How to write in a 'sophisticated' tone of voice?

Below is a transcript of the video.

Hi, and welcome to the channel. I’m Dr Clare Lynch of the Doris & Bertie Writing School and I’m on a mission to help you become a better, more confident, more persuasive writer. 

In this video I want to talk about tone of voice.

A student in one of my online courses asked a really great question. It's on a topic many people wonder about - how to strike the balance between simplicity on the one hand and sophistication on the other. Here’s her question:

Hi Clare

I'm really enjoying the course, but just a quick question.

Regarding choosing simpler language (i.e shorter words, anglo-saxon speak), what happens when you need to still write a sophisticated tone?

Any suggestions for writing "simple" but also creating a sophisticated, intelligent tone?

Thank you for any advice or feedback!

So that’s a great question! Striking the right tone of voice can be one of the trickiest things to get right. But I would say that the thing to remember is that keeping things simple is not the same as dumbing down.

The opposite in fact!

For example, most of my clients are smart, sophisticated business executives.

And what do they choose to read? Smart, sophisticated publications like: The Wall Street Journal, the FT, The Economist. All of which are aimed at intelligent, informed, sophisticated readers.

But these publications never try to be “sophisticated” when it comes to their choice of words, at least. And one thing you’ll notice about all of them is that they purposefully avoid all jargon. And if they have to use a technical term, they will always provide a definition so as to avoid excluding any of their readers.

In fact, the Economist’s approach to writing is summed up in its famous style guide. This is a book that’s well worth buying and it contains all the Economist editors’ advice on how to write well. And here’s how the guide opens:

"The first requirement of The Economist is that it should be readily understandable. Clarity of writing usually follows clarity of thought. So think what you want to say, then say it as simply as possible.”

In other words, simplicity can be just as intelligent and sophisticated as complexity - if not more so.

The ultimate goal we’re all aiming for as writers is to be able to express a complex idea as simply as possible. And that’s as true for whether we’re writing at work..

or writing an essay…

or writing a blog post…

or an article for the Economist.

And what we absolutely want to avoid is presenting a simple idea dressed up in complex, fancy, “sophisticated” language.

And, in fact, the more sophisticated and intelligent your reader, the more likely they are to see through jargon and complexity - and to judge you harshly for it.

So… in answer to the request for suggestions for writing "simple" but also creating a sophisticated, intelligent tone, my advice is this:

aim for intelligent and sophisticated thinking first. And then as you write, constantly ask yourself “how can I get this intelligent, sophisticated idea across in the simplest way possible?”.

Good and clear writing starts with good and clear thinking so do that work before you write and the right words will follow easily. 

So, I hope that was helpful. But let me know in the comments what you think.

Do you worry about whether your tone of voice is sophisticated enough?

Do you struggle to get your ideas down on paper in simple words?

Or do you disagree with me - do you prefer to try and impress your reader with long, sophisticated words?

Either way let me know!

And, in the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this video, be sure to give me a thumbs up click that notification bell so you never miss a video and share this video with your friends. 

For more writing advice, enrol in my online course, Writing With Confidence, available at the Doris and Bertie Writing School.

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