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business communication, business writing, clear writing, writing advice, writing more clearly, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Ways to Think Clearly to Write Clearly for Your Business

1. State the theme or goal – To write clearly for your business, jot what you want to say and why in one sentence. This sentence may serve as a guide throughout, helping you keep to one topic.

2. Know your reader – Put yourself in their shoes. Marketers often espouse the concept of personas, creating sketches of an average reader. For example, what does your average reader look like? Where do they live? What do they do? Thinking about them can help you refine your concept and the language you’ll use to reach them.

3. Think through it – Consider the 5 W’s and the H of journalism: who, what, when, where, why, and how. As part of critical thinking — based on information gathered from observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, connect these parts logically to each other, building on each point. Follow a logical progression of ideas. Talking to others about these concepts before you begin can help you clarify your ideas and expose you to other views.

4. Set boundaries – Decide on the format and structure — outline the key points. Or, as prewriting practice, write through your concept in a series of numbered steps. Or pretend you’re writing a Twitter post and break each thought into bullet points or numbers. This can help you arrange your thoughts logically.

5. Prime your mind – Before you write, read pithy prose by Ernest Hemingway, E.B. White, William Zinsser, or the greats in your genre as examples of how to keep it simple.

Is your writing as clear as mud? Find out how to turn your gibberish into everyday English to gain the right clients.

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How do you think clearly to write clearly? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.” ~ David McCullough

“Anyone who can think clearly can write clearly. But neither is easy.” ~ William Feather

business communication, business writing, editing, editing your writing, wordiness, writing advice, writing more clearly, writing professionalism, writing well

5 Ways to Say More With Less in Your Business Writing

1. Cut the qualifiers – “Very,” “really,” and other qualifiers can bloat your writing. Remove them to say more with less.

2. Watch your adverbs – These words usually end in “-ly.” Use them sparingly, only when you need to make a point. They’re usually a sign you should trim the fat.

Example: “The car rolled down the driveway slowly.”
Revised: “The car crawled down the driveway.”

3. Look at adjectives objectively – Like adverbs, adjectives aren’t always necessary. Often, you don’t need them unless they’re relevant to your subject matter.

Example: “Made of high quality steel, these knives are tough enough to slice tin cans.”
Revised: “Made of quality steel, these knives slice through the toughest tin cans.”

4. Be less specific – Instead of writing a long description or explanation, link to another article on the topic to give readers more info. Also, in your wording, you can move from the specific to the general:

Example: “We looked at three houses on Elm Street and one on Forest Avenue before we made an offer on our current home.”
Revised: “We looked at four houses before we made an offer on our current home.”

5. Think visual – Focus on how best to format blocks of text for easier reading. Especially for items in a series or lists, numbers and bullet points are your best friends. For a practical and attractive way to simplify complex information, try using columns. For a more visual approach, infographics can attract attention to your topic.

Advice from an experienced wordsmith can help you learn how to “weed” your words for better growth as a writer and gain you the right leads.

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What are some of your favorite ways to say more with less? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” ~ Blaise Pascal

“The poem is a form of texting…it’s the original text. It’s a perfecting of a feeling in language — it’s a way of saying more with less, just as texting is.” ~ Carol Ann Duffy

building trust, web copywriting, writing advice, writing better, writing in plain english, writing more clearly, writing professionalism, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Steps to Trustworthy Website Content

1. Double-check – According to the Nielsen Norman Group (NNG), a trustworthy website has error-free copy. “Fuzzy” facts and spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes can make your business or organization look sloppy.

2. Transparency – Upfront disclosure — giving patrons information they need — helps increase the chances of a sale. This can include listing prices and any taxes or shipping fees or a return policy. You don’t need to go into great detail, but offer enough information to satisfy people’s curiosity.

3. Thoroughness – Like the NNG study, a report by Huff Industrial Marketing, KoMarketing, & BuyerZone reveals visitors want more details about a company or organization. Contact, product, or service info, and an “about” page with team bios can help. Research reports, news releases, and client lists or testimonials may also add to your credibility. Show your full range of products or services to appeal to as many people as possible.

4. Go jargon-free – The Huff study also states that website copy should be free of terms that appeal only to others in your industry (unless they’re your target market). It should be clear and easy to understand.

5. Stay up-to-date – Both studies suggest that trustworthy website copy should be current. Old content can make your business or organization look “out of touch,” like you don’t care enough to update it.

What do you think about building trust through your website? Feel free to comment below.

Need to improve your web pages to increase trustworthiness? Contact me.

Quotes

“What we now consider a ‘quality’ website design looks very different from a reputable website of the past, but what influences the perception of quality has not changed and will not change in the future.” – Aurora Harley, Nielsen Norman Group, “Trustworthiness in Web Design: 4 Credibility Factors”

“State what your company offers — and the challenges you solve — in jargon-free language.” ~ Huff Industrial Marketing, KoMarketing, & BuyerZone, “2015 B2B Web Usability Report”

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words, writing advice, writing better, writing more clearly, writing professionalism, writing redundancies, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Ways to Make Your Writing More Interesting

1. Variety – We all tend to repeat certain words. Repetition isn’t always bad, but if you use the same terms often and they seem redundant, try different ones. They can make your writing more interesting.

Example: “John’s Nursery and Greenhouse offers everything for your gardening needs in its new heated greenhouse.”
Revised: “John’s Nursery and Greenhouse offers everything for your gardening needs in its new heated store.”

2. Challenge yourself – Mix things up. Move from general to more descriptive terms, such as “German Shepherd” vs. “dog.” Adding minor details can make your writing less generic and more specific.

3. Cut the glut – If you’ve written several passages with the same meaning or that point to obvious information, remove them.

Example: “My conclusions are at the end.”

4. Rehab your vocab – Open a dictionary and point at a page and read about the word you land on. Do crosswords and other brain teasers. A game of Scrabble on your smartphone or with a partner can be fun. Read classic books such as “It Pays to Increase Your Word Power” and “30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary” to expand your verbal horizons.

5. Use more pronouns – When you refer to a person, place, or a thing more than once, use a pronoun (“him,” “her,” “it,” “them,” etc.).

Example: “George kicked the can down the road. George then hopped on his bike to go to the store.”
Revised: “George kicked the can down the road. He then hopped on his bike to go to the store.”

How do you make your writing more interesting? Feel free to comment below.

Do your newsletters, blog posts, and other content have all the ingredients they need to engage readers? If you need to add some “spice” to keep people coming back for seconds, contact me.

Quotes

“The key is using repetition deliberately, consciously, and strategically. If you don’t think it can be effective, imagine if Shakespeare had had Macbeth say: ‘Tomorrow, and the next day, and the one after that, creeps in this petty pace from one twenty-four-hour period to another.'” ~ Ben Yagoda, “How Not to Write Bad: the Most Common Writing Problems and the Best Ways to Avoid Them.”

“Duplicate, sequential words result from fairly common sentence constructions, and repetition is often recognized as a typo.” ~ Writer’s Relief

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