The copy may already be written in English, but the language barrier between developers and people who actually use the stuff can be impenetrable nonetheless. When your people don’t understand one another, or when your audience doesn’t understand you, you’ve got a problem. The aggrieved reader will abandon that content like it was a Not-Safe-For-Work video while the boss is looking.

Let’s connect the dots of the potential consequences:  fewer views and visitors, fewer sales, and maybe even having to shut down your entire operation! OK, maybe that’s taking things to their extreme conclusion, but the fact is, people have an overabundance of choices today. If the message is too hard to digest, they tune out! This post is about how to avoid that, and how to create readers who are engaged, educated, and maybe even enchanted by your content.

In this post, we’ll first analyze the problem: what makes for overly complex material? Why does Harry Potter practically read itself when you pick it up (hint, it isn’t magic), while some reports from your colleagues make you want to slit your wrists?

Second, I’ll share with you a framework I created to tame savagely sophisticated topics. You can use it as a checklist any time you must write or edit a piece and want to make sure your intended audience “gets” it.

Part 1 – What Makes a Piece of Writing (or Other Content) Complex?

We all know what impenetrable prose looks like when we read it. But have you ever stopped to think about the elements that make that message difficult to absorb? Communication expert Martin Eppler identifies four main characteristics of a muddled message:

1. A high number of elements or items

2. Lots of relationships among the items

3. Many changes happening within those relationships among the items

4. No high-level, “big picture” summary of the relationships

In other words, it makes a person throw up his or her hands and say, “there’s too much going on here!”

I’d add even a few more culprits to the list, based on spending copious amounts of time with documents written by IT folks, engineers, chemists, and other folks whose primary job is making things, not necessarily making clear ideas. Some of these other crimes against comprehensibility:

• Writing or speaking in passive voice (obscures who is doing the action – desirable in a few cases, but usually not)
• Packing-it-all-into-one-sentence syndrome. (Periods don’t cost you anything. Use them liberally so that you have just one idea per sentence, two, maximum. That makes it easier to read.)
• Leading with geeky “ain’t it cool” features rather than the direct benefits to readers, investors, society, etc.
• Buried Lead, Hidden News Syndrome. This is when people conceal the most important stuff deep within the document, where it’s hard to find.

Part 2 – How Can You Fix Overly Complex Writing (a.k.a. “Geekspeak”)

You can find more than a few decent frameworks for whipping unruly, overly complicated writing into shape. I like to use this little template of my own creation to help make S.E.N.S.E. of the tough stuff:

Make S.E.N.S.E. of Complex Writing

Structure – Organization is half the battle when it comes to writing clearly. Creating an obvious overview section in the beginning, a logical progression of information in the middle, and a tie-it-all together summary at the end are crucial in writing medium-length to long items (think reports, guidebooks, strategic plans, feature articles, and the like).

Expand gradually – When writing about a complex topic, always start at a basic overview level. Zoom in to more granular sub-topics as the audience has a chance to comprehend the core principles.

Navigate with cues to readers – In written text, especially online, it’s often difficult to tell where you are in a document, both physically and conceptually. So give your readers a big “You Are HERE” sign by telling them! You might write something like:

 “First, we’ll take a look at (Aspect 1); then, we’ll examine how Aspect 1 has influenced Aspect 2 in some surprising ways; finally, you’ll see how you can integrate those aspects into your work to become more efficient, more productive, and more raiseworthy!”

You can also use devices such as bullets and subheadings to break up visual monotony and aid in message reinforcement.

Simplify – Phrase everything as simply and concisely as practicable, but no more. There is such a thing as oversimplification. That happens when a writer or editor removes information to the point that what remains is inaccurate, out of context, or potentially misleading.

Engage that particular audience – “Clear and simple” doesn’t have to mean “Dick and Jane” simplistic. Technically inclined audiences do enjoy the sophistication and precision of their own jargon. But even they will get much more out of a reading if it’s well-organized and well-presented. Know who your audience is and you can custom-tailor your writing “voice” so that it has maximum impact.

Do you have additional ideas on how to write more clearly? Let’s hear ‘em in the comments section, below!

In this follow-up to a previous post and video, we take a look at how to customize your Twitter profile image and background. Far from being exercises in vanity, these steps help communicate your personality and brand, visually.

Watch the video for specifics on image dimensions, resolutions, etc. Happy tweeting!

As something of an introverted tech-nerd both in real life and online, I came to the whole social media thing early, but reluctantly. Initially, it seemed to me quite non-productive and a bit frivolous. My mantra during those dark, self-serious, and solitary days: I’d rather be working than chatting.

But “upon further review,” as they say in the NFL, I’ve come to see social media for the valuable tools that they can be — in the right hands. The most valuable currency today isn’t physical or even economic capital, but rather relationships. For the first time in history, social media* allow us to easily map, quantify, and value our relationships across the board.

