Cognitive Ease

One of the keys to persuasive writing and speaking is to reduce the cognitive effort required to understand what you're saying. Studies show that the average adult reads at about a 7th grade level, so don't try to be fancy or sophisticated in your communication. (The text on this page reads at precisely a 7th grade level according to the Flesch–Kincaid readability test).

Einstein once said, “If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, then you don't understand it yourself.”

Here are some ways to make your communication more clear and easy to understand:

• Write like you would speak. Read out loud what you've written. If it sounds scripted or unnatural to the ear, it needs some editing.
• Use plenty of white space. Avoid large blocky paragraphs of text. Keep paragraphs to 3-4 lines on average. This makes it easier to read and reduces the cognitive load required to comprehend the text.
• As a general rule, use a simpler or more common word when there's one available. Instead of saying "perplexed" say "confused." Instead of saying "intricacies" say "details." Instead of saying "endeavor" say "try."
• If you can say something in fewer words, do it. You don't do the reader any favors by dragging out what you're trying to say. Get to the point.
• Read. A lot. Your subconscious mind will pick up on the patterns of good writing and you'll naturally emulate them in your own.
• When explaining something that might be difficult for the reader to understand, use plenty of metaphors, analogies, images, and examples to make the concept more clear. “Show” rather than tell.