Monday, November 16, 2009
Tips on Writing Clearly by Raphael C.
This video gives us an important tip on how to write clearly, which is choosing the right words. Many people think that writing big words and complex sentence structures make you look smarter. As the video shows, this is not true. It is proved that people have a better understanding of what is being read if the words are short and widely known. The expert from the video illustrates the importance of writing clearly by giving examples throughout the presentation. One of them is the short and simple sentence “we need to talk about what I should say when I speak to the board next week” against the long and harder way to transmit the same message “I would like to request time on your calendar so we can have a meaningful discussion about my presentation to leadership at the board of directors meeting next week”. By this comparison, he proves his point of how important it is to choose the words when you writing an email, a business letter or many other kinds. Using big words just makes your message harder to understand, and this is not what a good writer wants. The easier it is to understand what is being communicated, the better the communicator.
References:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2cG1qY30t0
www.ClearAndConciseWriting.com
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I really liked what you said about people using big words when they write to try and sound smart. I run into this a lot when I am reading a paper and I get so confused because they actually used the word in the wrong content. Also, I really liked the video.
ReplyDeleteJamie Z.
I agree with you Jamie. Big words tend to be used in the wrong context. Writing a professionally sound paper mostly requires proper and fluent sentence structure rather than big misused words
ReplyDeleteGood second post. I like how you prioritized word choice when it comes to writing clearly. I think that the voice of this post was lacking. You just summarized what the video said. In the future I recommend using a video, or any other kind of visual, to strengthen your argument rather than build it. I liked how the video that you chose was very thorough in explaining the importance of using smaller words and less complex sentence structure because of how quickly things must be understood in the business world.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny that people think they are smarter because they use these big words. I liked the use of a video on your blog. It is a good way to put the topic into context. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI think you chose a good video from the numerous number of writing tips videos on youtube. Also you clearly showed what the person on the video tried to explain. The point you made here is really clear. Good job.
ReplyDelete