Clear writing boils down complex information into a comprehensible format. It is the art of omission, scraping off superfluous slag and conveying the core message both clearly and compellingly.
Clear writing can be very scary. It opens the gates for attack with no opaque language to hide behind for the author. But done well, clear writing can also deftly disarm the harshest critics. Most importantly, clear writing can win over audiences that would otherwise remain out of reach.
All people who are good at clear writing have one encouraging thing in common: they have learnt it. Clear writing is an acquired talent, not an inherited treat.
Make no mistake: clear writing is not the same as simple writing. Weighing words takes time. It can be hard work to find new ways of saying things to propel ideas beyond the colleagues and peers who probably know your message already. But it is greatly rewarding, both personally and professionally.
You are the person with the idea. Typically, you will also be the person who knocks the idea around with colleagues and counterparts, testing it and trying it.
When you’re done, this guide will help you to commit the results to paper in a way that makes them accessible to everyone you want to reach out to.
