Clear Writing

Clarity comes from reducing what the reader has to decode. Short paragraphs, concrete details, active voice, parallel structure.

Short paragraphs

Keep paragraphs to 4 lines maximum. Beyond that the eye loses its place and concentration breaks.

Paragraph runs past 4 lines? Break it into two or cut what isn’t load-bearing.

Concrete over abstract

Use definite, specific language that invokes a mental picture.

Abstract: “Unfavourable weather conditions impacted operations.”

Concrete: “It rained every day for a week, flooding the warehouse twice.”

Concrete details stick. Abstract language slides past.

Precision matches confidence

Level of precision should reflect level of confidence.

“4.3%” implies certainty. Estimating? Use a range like “3-6%”.

False precision destroys trust. Better to admit uncertainty than pretend.

Active voice

Always prefer active over passive.

Passive: “The conference was attended by 100 companies.”

Active: “100 companies attended the conference.”

Active voice is shorter, clearer, easier to read. Passive buries the actor and weakens the sentence.

Parallel construction

In lists or bullets, expressions similar in content must follow the same grammatical pattern.

Not parallel:

• Reduce costs
• Quality improvement
• We should hire faster

Parallel (all verbs):

• Reduce costs
• Improve quality
• Hire faster

Inconsistent structure forces the reader to decode each item differently. Parallel structure creates rhythm.

Simple language

Use the simplest word that conveys the meaning.

“Use” not “utilise”. “Start” not “commence”. “Help” not “facilitate”.

Fancy words make the reader work harder.

Trim wordiness

Cut prepositional phrases and redundant expressions.

Wordy: “Despite the fact that costs increased, we maintained margins.”

Trimmed: “Even though costs increased, we maintained margins.”

Every extra word is friction.

Ambiguity hunting

Pretend to be a hostile reader who deliberately misunderstands every sentence. What could be read two ways?

“I saw a man with binoculars.” Did you use them, or did he have them?

“The committee approved the proposal they had drafted.” Who drafted it — the committee or someone else?

Most ambiguity hides in pronouns (“it”, “they”, “this”) and in sentences trying to do two things at once.

Formatting discipline

Every visual change — heading, bold, list, indent — must mean something.

If readers can’t tell what a change means, it confuses rather than clarifies.

Boldface for key terms? Fine, but be consistent. Bullet points for lists? Fine, but don’t use them as paragraph breaks. Headings for sections? Fine, but they should work as signposts.

Random formatting is worse than none.

How to use this

Look at your last email or memo.

Find paragraphs over 4 lines - break them. Find abstractions like “challenging conditions” - replace with what actually happened. Check lists for parallel structure. Replace fancy words with simple ones.

See also: Vertical Logic for the structure, Slide Mechanics for slide-specific rules.