Going Back to Kindergarten to Learn a Powerful Technique

In kindergarten or early school, when first faced with the task of learning how to read, we were probably taught in a specific way. As adults, there's one simple but powerful characteristic of this common method that can actually help us in developing our writing, speaking or presentations. At InternetTIPS.com, we suspect that many famous and not-so-famous writers already use this "tool". Yet when first starting out, you may not at first realize just how much of an impact this one simple idea can have on your writing efforts. So just what are we talking about?

• Answer: whenever we finish writing a first draft, read the document aloud.

Why can reading your writing aloud help you create a better finish? Answer: this simple, animated act can help identify cumbersome, overly complex or boring writing and highlight weaknesses in flow and structure. When we "see" the words and sentences on paper or on-screen, the finish may seem OK or even "sound" impressive - within the biased confines of our own "mind voice". Yet curiously, through reading aloud, any glaring weaknesses can be identified that we might otherwise miss.

In a variety of communication scenarios, your writing can benefit by coming across in a conversational tone - just as you would talk. Reading your writing aloud also helps validate this approach.

• An alternative option is to persuade someone else to read your writing aloud back to you.

Perform either of the tests above regularly and your finished delivery can benefit immensely.