Writing for Busy Readers : communicate more effectively in the real world by Todd, Lasky-Fink, Jessica Rogers

We were all taught the fundamentals of writing well in school. But how do we write effectively in today’s hyper-interactive world?When The Elements of Style and On Writing Well were published in 1959 and 1976, the internet hadn’t been invented. Since then, there has been a radical transformation in how we communicate. The average adult receives over 100 emails and tens of text messages each day. With all this correspondence, gaining a busy reader’s attention is now a competition.

Todd Rogers and Jessica Lasky-Fink, both behavioural scientists, offer practical writing advice you can use today. They begin by outlining cognitive facts about how busy people read, then detail six research-backed principles for effective writing:Use fewer wordsLower the reading levelUse formatting judiciouslyMake the purpose clear for skimmersEmphasise value for readersMake responding as easy as possible.

Including many examples, a checklist, and other tools for the most effective writing, this handbook will make you a more effective communicator. Rogers and Lasky-Fink bring conventional ideas about text-based communication into the 21st century’s radically transformed attention marketplace.

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Binding: Paperback,
Pagination: 256 pages