To celebrate the beginning of 2017, here are 17 random and sometimes whimsical tips to help you produce clear, effective written communications.
- Use periods. Short sentences are easier to read than long sentences.
- Pretend you have to pay by the word. The less you write, the more likely it is that people will read and understand what you have to say.
- Shorten lists. You can shorten “love, peace, and harmony” to “love and peace” or “love and harmony” with no loss. In most contexts, in fact, you’d probably be fine with just “love.”
- Save “and/or” for legal documents. Nearly always, what you mean is either “and” or “or,” not both.
- For that matter, suspect every slash. The trend is to use slashes to mean “and” or “or” (training/professional development) or to replace hyphens (actually, technically, en-dashes, as in “the liberal/conservative divide”).
- Flout a shibboleth. Go ahead, split an infinitive. You have the right to boldly go where many have gone before.
- Learn the origin of “shibboleth.” It’s from the Hebrew Bible.
- Learn at least four synonyms for “good.” (You might want to skip “rad,” though.)
- Ask questions. Who will read this? Why? What do we want them to know, believe, or do? Why is this comma here?
- Take a break. When the words won’t flow, staring at the screen is the least effective thing you can do. Try one of these 10 ways to get unstuck.
- Capitalize only proper nouns, not Everything That Might Be Important.
- Play “find the verb.” Verbs are often hiding behind the combination of a be-verb and a noun. Instead of “Marianne was the facilitator,” write “Marianne facilitated.”
- Get some exercise. Physical exercise is good for your brain. Sharp brains (if well trained) produce sharp writing.
- Launch (revive, reinvent) your email newsletter. Just a year ago, the Harvard Business Review heralded “The Triumphant Return of the Email Newsletter.” (Next month I’ll go into detail.)
- Add headings. Headings help readers navigate and understand your text. Virtually anything longer than a page (250-300 words) – and many shorter pieces too – can benefit from subheadings.
- Home in on correct word use. “Hone” means “sharpen.” I’ve complained about this pet peeve before, but I’m tired of clients “correcting” my “home” to “hone.”
- Watch less, read more. The best way to hone your writing is to read books and articles by people who love language. One of my current favorites is Michael Chabon. Whom would you recommend?
As I said, the list is random. What tips would you add?