At times, many of us have found the need to take something complex and put it into writing, whether the content is for use in the workplace, our personal lives, or for a publication. How can you make something complex easier for a reader to understand? Here are some ways to break it down:
- Consider the overall content you need to share and organize it into smaller, easily digestible chunks of information.
- Those chunks of information could be more easily identified through subheads, or brief one- to four-word labels for that section (e.g., the word “ingredients” in a recipe). Often, subheads are in bold, CAPS, or another style that sets them apart from the overall text.
- Where appropriate, use a numbered list (like this one!) or bullet points to help separate out steps, a list, or different points you want to make.
- Be detailed and specific. Focus on the most important information and use examples and/or analogies where appropriate to further explain your topic.
- Keep your paragraphs short, addressing one topic or point per paragraph.
- Condense sentences, keeping them at about twenty words or less for easier comprehension. It helps if you reword to use fewer prepositions and remove superfluous words like "very," "even," and "just."
- Explain any terminology or acronyms your reader may not be familiar with, especially ones that may mean something different in a certain field than they do to the general public.
- Dense pages of writing can overwhelm your reader. Add an extra space between sections of longer text or before subheads. This white space will signal to your reader that you’re switching topics or sections and also give them a quick break.
- Don’t forget the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” When you have that option, use a picture, graph, or other visuals to further illustrate your meaning.
Jennifer Mattox is the Executive Director of the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning and a professional writer. The Carnegie Center, 251 W. Second St., is a nonprofit educational center offering seasonal writing, publishing, and language classes, among other community programming. For more information, visit CarnegieCenterLex.org.