NEW WORKSHOPS ADDED

PHIL SIMON

THE WORLD’S LEADING INDEPENDENT WORKPLACE COLLABORATION & TECH EXPERT

Is Your Writing Understandable?

Today choice abounds. No one reads your content out of obligation.
Apr | 10 | 2013

Apr | 10 | 2013
}

I didn’t know what I wanted to study in college. When forced to declare a major in my sophomore year, I ambivalently chose English.

I remember taking several English theory classes. Some of the texts that I had to read were beyond intimidating, confusing, and incomprehensible. Long, drawn-out sentences with more 50-cent words than this 19-year-old student could count. When my professors asked me to write in a similarly opaque style, I had to ask my older friends for help. I once turned in a short essay that pleased one teacher so much that she read part of it aloud to the class. Rather than feeling pride, I couldn’t help but be embarrassed. I didn’t know what I had “written.”

Back then, I had very little choice about what I had to read. Well, almost. I ultimately switched majors later that year.

The Content Deluge

The point is that students represent just about the only group forced to read certain material. Professionals have a great deal of choice about what they want to read. I am not compelled to read anything. In all likelihood, neither are you.

Make your words understandable or risk irrelevance.

What’s more, choice abounds. Over the past two decades, we’ve seen deluge of content on just about every topic. Pick a niche subject like “Big Data in healthcare” and your search results will quickly bombard you.

I think about these things quite a bit. Even if you fancy yourself a good writer (and I certainly do), it’s very tough to build a tribe. Often I’ll peruse a business book replete with jargon and wonder, “What was the author thinking?”

Simon Says

Now, I’m not the final arbiter on jargon. Plenty of people speak and probably think in terms of buzzwords. Still, as a voracious reader, I wonder if many speakers and authors realize this: Just about nobody is required to read your work.

My advice to current and aspiring writers: Make your words understandable or risk irrelevance.

Feedback


Originally published on Huffington Post.

Go Deeper

Department Names Don’t Matter. Just Help Me.

n one of my favorite bits of his, the legendary George Carlin rants about jargon and soft language. It's worth watching if you've never seen it. I was thinking about his words last week in the context of my resurgent Mac issues. After last week's...

Appearance on Turn the Lens

Jeff Frick recently had me on his show Turn the Lens to talk about The Nine. It's among my favorite talks and podcasts about the new book. Enjoy.

Looking for My Next Ghostwriting Project

Last summer, I began ghostwriting a book for one of my existing clients. Our process evolved over time, as did our ideas about the text. A few months ago, we finally completed the manuscript. My client was and is ecstatic with the end product. As it turns out, my...

On AI, Priorities, and Product Development

Introduction One of the chief benefits of Agile software development methods is flexibility. Compared to the Waterfall method, Scrum and its ilk allow teams to respond quickly when the world changes. Like it did on November 30, 2022—the day ChatGPT dropped. Within a...

Receive my musings, news, and rants in your inbox as soon as they publish.

 

Blog E Communication E Is Your Writing Understandable?

 

Blog E Communication E Is Your Writing Understandable?

Next & Previous Posts

0 Comments