Complex words are the Cajun spice of business writing.
A little goes a long way.
There are times when complex words are necessary. Scientific writing comes to mind.
And there is nothing wrong with sprinkling a few to avoid blandness.
But, overdo the spice of complex words and you leave your readers frustrated or worse – bored.
Mixing It Up
The right combination of spices elevates the flavor of most dishes.
Your business writing recipe should have the best mix.
- Use short and medium length sentences
- Bend the rules to add creative spice
- Don’t muddle the flavor with complex writing
I like to take recipes and make them my own. Substitute a different ingredient. Add more spice.
The same is true for your business writing.
You start with a good business writing recipe and edit to the taste of your readers.
- Mix up your style for different audiences
- White paper detail is too much for a business blog
Tools of the Trade
The great chefs have a magic touch. Years of experience create a symphony of flavor.
If you’re like me, you need help.
- We have measuring cups and spoons
- Thermometers and timers
- Recipes and cookbooks
There are tools for testing the simplicity of your business writing.
Easy Score
I know I’m competitive. Being a middle child of seven, it comes naturally.
I laugh at myself over the joy I feel with a good Flesch score.
Flesch Reading Ease develops scores based on the following.
- The number of words, syllables, and sentences
- The higher the score, the easier your writing is to read
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade level uses the same measurements and represents U.S. grade levels. So the lower the grade, the better the reading level is in terms of simplicity.
Most word processing software (like Microsoft Word) includes these tools. The image below is the Flesch score for this post (so far).
Online Tools
Are you surprised there are several online tools for measuring readability?
The following is a small sample.
Free Download
I love lists. So, I added a list of Simple Alternatives to Complex Words to my Free Stuff.
Don’t think of the complex words as banned. We would never do that to words.
However, if you over-seasoned your business writing, the list suggests alternatives to your Cajun spice.
How do you keep your business writing simple?
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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.
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I love keeping it simple, Cathy; it means that when you use a more complex word or expression, it has more impact. 🙂
Perfect mix of words, Sharon. I dub you Master Chef. 😉