May 27: Writing the Amazon way

Writing the Amazon way means writing a document that can be read and understood quickly.

Source: Fact of the Day 1 interview with Amazon Doc Bar Raisers
Published: May 2021

Writing the Amazon way

Writing the Amazon way means writing a document that can be read and understood quickly. 

1. Define your acronyms: even if you assume your audience knows them, spell out acronyms the first time you use them. Doing so helps new team members get up to speed faster.
   

2. Write less: remove unnecessary words. Keep sentences to 20 or fewer words.
   

3. Avoid weasel or filler words:Remove vague terms and replace them with specificity. Instead of “some time ago,” write “three months ago.” 
   

4. Write in active voice: State the actor/subject at the beginning of the sentence. (Examples.)
   

5. Use simple words: Check your document’s Flesch Reading Ease (over 50 is excellent for business writing) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (aim for Grade 8 or lower). Here are instructions to find Microsoft Word’s readability statistics.
   

This fact’s readability statistics:

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