Page 44 - Today’s Business Communication; A How-to Guide for the Modern Professional

WhY MUST I PUT MY AUDIENCE FIRST? 33

Use Simple, Concrete Words
As writers, we want to avoid losing control over how our messages are
interpreted. Clarity is essential (not absolutely essential). To be clear, we
need to use words that our readers will understand and define those words
that may be ambiguous, or subject to multiple interpretations. According
to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average adult in the
United States reads at a level somewhere between the 8th and 9th grade
levels. When in doubt about word usage, ask yourself what an 8th grade
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student would understand.
The 1990s one-hit wonder Haddaway asked: “What is love?” In busi-
ness writing, it’s the type of word we want to avoid, not because we’re
heartless, but because love is abstract. Abstract words have no direct
connection to our five senses and are open to multiple interpretations. We
want to replace abstract words in our messages when we can do so with-
out “dumbing down” the message. Using concrete words is one way that
we can be clearer. Concrete words speak to the five senses. For instance,
10 miles per hour is more concrete than fast. Fast is abstract because it is a
relative term that can mean different things to different people.
Here’s another example. When we advise clients about writing cover
letters, we tell them to get rid of statements like, “Please contact me for an
interview at your earliest convenience.” Not only does a sentence like that
show a lack of assertiveness, it also lacks clarity. Instead, we advise them
to write things like “I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss my
qualifications in an interview. I will follow up with your office on June 15
to make sure that you have received my materials. Perhaps we can make
arrangements for an interview at that time.”

Use Active Voice Sentences

You can write sentences that are either active or passive. Readers find
active voice sentences to be clearer than passive voice sentences. Active
voice sentences follow the actor–action pattern, in which the actor is
identified early in the sentence and the action performed by the actor
appears later in the sentence. Active voice sentences identify who or what
the actor is and does. By contrast, passive voice sentences tend to obscure
the actor’s identity and are, therefore, considered to be more ambiguous