Top 10 Clear
Writing Tips

1. Before you start to write, ask yourself why you are writing this document. What do you want the reader to do? Now ask yourself what you know about your audience and their reading habits. How well do they read? How will they use this document?
2. Organize information in a way that is logical from your reader’s point of view. For instance, if you are explaining how to do something, write in logical, numbered steps.
3. Use lots of headings and sub-headings to break up paragraphs. Pack each short heading with as much information as you can about what’s coming up in that part of the text.
4. Put information into bulleted lists. Use bullets to list items, or to break up a long sentence with many dependant clauses. Don’t overuse bullets, though, or they will lose their impact. And your page will look like you took a shotgun to it.
5. Speak directly to your readers. Whenever you can, address them in the second person, as ‘you’. Try to write the way you would speak to someone.
6. Use strong, active verbs. Instead of “The decision of the committee was …” write, “The committee decided.” Instead of “The Report of the Commissioner was reviewed by the task force,” write: The task force reviewed the Commissioner’s report.”
7. Explain specialized language for readers who do not have your expertise. Avoid any unnecessary jargon.
8. Keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Introduce only one new idea in each sentence. Start a new paragraph for each topic. Instead of writing a transitional sentence, write a subheading that helps the reader to scan.
9. Don’t let the design get in the way of the message. Keep in mind who your readers are and how the material will be presented. Choose a type size and style that is easy to read. Use colour and graphics to help tell the story – not just for decoration.
10. Test your document. Ask a colleague for feedback. Use a readability tool to check the reading level. Test it with a focus group to find out how well they understand the message. The way you gather feedback will depend on the document. But one thing’s for sure: feedback helps!