The Secret Sauce
- 4 main ingredients
- Simplicity- unnecessary complications, words are removed- punchy writing
- Clarity- sharp; to the point; meaning is easily understood by the reader
- Elegance- order and flow in the content
- Evocativeness- engaging and captivating content
The Power of Simplicity
- Fancy words may make you sound boring or pretentious
- Remove the unnecessary, fancy words from your writing
- Simplicity of content in three ways
- Use familiar language
- Use fewer words- remove extra words- sentences become more punchy and powerful
- Uncomplicate the idea
- Example: the meeting will recommence in thirty minutes, once participants have finalized their consumption of hot beverages.
- Ans: The meeting will restart after a half-hour tea break
The Power of Clarity
- Unclear writing restricts user from coming to your page/site/content
- Clarity of content in 4 ways
- Do not use curly sentences- unclear explanation of an idea
- Avoid jargon words- e.g. value added solutions, stakeholders- they do not carry the meaning to the reader- reader does not connect easily
- Do not be ambiguous e.g. if your dog does a poo, put it in the bin- not clear what to put in the bin- the dog or the poo?
- Use proper punctuations
The Power of Elegance
- Give rhythm to your sentences- they should feel as something melodious; they should connect well and should not sound to monotonous- shorten longer sentences
- Make ideas flow well
The Power of Evocativeness
- Use stimulating/ interesting words- create emotions, and imaginations for readers
- Use active sentences more