When you work in a specific field it can be hard to remember how to write to a lay audience. You’re constantly working with technical terms and sometimes lots of "big words." Whether you're working with clients, furthering your education, or attending conferences, jargon is a big part of your life.

Professional words slip into your everyday language. Occasionally, you notice a look of confusion on a family member’s or friend’s face. They have no idea what you’re talking about.

It’s funny when it’s just conversation at a cocktail party. But when it’s your clients or customers, the humor dries up quickly.

You’ve got to make sure that your customers know exactly what you’re saying. When you're creating content, they need to truly understand.

If you’re not using clear language, then you risk having them miss the point. This can be disastrous when your aim is to do good in their world.

So how do you make sure your writing is clear? I’ve put together some tips to help you keep your writing engaging, interesting, and crystal clear. 

 

1. Use everyday language.

Not sure what that is anymore? Think back to the last time you had drinks with a friend. You laughed and felt like you were young again. Take off your overly professional hat and write like you're talking to a friend at a casual event. 

Most Americans read at an 8th-grade reading level and 1-in-5 read at a 5th-grade reading level or less. But don’t “talk down” to your audience. Simply replace all those big words with the much-easier-to-understand variety.

2. Write like you talk.

You know all that essay writing you did for college and training with the perfect grammar and pristine formatting? 

Yeah, throw that all out the window. Boring writing is dead. 

Instead, write like you talk. If that means really short sentences, tame your inner grammar critic…and do it!

You want your writing to feel like your audience is having a personal conversation with you. That’s how you’re going to get them to read the entire thing, all the way to the end. Don’t kill their interest two sentences in by writing like a Victorian novelist.

Just don’t do it.

3. Avoid jargon.

Not sure what’s plain language and what’s jargon anymore? Throw your writing into an app like the Hemingway App and you’ll see immediately what words need to change. 

(By the way, I don’t advocate using the app as a way to write, but it is a great tool when you need to simplify your writing.)

4. If you must use a technical term, always define it.

In fact, you would be smart to create a definitions page on your website just for this purpose. 

Make sure that if you use a “big” word that you think is important to understand, always explain it in clear language. This will be a huge help for customers who feel confused and maybe even worried.

5. Keep it simple.

You really don’t need to tell the entire backstory of how something came about. It’s fun to show off our knowledge, but save it for your presentations and colleague meetings. 

Don’t make your customers feel stupid. Make them feel empowered through your use of words.

If they can immediately understand what you’re saying, they will feel like you value their partnership in the engagement process.

6. Keep the accuracy.

Just because something is simple doesn’t mean that it has to lose its accuracy. Spend time thinking about how to explain something in a way that is 100% correct but also easy to understand. 

7. Focus on core themes and key takeaways.

You might be tempted to over-educate your audience. Resist this feeling. There is a purpose to each piece that you write. Don’t lose that in your ambition to tell the story.

8. Active voice!

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of passive voice. When you’re done writing, throw the piece into the Hemingway App to catch all those passive phrases. Then rework them to make them active. Your audience will feel more engaged if you do this.

9. Short sentences rule.

You know how in business we looooove those long sentences full of commas, semicolons, and many clauses? 

No. Just no.

Short and sweet will get your audience to read the whole piece. Repeat after me: never use long sentences.

10. Use contractions.

Want to avoid sounding robotic? Use contractions. It’s been awhile, I know. You’ll feel like you’re back in middle school passing notes to your friends.

And, really, that’s why you should do it. It will make your writing feel conversational, fun, and approachable. That’s the point, right?

11. Keep it positive.

Navigating the certain service industries can be overwhelming and scary, especially for many of your clients.

Try to keep your words in as positive of a light as possible. Don’t make light of a hard situation. But try to always spin your words to a hopeful place.

12. Use lots of examples.

If you’re explaining how something works, give an example of a real-life situation. Provide analogies and conversational comparisons that help clarify a hard concept. Never assume that your explanation is enough. 

Illustrate your examples if it will help! Just avoid that textbook tone and look. Educate, don’t put them to sleep.

13. Read it out loud.

Once your piece is complete, read the whole thing out loud. 

• Does it sound like you’re talking to a friend or does it sound like that droning high school biology teacher that always put you to sleep?

• Do your sentences ramble on or are they easy to understand?

• How can you make it sound better?

Read it out loud at least three more times. You’ll catch things to fix each time. 

14. Ask someone outside your field to read it.

Make your best friend (who works in a different field) your final writing filter. Ask him or her to check out what you've written and then point out any confusing parts. 

Then fix and re-write. Publish when you’re sure that it’s truly clear.

Keep Practicing

If you’ve been writing in an academic or stiff business style for years, this won’t come easy. You’ll need to practice and then practice some more. Get some writing out there and see how it does.

Get feedback from your audience. Do they think it’s boring or unclear? Ask them what would make it better. They’ll be your best teachers in writing clearly.

And don’t give up! Get help when you need it. But keep trying. Eventually, you’ll be the business with a reputation for being kind and approachable!