August 3rd, 2017

No one reads anymore? Go on,

​pull the other one.

Rumour has it that people no longer have time to read. I'm not convinced. I think that, if anything, fewer writers are taking the time to actually write.

Everywhere I look, weak writing abounds. Those who produce it are often the loudest at proclaiming that people don’t read. That’s like serving up slop in a kitchen then saying people don’t eat.

A recent Pew study found that people were reading just as many books in 2016 as they did in 2012. What’s more, the number of books people read is closely associated with their level of education. In other words, smart people read.*
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That’s like serving up slop in a kitchen then saying
people don’t eat.
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Having bought the lie that no one reads, many businesses devote little thought to the quality of what they say. Hence the flood of beautiful but vacuous websites, annual reports, brochures, newsletters and other material.

Failing to clearly and simply say what you mean has a massive impact: people stop listening.
Vast sums are spent on design. Yet content – dwell on that word for a moment if you will – is often left to non-specialists.

Forgive me, but are you insane?

Would you forgive a restaurant that served up immaculately presented but tasteless food?
My company (and I) stand for clear, powerful, engaging writing. By that, I mean writing that is not only understandable, but also demands to be read. Businesses who take the trouble to deliver such writing get listened to in a way that those who don’t never will.

They also make the world a better place. But that’s another story.

Like great design, clear, simple writing can look easy. And just like great design, it’s anything but.
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A manifesto
We say:

• People are starved of eloquent writing.
• “People” includes CEOs, CIOs, CTOs and CFOs. They get bored and irritated by crappy writing just as much as you do.
• If the reader doesn’t understand what you say or is not compelled to read it, that’s not their fault. It’s yours.
• Design is not a substitute for writing.
• What you say and how you say it is at least as important as how you look. Often, more so.
• Powerful language can build companies, create brands, win hearts and sway minds.
  
  

* From Pew “Book Reading 2016” survey, conducted March 7-April 4, 2016; and the Pew Research Center Omnibus Survey, January 2- 5, 2014.


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