How to make overly formal writing clear without losing precision

To make a stiff draft easier to read, start with the sentence that asks the reader to do something. Name the action, remove the ceremony around it, and keep the terms your audience actually needs. You do not need to make a business message sound like a conversation between friends.

Replace the padded phrase, not the precise term

Work through one paragraph at a time and underline phrases you could remove without changing the instruction. The UNC Writing Center recommends trimming unnecessary phrases while preserving meaning.

Here is an invented example for a customer email:

Before: Please be advised that the submission of your completed form is required prior to Friday.

After: Please submit your completed form before Friday.

Keep “before Friday”: changing it to “by Friday” could change the deadline. Leave a technical term alone when a shorter replacement would be less exact. For a specialist audience, explain an unfamiliar abbreviation once rather than replacing it with a vague everyday word.

Make responsibility visible

Digital.gov recommends active voice to make responsibility clear, while allowing passive voice where it fits.

Try this invented sentence: “The application will be reviewed by our support team.” You can write “Our support team will review the application” without adding an actor or a promise. But if the original only says “The application will be reviewed,” find out who reviews it before inserting a team name.

Do not add “within one business day” merely to make the sentence more concrete. Put a question for the author in your editing notes instead: who reviews applications, and is there a confirmed response time?

Keep the tone appropriate to the task

Read the edited message as its recipient. Check that the next action is visible, the deadline has not moved, and the wording is respectful. Use contractions if they fit the relationship; skip slang unless the audience expects it. You can keep a formal greeting while making the request direct.

Compare both versions before sending, especially names, dates, amounts, exceptions and required actions. If you want another pass at the wording, check the draft in Neuroslop. Review each suggested change in context rather than accepting a rewrite just because it sounds smoother.

Try it yourself: check any text for AI with the free Neuroslop detector.