Writing to Reach Your Readers A Widening Access Workshop Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple.

 Writing to Reach Your Readers

A Widening Access Workshop  

‘Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple’

Clear writing begins with clear questions

• Who are your readers?• What do they need to know?• What is the simplest way to inform them?

Why is clear writing important?

• 4 in 10 Canadians don’t have adequate literacy skills • Around 700,000 adults in Alberta have some

difficulty with reading • Over 20% of adults in Canada have serious difficulty

with reading

• Another 20% of the adult population can read but not well

International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey 2003

“Hard to read documents are as much of a barrier to people with limited literacy as are steps for people who use wheelchairs”

Janet Pringle

Alberta literacy tutor

Exploring Readability

What are the benefits of clear writing? 

• Encourages clients to read your documents• Makes documents more accessible• Improves response to requests• Reduces miscommunication• Encourages participation• Helps clients feel included

How do I produce a clear written message?

Consider the following five ‘readability’ points:

1. Overall appearance - layout and design

2. Organization of material3. Use of language 4. Sentence length and structure5. Tone – How you speak to your reader

Check the readability levels of your documents on MS Word

Turn on the following in MS Word: • Spelling checker • Thesaurus• Grammar checker • Readability levels • Style checker

Check the readability levels of your documents on MS Word

Check your document text for:• Sentence length• Passive sentences • Readability level• Grade Level• Unfamiliar words and jargon

Aim for the following checker results

Sentence length: Max 20 words per sentence

Passive sentences: Avoid if possible, max 0% - 5%

Flesch reading ease: Min 60%, aim for 75% plus

Flesch/Kincaid level: Grade 7.00 (average reader)Grade 4.00 – 5.00 (ESL reader)

Determining reading levels

Beginner example

I do not drive to work. I take the bus. I save money this way. I do not have to pay for gas. I do not have to pay for parking. I save money on gas. I save money on parking.

Beginner analysis

Short simple, repetitive sentences of 4-8 wordsShort simple words mainly of one syllable. (Flesch/Kincaid grade level 0.3)

Determining reading levels 

 Intermediate example

I don’t drive my car to work. I take the bus instead. This saves me money because I don’t need to pay for gas or parking. Parking is very high – $5.00 a day. That would be $25.00 a week!

Intermediate analysis  

Short but more fluid sentences of 6–12 words Short, simple words mainly of one or two syllables (Flesch/Kincaid grade level 2.2)

Determining reading levels 

More advanced example

I could drive to work, but I decided to take the bus in order to save money. When I include the costs of parking, gas and maintenance, I figure I must be saving around $1000.00 a year.

More advanced analysis

Conversational sentences of 10 – 20 words Conversational but not sophisticated words of one to three syllables. (Flesch/Kincaid grade level 7.7)

Steps to increase readability

•Keep your readers in mind•Express ideas concisely and clearly•Write short simple sentences•Break text into short paragraphs •Keep each paragraph to one subject•Use common words and simple direct phrases

Steps to increase readability

•Use one or two syllable words•Avoid jargon and English idioms•Use active voice wherever possible•Use inclusive tone•Use question and answer format where appropriate

Elements of readability

• Sentence length and structure

3 key elements:

• Word choice – simple and jargon free• Active voice – avoid passive sentences

Sentence length and structureSentence length and structure

Let your sentences make sense on first reading:

•Use subject, verb, object construction where possible•Use active verbs• Avoid passive voice• Avoid long sentences (over 20 words).• Keep your sentences to one idea• Avoid unnecessary jargon• Use inclusive tone

Sentence length countsSentence length counts

Relating to the Fall 2004 Convocation, this letter from the Office of the Registrar should be used to gain one hour’s free parking in either the Education or Stockton car parks in order to allow graduates to collect their convocation packages and academic apparel any day or evening during the next week in preparation for the ceremony which will be held on Saturday 14 November. Reading Ease  0.0Grade level  30.9 The Fall 2004 Convocation is on Saturday 14 November. Please collect your graduation packages and academic gowns any day or evening this week. This letter gives you one hour’s free parking at either the Education or Stockton car parks.  Reading Ease 46.1Grade level 10.0

