quickly find what they want.
  5. Don’t change the point of view within a paragraph (e.g., switching from a “we” to “you” orientation). If you have to shift the pronoun reference, start a new paragraph.

writing with intentTo improve readability: Make sure your piece says what you intend it to without wordiness getting in the way. The best test: Read your sentences out loud, listening for what is superfluous or trips you up. Together, the ear and tongue are excellent self-editors.

Recommended tool: Hemingway App. For a one-time fee of $9.99, you can install this app and use it to point out long-winded and convoluted sentences.  It also notes the grade level–a big help in improving readability.

My question to you: What do you do to make sure your message is clear and concise?  How do you boost the readability of your writing?

Share your tips in the Comments below.

Write with Intention Every Time

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by Barbara McNichol

Much of the spoken language slides into our writing, but at times the words we say aren’t the exact fit for what we mean. Check your intention every time!

Consider these sentences from a manuscript about education:

  • How many principals do what they feel will win approval?
  • The public feels certain people shouldn’t be teaching.

Given the context, is “feel” the correct word to express the author’s meaning? No, because the essence of the intended meaning doesn’t come from an emotional “feeling” source. Rather, it comes from a profound conviction based on experience—a place of belief.

Replace “feeling” with the word “believe,” which involves caring about something. It implies a deeper kind of thinking—a mental activity that doesn’t necessarily have a sense of conviction. Because of this distinction, the better word choices would be:

  • How many principals do what they believe will win approval?
  • The public believes certain people shouldn’t be teaching.

writing with intentYour challenge: Question yourself when you select a commonly spoken word. Does it express the exact meaning based on its context? From now on, designate “feel” a red-flag word. Then replace it with “think” or “believe” or “hope” or another verb and reread your sentence. Is “feel” the most precise word to convey your intended meaning? If not, pause and find exactly the right one.

Unsure which of these verbs—feel, think, believe—to use in your own writing? For feedback on your sentence(s), request it here. 

Writers: Ever Been Embarrassed by an Unintentional “Bump” in the Road?

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By Barbara McNichol

As a member of Society of Southwestern Authors, I receive the group’s e-newsletter The Write Word. One article that tickled my fancy lines up perfectly with my Wordshop’s intentional writing theme. It goes like this: Before you press the SEND button, always ask “Is what I say what I intend to convey?”

[quote style=”1″]Is what I say what I intend to convey?[/quote]

In his article, Dan Baldwin refers to writers’ unintended mistakes (catch the redundancy?) as “bumps from a dip in the road.”

Let me share my favorite 7 “bumps” from several that Dan listed:

  • Include Your Children When Baking Cookies
  • The Humane Society offers a free spay/neutering to senior citizens…
  • Try our cough syrup. You will never get any better.
  • FOR SALE: Bulldog. Will eat anything. Loves children.
  • Now you can borrow enough money to get completely out of debt.
  • The patient has no past history of suicides.
  • Beauty Queen Unveils Bust At Dedication Ceremony

Yes, these examples are highly entertaining, but do you see how they get in the way of stating the meaning intended—and could lead to embarrassment?

Intentional Writing Reins

The fix: First, write with intention. Then, proofread everything with fresh eyes and do so from the readers’ perspective, not your own!

Have you come across embarrassing “bumps” like these? Please share them here. All “bump” originators will be kept anonymous, I promise.

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