Ever notice how brief and clear good direct mail letters are?
How direct is your writing?
Blogger Josh Bernoff asked 547 business writers what troubles them about other people's writing. He discovered:
- 65% think others' writing is too long
- 65% think others' writing is poorly organized
- 54% think others' writing is riddled with jargon
- 49% think others' writing is not direct enough
"Now we have proof that brevity, organization, and clarity issues in what you write are frustrating people more than you think," Bernoff says.
Writing shorter—compressing your arguments into tight little packages—can help.
By writing shorter, the organization of your arguments becomes clearer—and your writing more direct.
"Worry about being brief and clear, and the reader will perceive you as direct."
