Are you writing or communicating?

Lately I have read some posts from fellow WA members here that frankly I found difficult to fully understand. Now, I'm not the dullest light in the harbor mind you, and likely not the brightest either, so the thought occurred to me that if I find it tough to comprehend this person's writing, that at least most of the others reading it will struggle with it also.

So, what is the person's intent to share this intellectual rambling that is like deciphering complex code or ancient hieroglyphics, I asked myself? The only logical answer I could come to was that they are trying to impress me, and you, with how smart they are.

Surely he had to know that most of us wouldn't be picking up what he was laying down, if you will. What good is that? I have heard that the majority of people read, and comprehend on about a 5th or 6th grade level.

Sure, it's nice to have people think you are smart, and well educated, but I think it is far better to write in a way that at least most people can understand.

I suppose I have been guilty of this to some degree, but I do try to write in a way that is easy to comprehend. I also, thanks to Kyle, try to write like I am writing to a friend or family member.

In our space, blogging, and content marketing, it is vital to communicate well with our readers. We want to be engaging, and interesting, but not too complex, and condescending. Oops, that means talking down to someone.

So my point is, I would rather people think that I may not be very smart, yet have them fully understand my writing, than writing like from pages in a doctoral dissertation, and have impressed everyone, but communicated with very few, if any.

The acronym KISS applies here. Keep it Simple Stupid. How is your writing? Are you impressing, or communicating?