The ideal average length of a sentence is around 20 words. You have probably noticed that business writers often exceed this. (You can measure your average sentence length using MS Word’s readability statistics function, which is accessed through the Review/Editing tab.) A client recently showed me a writing sample with an average sentence length of […]
How to Shorten a long sentence Read More »
We’ve all been on the receiving end of emails that make us feel condescended to or disrespected, and it’s never a pleasant experience. What’s unfortunate is that the writers of such emails may not have intended any harm. They might have thought they were being direct and straightforward, or perhaps they were in a hurry and didn’t consider the impact of their words and punctuation choices. They might have even thought they were being respectful.
To prevent being the source of someone else’s online suffering, we must be careful with our language choices. Writing messages with a demeaning or passive-aggressive subtext is counterproductive to achieving success.
To retain the goodwill of your readers, steer clear of these phrases:
Want to Gain Respect? Write Respectfully Read More »
Emotionally intelligent people know that to reach their readers in a positive and useful manner, they need to be both brief and concise, to take the minimum time from the reader while conveying the full flavor of their message.
Follow these three tips to be truly concise.
Emotionally Intelligent People Know the Difference Between ‘Brief’ and ‘Concise’ Read More »
We all learned in school that every sentence requires a subject (usually a noun) telling who or what the sentence is about and a predicate (usually a verb) telling what the subject is or does. But does that tell the whole story? Are these Sentences? Take, for example, these words: Although the dance started late There is
What is a Sentence? Read More »
Interruptions plague today’s business readers more than ever before. Between notifications, emails, text messages, voicemails, and physical interruptions, most people find it challenging to sit down and read through a written message. Research indicates that our brains carom off in another direction about every 44 to 50 seconds when we are engaged with a screen.
Yet as business writers, we want our readers to read through our messages and comprehend them. An important project may depend on everyone reading a report. A major sale may hinge on the prospect reading our proposal.
To defeat digital distraction, we need to understand it and work around it when we write.
5 Ways to Cut Through the Noise and Write to Distracted Readers Read More »
