One of the unique skills we offer is writing and editing for readers who are presumed to have limited literacy skills. Over time, we've learned many tricks and tips for hitting low reading levels. Here are the top five:
Watch your vocabulary. Choose short, simple words. For example, ever say “utilize” when you could say “use” instead. (Actually, don’t ever say “utilize” for any audience.) Direct the reader to call customer service for “help” instead of “assistance.” You may find that with each editing pass you make through an article, you can find another few words or phrases that can be simplified.
Keep sentences short. Avoid compound sentences. Set your love for the comma or em dash aside. And don’t worry about starting sentences with “and” or “or.” You will need to do this to avoid using compound sentences. Your paragraphs should also be short. In fact, the whole article should be as short as possible.
Beware of redundancies or repetition. This unnecessary filler can quickly bloat sentences and raise the reading level. This is a great opportunity to practice being concise.
Bulleted lists are your friends. They can help you avoid long, compound sentences. They also make stories easier for the reader to scan and create another access point into the article.
Know how to game the system. If you need to document reading level, many agencies accept certain tricks for lowering the reading level. For example, they may allow you to remove phone numbers or technical terms from the Word document you use to check the reading level.
Awareness of reading levels is also helpful for highly educated readers. Busy people want to be able to quickly scan a story, and using these tips to keep the reading level around the eighth or ninth grade level can make it easier for your readers to get in, get out, and get the information they need.
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