Read Your Writing Out Loud

Did you know that our brains don’t read letter-by-letter, or even word-by-word?

Instead, we look for patterns in what we’re reading, and fill in the gaps.

It’s why those images you see your auntie share Facebook work so well:

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We’re not reading the words themselves, but instead recognising patterns and filling the gaps in real-time.

The same can be said for words like “and,” “said,” and more. Our brains skip them.

This means that when you’re proofing something you’ve just written, there’s a good chance you’re likely not experiencing in the same way your readers will.

Say it Out Loud

When you make a point of reading your writing or content out loud, you’re interacting with it in a totally different way than if you were to read it only in your head.

When we read out loud, we’re paying much more attention. We’re not letting our brains gloss over words or “auto filling” the patterns we’re seeing.

Essentially, your brain won’t skip words, because you have to physically say them. Plus, reading out loud will force you to read your work as others will (or as close to that as you can get).

When you’re reading out loud, keep an eye out for: clunky sentences, jargon, and anything that’s not clear. If you stumble on a section, there’s a good chance your readers will too.

This read-out-loud-test will ensure your writing is as good as it can be.