When you use more words than you need to convey your message, you risk losing your reader's attention and confusing your meaning. One easy way to make wordy writing more clear and concise is to make it more conversational.

Many of the words we use that clutter our writing would never come out of our mouths in everyday conversation. Here are a few tips to make your writing more conversational:

Read your writing out loud. Does it sound natural to you? If not, do some editing and try again.

Be comfortable with your reader. Write your document as if you were writing a letter about the topic to someone you are comfortable with, like your best friend. How would you explain the topic?

Use contractions. When we speak, we usually use contractions, such as won't for will not and she's for she is. Some people object to using contractions in writing, but that's a dated approach. Contractions are fine for all but the most formal pieces of writing.

Address your reader directly and use personal pronouns. Use you and your when referring to the reader, and refer to yourself by using I or we and my or our.

Want More?

Writing911's Grammar & Writing Tip Sheets

• 37 Embarrassing Grammar Mistakes and How to Fix Them
• 150 Commonly Confused Words and How to Pick the Right Ones
• Get to the Point! How to Prune Wordy Writing into Clear, Concise Prose
• Cut the Glut! 150 Wordy Phrases and Redundancies to Eliminate from Your Writing
• Catch Your Mistakes Before Someone Else Does: How to Proofread Your Own Writing

Writing911's "Writing for the Real World" E-Courses

• Making Your Writing Correct
• Making Your Writing Clear & Concise