Experts write and speak plainly

Last time we talked about the Fog Index and clear writing
Today we’ll talk about the other test of the Fog Index.
Short words tend to be powerful and easy to understand.
"Fall" is better than "decrease" or "decline".
It has one syllable and is far more visual.
You can see something "fall" in your mind.
Dr. Rudolf Flesch argued for short, powerful words.
One- and two-syllable words make your language powerful.
Words such as "fall", "jump" and "drop" paint vivid images.
Dr. Flesch rsuggested counting syllables in your writing.
Take 10 sentences and count the number of syllables in them.
"Pope" has one syllable. "President" has three.
Then divide the number of syllables by the number of words.
This gives you the average number of syllables per word.
Lets say you counted 1,079 syllables in 257 words.
Congratulations. Your syllable count is 4.2 per word.
You must be writing a Ph.D. dissertation. Only scholars get it.
The rest of us quit reading after the first sentence.
A goal worth achieving is an average of 1.5 to 2 syllables.
Here’s a sentence from the Everest guide Tenzing Norgay:
"I had climbed my mountain but still must live my life."
How many syllables in his 11 words? Right. Only 12.
An average syllable county of 1.09 per word.
Now you try it on your own words.
For a unique Christmas gift for those you love, click here.

Experts communicate clearly

Last time we talked about building credibility as an expert.
Today we’ll talk about communicating clearly.
Experts limit their value if they don’t communicate clearly.
Today I’ll share a secret we give student journalists.
Lisa Giles invited Ed Henninger and me to Richmond.
We spoke to the Virginia High School League conference.
Ed showed them how to communicate through design.
I talked with them about writing and editing clearly.
We discussed Rudolf Flesch’s ‘Fog Index’.
Dr. Flesch believed short sentences were easy to read.
Ann Landers and Winston Churchill wrote short sentences.
So did Nobel Prize novelist Ernest Hemingway.
To find your average sentence length, take 10 sentences.
Count the total number of words. Divide by 10.
When next you write, be aware of your sentence lengths.
Write without commas. Use lots of periods.
Think active voice. Use active verbs.
Turn clauses into separate sentences.
Today’s blog has 195 words in 26 sentences.
The average sentence length is 7.5 words.
If high school journalists can do this, so can you.
Next we’ll talk about another Fog Index clarity test.
For a tip on sharpening your focus, click here.