Writing for the ear: short sentences, short words

By Alastair Greener, presenter of Present Yourself in a Minute · Updated 5 November 2026

A script written for the eye uses long sentences, clauses that wait for a verb, and phrases that look neat on a page. Spoken aloud, those sentences lose the listener by the second clause. Writing for the ear means shorter sentences, plainer words and a test you can run out loud.

Write the whole speech first

Write the talk in full before you cut it down. Present Yourself's advice is to write the speech in full first, then move to bullets. Full sentences give you control over the rhythm, and the bullets come later as a prompt for the day. Speakers who start with bullets tend to speak in fragments, which sound clipped on a recording.

One idea in each sentence

Give each sentence one job. A sentence that makes a point, gives an example and then asks a question will be hard to say and harder to follow. Split it. "We film it, we edit it, and we hand you the files" is easier to say than one long sentence with three clauses.

Plain words, where they do the job

Short words are clearer and more inclusive. Use "use" rather than "utilise", and "help" rather than "facilitate". Long words are sometimes right, especially in technical talks, but if a short word works, use it.

Cut the fluff

Phrases such as "I would like to share with you" or "I am delighted to be here" add nothing. Cut them and start with the point. Our page on words that cost you credibility lists the ones to watch for.

Read it aloud, then fix it

1. Print the script, or open it on a second screen, and stand up.
2. Read it at speaking volume with a recording running.
3. Mark each place you run out of breath. Split the sentence there.
4. Mark each word you trip on. Replace it with a word you say easily.
5. Mark each phrase you would never say to a friend. Rewrite it.
6. Record a second read and compare.

A worked example

Before: "It is worth saying that our team is able to deliver a comprehensive set of services designed to enable clients to achieve their objectives."

After: "We film it, we edit it and we hand you the files."

The second version is short enough to say on one breath, and it tells the listener what happens next.

Common mistakes

• Writing in the voice of a report. Phrases like "the provision of" and "in order to" make the script sound like a document.
• Stacks of adjectives. Two strong adjectives beat six weak ones.
• Starting every sentence the same way. Vary the openings, or the listener loses the rhythm.
• Reading a script that has never been spoken. A script that reads well on the page often trips the voice. Test it.

For the start of the talk, see fifty ways to open. For the close, see how to end with bookends and loops. To check that a script fits its slot, use timing a script.

Related guides

• Hook, Message, Recap, Call to action: the HMRC structure
• Fifty ways to open (hooks that work)
• How to end: bookends, loops, last lines
• Words that cost you credibility: fluff, superlatives, -ly words, jargon
• WIIFM: why should anyone watch your talk or video?
• All guides and tools

The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.