6: The trouble with THAT (and other words to cut from your copy)

 

Want to make your copy sound a little more elegant? Earlier on in my career, I learned the simplest and easiest trick for this.

In this episode of ill communication, we are talking about the trouble with “that.” You may be surprised to find you can eliminate it (and other unnecessary filler words) from most of your copy, and it still reads the same while sounding so much better.

It’s surprising how much it comes up in our language and how we actually don’t need to use it very often. “That” is a filler word. It clutters your copy and gives your readers more words to read than they actually need.

All of the words I’m sharing today can be easily eliminated to improve readability and clarity. Think about it- people are hit with over 5,000 messages per day. Most people are seeing those messages through a small smartphone screen, so you have to ask yourself “how can I make this easier to read?”

Topics We Cover in This Episode:

  • How I learned to stop using “that” so much

  • Other filler words you can easily remove from your copy

  • Why readability and clarity are so important

  • Why people are more likely to read when there are fewer filler words

Of course, there will be instances where you need to use these filler words, but in general, cutting them out will make your copy stronger. more elegant, and easier to read.

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Resources Mentioned

Check out CKUA

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Stellar Theory Collective