Writing won’t get you far if you don’t have readers, and people aren’t inclined to read documents that frustrate or confuse them. That’s where precise writing for your reader is important. So, conveying your meaning so that it’s reader-friendly is just as important as ensuring that your writing is error-free.
When writing for readers with different concerns or fields of expertise, knowing what your readers will or won’t understand can be difficult. But if you follow these tips for precise writing, you can create works that work.
Write sentences of the appropriate length
Ensure that you reserve longer sentences for details and shorter sentences for more important information. Readability studies tell us that readers are more likely to read shorter, rather than longer, sentences, which is why they should be reserved for more important ideas.
Be concise
Deliver the information your readers need in a clear and uncluttered fashion. Long, beautiful passages and extra details may be of interest to those who read for fun, but when you’re writing for a reader you want to inform or persuade, make sure every word supports that.
Use lay terms
If your reader is unlikely to understand a term used in your industry or specialty, avoid it. If you need to include the term, define it. These include terms that often can’t be interpreted from context, but are important to understanding a document. If your readers don’t understand the term, they face a barrier in terms of understanding your writing.
Regardless of whether you write scientific, technical, or business documents, you can’t go wrong by making your work as reader-friendly as possible. To learn more tips for precise writing, contact Hurley Write, Inc.