With that, I bring you this tutorial (under the aegis of TWN’s parent, Digital Delta Media) on how to use one of my more preferred platforms, Twitter. If you’re not on it yet, you’ll see here how easy it is to get started. Once you’re on it, let’s follow each other! I’m user @aparkerddm.

*Forgive me for being a grammar purist and using “media” in its proper form as a plural

It’s an old lament for people who consider themselves decent communicators — but apparently one that still can use voicing. This recent blog post on the Harvard Business Review site made the point quite effectively. In the following few paragraphs, I summarize it for you — first in the language I’ve come to know as Biz Babble-ese, then in Human-speak.

Biz Babble-ese: I felt compelled to enhance the exposure of this recent posting in Harvard Business Review by amplifying its messaging — which demonstrates unique alignment and synergy with my own mission, vision, and values.

Human-speak: This cool piece in HBR gets at exactly what I try to tell folks who are caught up on using jargon that they think sounds cool.

Biz Babble-ese: One could say the piece operates in the space around maximizing dissemination of thought and economy of verbiage, whilst enhancing user engagement in the process. After all, what good is advocacy for the user community without a desire to make the user experience as interactive and user-driven as possible?

Human-speak: It’s another article extolling the virtues of simple writing and communication. How can anyone presume to connect with an audience without taking the needs and understanding level of the audience in mind?

Biz Babble-ese: So have terminated any ancillary activities and be engaged with the aforementioned content solution in real time.

Human-speak: Go ahead and check out the article!

In a nutshell, that means in order to get ahead and stand out in any area — business, academia, or whatever — it’s not enough anymore to simply put your head down and do your job. You’ve also got to create and publish stuff that 1) shows you know what you’re talking about; and 2) solves specific problems faced by your audience.

But what kind of stuff? And where do you get ideas for what to create? Writer’s Block can metastasize into full-blown Creator’s Block if you’re not used to the “ideation” process. OK, ideation is a weenie corporate-speak word, and I hate it … but I put it out there so you’ll know what the jargonistas are talking about when you hear it.

One cool and effective solution is to go with what you already have. Chances are good you already own a trove of valuable expertise and opinion on your chosen topic. The trick is simply to package it well — in as many formats and venues that make sense.

Say, for instance, you’re a plumber. Over the course of many years unstopping toilets and installing bathroom sinks, you see the same problems and answer the same questions over and over again. Your knowledge base balloons to the point you can answer most folks’ plumbing questions in your sleep. Here’s where the “cool” part comes in: You can greatly ratchet up your perceived value — how many clients are drawn to you and how much you can charge as a result — by publishing a mere sliver of what you know.

By “publishing,” we’re talking about a few things: writing articles; creating tips guides for current and potential customers; doing how-to videos for both customers and your fellow practitioners in the industry.

The trick is to pick a topic and then figure out how many ways you can present it. Here go a few to consider:

• white paper-style extensive report (around 2,000-3,500 words) for download, usually in exchange for email address
• series of articles based on above
• series of short videos based on above
• speech or live presentation developed from white paper/special report
• DVD, CD set or other products that deal with the problem set out in the original report

As you can see, you have many directions in which to run with a single concept — so you don’t need to come up with lots of unique ideas. Just a few will do (and will keep you focused). The real trick is finding time to make the content in between actually doing your bread-and-butter job (you can always delegate it to staff or hire an outside contractor).

Give it a try: look around and see what intellectual assets you have that you can slice and dice into brand-building content.

In a future post, we’ll explore just what kind of content catches the public’s fancy and what doesn’t.

The infraction in question: using the apostrophe plus the letter ‘s’ to make a word plural. Example: “We have dozen’s of pre-owned electric toothbrushes to choose from.”

A more forgivable, but still incorrect, usage is when folks use good ol’ apostrophe to  set off a time period: “Duran Duran was a great 80′s band.”

I don’t know if it’s just me noticing these occurrences more, or if the advance of Internet-bred illiteracy is actually making them more common. For the record, do not use an apostrophe to indicate something is plural. The proper tool for that, in most cases, is simply “s” or “es.” (We can discuss mouses versus mice versus meece some other post.)

Usually when I see these impostoring apostrophes, they’re on a leaflet, a sign in front of a sandwich shop, or some other place that likely doesn’t have a professional copy editor on duty. That said, there’s no reason ordinary people can’t avoid making this simple mistake — especially in communications that will be seen (and judged) by so many others.

Together, we can stave off an Apostrophe Apocalypse.

My wish is that in its new incarnation, you’ll find The Word Ninja blog an informative and entertaining source of information about the art and craft of writing. I’ll be sharing lessons from my own experience and that of others through written blog posts, (naturally), supplemented by videos and the occasional useful product for purchase or free download.

Thanks for having a look around — lots more cool stuff is on the way!