I’ve said this before: powerful writing is not the same as a powerful message. Clear communication – my personal passion – gives power to your message. Because, for your message to hit, your audience needs to understand it.
There are three simple ways to give clarity – power – to your writing.
1. Be Clear
Do not use technical language unless you know your audience understands it. As a translator of experts, I run into this frequently. Experts talk to other experts in the language of their expertise. However, the rest of us are not experts!
If I need an expert, I want them to be able to explain the basics clearly so that I know that I’ve found the right one. Personally, I am not interested in the fine details or specific jargon; I care that you can do the job I need done.
One way to ensure clarity is to reduce your syllables. As much as I love my thesaurus, superfluous verbiage is unjustifiable (extra words are bad) for making a powerful point.
2. Use Your Tools – With Caution
If you are writing on a computer, there are tools to help you. Spell check is vital for me. Grammar/Style checking is also extremely useful. Some of the style checks I use are:
- Check for passive voice. It is amazing how quickly passive voice dilutes a powerful message. One “easy” way to avoid passive voice is to write in the present tense.
- Check for long sentences. Unless you have a very clear list, using semicolons, cut those long ones back. Even if you have a very clear list, using semicolons, think about using bullet points instead.
- Spaces and Oxford Commas. But those are personal preferences.
These days, depending on the program, there are all sorts of checks. For example, in Word you can run formality checks that will mark slang use and such.
AI, such as ChatGPT, is a good checking tool. If you’re writing for a new audience type, ask your favorite AI if what you have is appropriate. Writing for a mixed group of engineers is different from writing for mixed group of religious leaders.
Just because a tool might flag something, you are the final judge. Sometimes fragments work great for clarity. Sometimes you cannot avoid passive voice without adding a slew of extra words. And sometimes, the computer has no idea what you’re talking about.
3. Get To the Point
I am talking about conveying a message understandably, not the next Great Novel. Say what you want to say in a short, clear, and polite manner – more people will understand you, and more people will be swayed to your point of view.
Bonus Point
I cannot guarantee that following these points will make a powerful document; however, I do know that not following them makes your document hard to read.
– Lorrie Nicoles
