Cut the waffle: the benefits of plain English

A short, punchy message increases your chances of being heard above the chatter. Ready for some inspiration?

Are you guilty of using long words and complicated language in your emails, blogs and social posts?

Maybe it’s hardwired from our school days.

Those 5,000-word essays struck fear into our hearts and we resorted to padding, long words and saying the same thing twice (in two different ways) in an attempt to sound more knowledgeable than we really were.

It didn’t work then, and it doesn’t work now.

Whatever you’re writing today – email, social post, proposal or blog – your readers are busy, and a clear, concise message increases your chances of success.

Long words and complicated language do the opposite.

They create a barrier between you and your audience, and reduce the chance of your words being read, understood and acted upon.

Plain English and human language can be the difference between winning and losing business.

Want more people to buy your products, book your events or hire your services?

My 18 waffle-busting ditch and switch examples will help you get straight to the point.

When every word counts, here are 18 simple word swaps:

Instead of writing this…	write this
as and when	when
we will endeavour	we’ll try
in due course	soon
we are able to	we can
in a timely manner	on time
additional information	more details
in order to	to
we have a requirement for	we need
regarding	about
a significant number	lots
in close proximity	near
per annum	a year
please advise	tell us
prior to	before
until such time	until
please ensure	make sure
at the end of the day	ultimately
utilise	use