Word choiceWord choice

Use simple everyday words:

•Write as if some one is asking you what you mean•Use a thesaurus to find simple alternative words • Avoid jargon phrases and acronyms•Cut out unnecessary words

Instead of:

accomplishascertaindisseminateendeavor expeditefacilitateformulatein lieu of localityoptimumstrategizeutilize

Simple words make senseSimple words make sense

Use:

dofind outsend out, distributetryhasten, speed upmake easier, helpwork out, devise, forminstead ofplacebest, greatest, mostplanuse

Instead of:

with regard toby means ofin the event that until such timeduring such timein respect ofin view of the facton the part ofsubsequent tounder the provisions ofwith a view toit would appear thatit is probable thatnotwithstanding the fact that

Cut out unnecessary wordsCut out unnecessary words

Use:

aboutbyifuntilwhileforbecausebyafterundertoapparentlyprobablyalthough

Active VoiceActive Voice

Use the active form of a verb instead of the passive

“We decided” instead of “It has been decided”

“The committee agreed on a new procedure” instead of “A new procedure was agreed upon by the committee”

Passive sentences have two basic features, although both may not appear in every passive sentence: a)  A past participle (generally a verb ending ‘ed’)b) A form of the verb ‘to be’ e.g., ‘Mistakes must be rectified before new proposals may be considered’

Change passive to activeChange passive to active

In passive voice, the subject is either missing or is being acted upon, e.g.

a.High failure rates have been recorded in exams this year.b.The exam was failed by one third of the students.

In active voice, it is clear ‘who’ or ‘what’ is performing an action, e.g. One third of the students failed the exam.

Change passive to activeChange passive to active

Writing examples

Unnecessary interruptions to classroom activities It has come to our attention that many children are not always clear about how they will be getting home at the end of each day. We would therefore be grateful if you would please ensure that in the mornings before your child leaves for school they know what their plans are for the end of the day. This includes: are they traveling on the bus, are they being picked up, and if so who is picking them up, or are they perhaps walking home? Although it is recognized in the school office that there may be emergencies which arise from time to time requiring changes to normal itineraries, if children know their plans in advance then interruptions are not required to be made to regular classroom instruction time in order to pass on messages. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Words 148Words per sentence: 28.6Passive voice: 20%Flesch readability: 61.8Flesch/Kincaid grade level: 11.7

Clear writing versionDo your children know how they will get home after school? Before your children leave for school each morning, please make sure they know how they will get home. Ask them these questions: Do you know how you will get home today? Who will pick you up?Will you travel by bus? Will you walk home today?Will you be picked up? If children know their plans in advance, then we do not need to interrupt classroom activities to pass on last minute messages. If there is change of plans due to an emergency, please contact the office and we will pass on the message to your child. Thank you for your help with this.

Words 116Words per sentence: 11.1Passive sentences: 0%Flesch readability: 91.9Flesch/Kincaid grade level: 3.1

What changed?

Clear writing changes made: •Tone changed from “telling off” to a positive call to action•Main idea highlighted at the beginning•Questions formatted as bullet points•Unnecessary phrases and excess words deleted•Consistent and common vocabulary - dropped “itinerary”•Sentences shortened and simple sentence structure used where possible•Passive sentences changed to active voice

What changed?

Clear writing changes made:

Examples of changes from passive to active voice:   “it is recognized in the school office that there may be emergencies” changed to “If there is a change of plans due to an emergency”

“interruptions are not required to be made” changed to “we do not need to interrupt”

Clear writing exercises (1)Changing jargon to clear and simple language

Jargon  Clear writing expression

Prioritized evaluative procedures have been established based upon acceptable performance criteria to map progress

We will evaluate our progress at the end of the year

Utilise input from varied sources

Implementing effective new strategies to optimize performance

Clear writing exercises (2)Changing passive to active voice

Passive Voice  Active voice

Mistakes have been made which require immediate rectification

We have made mistakes that need correcting

Arrangements are being considered with regard to providing onsite supervision for young children.

Action on the car parking problem has been delegated to the parent- teacher sub-committee.

