Harness the power of simplicity to captivate
Harness the power of simplicity to captivate
From ‘meh’ to ‘memorable’, how a weekly LinkedIn habit transformed my writing.
As a lawyer, I’ve had a tendency to use verbose language, double negatives (useful in certain scenarios, like legal agreements) and long sentences with multiple topics.
But if you are communicating using legalese or complicated terms, your message isn’t going to cut through and influence your audience.
These are my 3️⃣ tidbits to 📈 level up your writing technique so what your writing becomes more memorable:
1. Hook 🎣
The first sentence needs to hook the reader. Go back and read my first sentence to this post. I rewrote it a few times to make you curious. The next time you write a cover letter, article or even an email, spend some time crafting the first sentence to captivate the attention of your reader.
2. K.I.S.S 😚
Keep it simple stupid. If you use KISS, your content will have clarity and will persuade the reader. R̶e̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶, You can persuade in one sentence more than what you can do in 10 sentences. Simple means pruning extra words (like eliminating “remember” above).
One action you can take the next time you go to write something is take a few minutes to prune extra words.
3. Active Voice 🗣️
Using the active voice is nearly always better!
“Dad stepped on his son’s Lego.”
is interpreted 💨⏩ faster than:
“The son’s Lego was stepped on by his Dad.”
Both sentences convey the same message, but it’s easier and faster for the brain to understand the first sentence.
Thought Provoking Quotes on this week’s topic
Mark Twain
Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.
Thomas Jefferson
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.
Further resources
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/techniques-for-mastering-simple-writing