Turn off your slop cannon
Good writing is a gift to everyone around you. Clear, concise communication means your readers spend less time decoding your words and more time acting on them. Here's how to write in a way that respects your reader's time and keeps us all from drowning in walls of text.
Key Takeaways
- Why this matters AI slop is real, and we can do better.
The internet is full of bloated, padded writing generated (or at least inspired) by AI that optimizes for length over clarity.
- 2-3 sentences High-level summary The key points, decisions, or recommendations.
2-3 paragraphs Detailed outline or doc Full context, nuance, supporting info.
- "The team reviewed the proposal" not "The proposal was reviewed by the team.
- Remember, even if AI wrote it, you still own it.
The goal isn't fewer words for their own sake-it's more signal per word.
- Include tips about progressive disclosure, offering quick essential info first, then adding more context if a user decides to continue reading, like: first write a TLDR - that's the elevator pitch, then include an executive summary - a more detailed overview, then a detailed outline for those who want the nitty gritty.
Here's how to write in a way that respects your reader's time and keeps us all from drowning in walls of text. Good writing is a gift to everyone around you. Clear, concise communication means your readers spend less time decoding your words and more time acting on them.
Here's how to write in a way that respects your reader's time and keeps us all from drowning in walls of text. Why this matters AI slop is real, and we can do better. The internet is full of bloated, padded writing generated (or at least inspired) by AI that optimizes for length over clarity.
When you write vague or wordy content, you're forcing your reader to run your writing through their own AI just to distill what you meant. That's inefficient for everyone and costs tokens once when you write it, and each time someone else has to run your writing through AI just to decode it. It's also faster, easier to find, easier to act on, and more accessible to people whose first language isn't English or who use assistive technology.
For more details please read the original article at Zapier AI Blog.
Continue Learning
Comments
Sign in to join the conversation