Out and Loud

Almost no exercise will improve your writing more than reading what you write out loud – not just things meant to be spoken such as speeches and scripts, but press releases, letters to the editor, new business proposals, Web site copy, pitch letters, etc. If it can’t pass the read-out-loud test, it fails. Business writing doesn’t mean stiff, uptight, or formal. It doesn’t have to include jargon, lingo, and clichés. Being “conversational” and “serious” aren’t mutually exclusive. You’ll find that if you read what you write out loud you’ll stumble over awkward phrases, ridiculous words (e.g., utilize, proactive, plethora) and, often, grammatical mistakes. (Joan Didion said, “Grammar is a piano I play by ear. All I know about grammar is its power.) And where you stumble, so will your readers. Think about contractions, too. Intuitively we use them when we talk, but when we put words to paper all of a sudden we start writing “they will” or “we are” when “they’ll” and “we’re” would sound more natural and make our copy flow better. In addition, by reading out loud you’ll hear when sentences are meaningless and empty. How many times, after all, have you read a sentence like “We will utilize proprietary methodologies and best practices in order to leverage messaging that breaks through the clutter” and literally not even noticed it? Eyes gloss over (not to mention glaze over) sentences like that. Read it out loud and you’ll notice it, all right, and cringe that you were its author.

Note: Sometimes a great writing tip is right in front of my nose, so speak, and I don’t even realize it. I read a lot of what I write out loud, but never thought to comment on it until a former colleague of mine at Chicago magazine told me she counsels her writing students at Northwestern University to do it. Bingo – this week’s tip.

For those cubicle dwellers who would say, “sure, easy for you to suggest, Mr. I-Have-An-Office-With-A-Door, but I’d sound like a lunatic reading out loud to myself” (think Olivia de Havilland in “The Snake Pit”), I say find an empty office, an unscheduled conference room, or pick up the phone and pretend you’re chatting with your mother. And after you're finished pretending to talk to your mother, call her for real. She misses you.

Comments

[Ken Leebow]

http://literally.barelyfitz.com/

[Dan Santow]

Ken, point taken, thanks. Love your blog.

[Nick]

Great advice! I frequently use this tip to catch those pesky run-on sentences as well.

[Danny Cohn]

I love this tip, but i must comment on your note...if any of the cubicle dwellers know who Olivia de Havilland is, ill buy you lunch…

[Dan Santow]

Danny, I think you underestimate America's cubicle dwellers (I was one until a few years ago and I knew who Olivia de Havilland was - and Ava Gardner, too). Anyhow, since I can always use a free lunch, if any readers/movie buffs out there work in a cubicle AND can identify Olivia de Havilland, please let me know.