Clear writing exercises (3)

Workshop CD Exercises using MS Word

•Open “Clear Writing Exercises” file.•Choose one or more writing extracts.•Use clear writing principles to rewrite the extract.•Use MS Word readability tool to check results.•Aim for the following results:

Words per sentence: Max of 20 Passive voice: 0% Flesch readability: 60 + Flesch/Kincaid Grade Level: 5.0 – 8.0

Layout and design principles

• Organize information in a logical straightforward format• Focus on what readers need to know• Make it easy for the reader to find important information• Provide a formal table of contents for long documents• Place your main ideas near the beginning• Respond to predictable reader questions

Some key points to remember:

Layout and design principles

• Keep your information short and to the point • Avoid giving too much or irrelevant information

• Most readers look at graphics and headlines first• They are unlikely to read from page to page unless there is good reason

Some key points to remember:

Things to incorporate and things to avoid 

Justifying text It is important to justify text to the left and have ragged right-hand margins. It makes the text much easier to read.

Text that is justified to the right is more difficult to

read.

We may think that it looks tidier to have both sides of the text justified, but in fact it makes text more difficult to read because the spacing varies between words. It also sometimes leads to hyphenated words.

Things to incorporate and things to avoid  

Emphasis

PUTTING EVERYTHING IN CAPITAL LETTERS IS NOT A GOOD TECHNIQUE FOR EMPHASISING INFORMATION. ALTHOUGH IT MAY DRAW THE READER'S ATTENTION TO THE SECTION, IT MAKES IT HARDER TO READ.

Similarly, underlining will draw the reader's attention, but it makes it hard on the eyes.

In both cases, it is better to use bold and/or italics but only for important issues or words that need emphasizing.

Things to incorporate and things to avoid

Fonts

Choose a solid, plain typeface that is easy to read. Don't combine more than three different typefaces on the same page because it will give a busy, confusing appearance.

Similarly, underlining will draw the reader's attention, but it makes it hard on the eyes.

A sans serif typeface is good for titles because it draws your eye down into the body of the text. Some examples of sans-serif fonts are Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Tahoma.

Things to incorporate and things to avoid

Informative headings Which heading gives a better sense of what the article is about and the action needed?

Sustainability Review 

We Need Your Help to Keep our School Open

Vertical lists 

Vertical lists highlight information in a visually clear way.

They help readers focus on important material by:

highlighting order of importance listing the sequence of events identifying all the steps in a process providing information in an easy to read format adding white space

Paper and Ink Colour

Use dark ink on light paper.

Avoid low contrast like yellow ink on white or black on dark paper.

Use dark ink (blue or black) on light paper (white or cream).

Avoid large passages of light print on a black background.

Avoidgreen on redat Christmas time Avoid yellow

or pale orange on white

Using Graphics

• Use graphics with caution

Using Graphics

• Make sure that they mean the same thing to your reader as they do to you

• Check with some of your readers if they think the graphics and illustrations are appropriate

• Don't use too many graphics

Using Graphics

• Place all graphics and illustrations as close as possible to the text they refer to

Using Graphics

• Place them on the page in a way that does not interrupt normal reading patterns

• Make sure all graphics and illustrations are clear and the captions are easy to read

• Be wary of using charts to explain information. People with poor math skills can find charts hard to understand

Although word art might look good, it can be difficult to read. Use it sparingly.         

Clear Writing checklist

When your draft document is ready, use the ‘Clear Writing Checklist for Printed Materials’ to check its readability status.

Provide a draft copy to a range of staff members, clients, customers and program participants to get there responses.

More clear writing resources

Books:

On Writing Well, William Zinsser (30th ed, Collins, 2006)Sin and Syntax, Constance Hale (Broadway Books, 1999)Get to the Point, Rose Grotsky (Praxis Adult Skills Development, 1994) Websites:

www.plainlanguagenetwork.orghttp://www.plainlanguagenetwork.org/plaintrain/www.on.literacy.ca/pubs/clear/clearite.pdfwww.eastendliteracy.on.ca/clearlanguageanddesign/www.nwt.literacy.ca/plainlng/resourc.htmwww.plainlanguage.gov