It is not enough to write so that you can be understood; you must write so clearly that you cannot be misunderstood. Ralph Waldo Emerson
If the readers are unable to understand what you have written, then there’s no point in writing something at all. Innovative ideas are rendered insignificant when they are not expressed clearly. If you want to effectively communicate your ideas to your readers, your writing must have clarity. The more precise and concise your writing is, the clearer it will be. You need to know exactly what you want to communicate and to whom, and choose relevant information to convey your thoughts. A few tips to help you out are as follows:
First decide your target readers. Then, plan out what exactly they require to know. Give them what they want: nothing less, nothing more. Â In that way, you can get rid of unnecessary data that affect the clarity of your writing.
Decide what approach you need to adopt for writing (formal, informal, academic, dramatic, casual, etc.). You should not use mixed approaches/styles, which will add to the confusion of the reader.
Do not deviate from the main subject matter. A totally different and unrelated subject will make your writing useless.
Break-up long sentences if they contain more than one piece of information. Sentences that contain one piece of information are easier to grasp in one reading.
Do not use unnecessary jargons. It might make your writing appear brilliant; but, your readers cannot understand even a bit of it. Write in simple English, which everyone can understand.
Use proper headings and number/bullet lists wherever needed. It will help the reader to easily understand what the topic or section is about.
Ensure that your writing is grammatically intact. Check spellings, punctuation, etc. Then ask someone to go through it once.
