Proofreading Tip: How Easy Are Your Documents to Read?

Have you ever read something that makes no sense? Contracts? Reports? Proposals? Do you quit reading the document because it gives you a headache? You're not alone.

Corporate speak, legal speak--call it what you want; it's not easy to understand. Furthermore, people are too busy to read a document more than once to figure out what someone is trying to say. The writer needs to write in plain English!
 
Dr. Rudolf Flesch created a readability formula that measures how easy something is to read based on the average sentence length in words and the average word length in syllables. The calculation results in a number between 0 and 100. The higher the number, the easier the message is to read.
 
He applied his formula to several publications; the scores are averages from random samples:

• Reader's Digest: 65
• The Wall Street Journal: 43
• Standard auto insurance policy: 10
• Internal Revenue Service: -6

The minus six makes me laugh every time! Of course, you want to write a document so your audience understands it. But does anyone understand a message written with a readability score of minus six? Dr. Flesch's advice: "If it's too hard to read for your audience, you shorten the words and sentences until you get the score you want."

But who wants to count words and syllables? The good news is you don't have to calculate the readability formula. Let Word and Outlook do it. Here's how to set it up in Word 2007:
 
But who wants to count words and syllables? The good news is you don't have to calculate the readability formula. Let Word and Outlook do it. Here's how to set it up in Word 2007:

1. Click the Office button.
2. Click the Word Options button.
3. Click Proofing link (left side).
4. Under When correcting grammar in Word, be sure Check grammar with spelling and Show readability statistics are selected.
5. Click OK.

In Word 2003, select Tools | Options from the menu bar. Click the Spelling & Grammar tab. Be sure Check grammar with spelling and Show readability statistics are selected. Click OK.

According to Dr. Flesch, "the minimum score for Plain English is 60." Remember, the goal is to have your readers understand your message.

To help you improve your writing, I recommend reading Why Business People Speak Like Idiots by Brian Fugere, Chelsea Hardaway, and Jon Warshawsky. The authors conduct studies and give pertinent examples to back up their claims that "bull has become the official language of business." They write in an easy-to-read, humorous style that helps you learn how to update your business writing and speaking skills, so people understand your message.


Judy Beaver, The Office Pro
Founder of National Proofreading Day
Judy@TheOfficePro.net