Reading completes a person; speech trains them for the job; writing teaches accurate expression.
If you want people to read what you have written, your writing should be simple, clear and concise.
It should be easy to read and understand and relevant to your audience.
If you don’t understand your reader, the reader will never understand you.
Be brief and to the point. Time is limited. There are too many messages to be read these days.
A handful of tips on how to get your writing read
*Use headings that catch your readers attention
Arouse their interest to get them to keep on reading. Choose your headings carefully.
Is your message relevant to what they want to know?
Use words and language familiar to them.
As you write, pretend you are talking to them.
Will they gain something from reading what you have written? Try to tell them something new.
*Plan interesting and logical memos
Draft an outline and put your main points in a logical order.
Rearrange until you are happy with the sequence.
When finished relook at the introduction. It ‘s like fishing. You must bait your article to catch people so they want to read more.
Summarise your writing and finish with a memorable conclusion making all recommendations clear.
*Write crisply
The shorter your words and sentences, the easier they are to read and heed.
Use strong positive words and active verbs.
Make your writing lively.
Chat to your readers and share your emotions and feelings with them.
*Make your message look interesting
Break up large blocks of text. Leave plenty of white space.
Use different fonts and plenty of headings and sub-headings to make it look interesting.
*Edit, edit, edit!
Edit ruthlessly. Remove all unnecessary words, phrases, jargon and clichés.
Make your meaning clear with no ambiguous statements.
Explain unfamiliar terms.
Check and recheck spelling, grammar and punctuations.
Read your writing aloud until it sounds right. Write to express NOT to impress.
-Geoffrey Moss (mossassociates.co.nz)
” Write right, to be read.”
SOURCE: “Persuasive Ways” published by Moss Associates Ltd, New Zealand and in Chinese by Shanghai People’s Publishing House and as “Secrets of Persuasion” by Cengage Learning Asia and in Hungarian by Bagolyvar Kft. Also available as an e-book from Amazon.com.
Another Handful of Tips 