Make even nanotechnology accessible
Model physicist Richard Feynman’s piece
So you think your subject is complex? Try taking on the topic of nanotechnology.
Make the complex simple Model techniques used by Richard Feynman Image by The Manic Macrographer
That’s the subject of “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom: An Invitation to Enter a New Field of Physics,” a classic speech by Richard Feynman, one of the most influential American physicists of the 20th century.
Study it — then steal his approaches for making even physics more accessible. Among them:
1. Use concrete examples from the audience member’s world.
“Why cannot we write the entire 24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Brittanica on the head of a pin?” Feynman asks.
2. Use familiar words.
Of the nearly 7,000 words in Feynman’s talk, my spell-checker tripped over only a handful. Most were people’s names. The others: “demagnify,” “carotenoids” and “microsome.” That’s .04 percent of the total number of words.
3. Use short words.
Feynman’s words averaged 4.4 characters each. That’s well under my recommendation of no more than 5 characters on average.
4. Make reading easy.
Feynman’s piece weighs in at the ninth grade level according to the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level index. (I recommend keeping this score in the single digits.) And it scores an amazing 62.5 percent on Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease index. (I recommend aiming for 50 on this one.)
In short, Feynman’s piece is much easier to read than virtually all of the business communications I review.
How does your copy — regardless of the topic — stack up against Feynman’s?
Cut Through the Clutter
Is your copy easy to read? According to communication experts, that’s one of the two key questions people ask to determine whether to read a piece — or toss it.
Fortunately, academics have tested and quantified what makes copy easy to read. Unfortunately, that research virtually never makes it out of the ivory tower and into the hands of writers who could actually apply it.
At Cut Through the Clutter — a two-day concise-writing master class on Aug. 17-18 in San Francisco — you’ll learn “the numbers” you need to measurably improve your copy’s readability.Specifically, you’ll learn:
- How long is too long: For your paragraphs? Your sentences? Your words?
- Three ways to shorten your copy — and which is the most effective way.
- How to avoid causing your reader to skip your paragraphs.
- A tool you can use (you already have it, but you might not know it) to quantifiably improve your copy’s readability.
- A seven-step system for making your copy clearer and more concise.
Learn more about the Master Class.
Browse all upcoming Master Classes.Would you like to hold an in-house Cut Through the Clutter workshop? Contact Ann directly.
