Notes

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Outline

1	What is “lard”? Excess words—fat that doesn’t help communication Evidence that your pen or fingers got going before your brain did Evidence that you haven’t edited for your user’s convenience and comprehension
2	Lanham’s Lard Factor Divide the number of words cut by the number of words in the original Express the result as a percentage In most business communication, the LF is between 30-60%
3	Lanham’s Paramedic Method Find the weak verbs--e.g. ‘is’, ‘has’, ‘do’ Find diluted noun strings by looking for prepositions Find passive voice Find fillers and wheel-spinners like ‘there is’ and ‘this memo is to remind you that’
4	Curing Lard Make the do-er of the action the grammatical subject of the sentence. Unsmother verbs--make them active. Use active voice whenever possible. Don’t use jargon for jargon’s sake. Read your writing aloud.
5	Now, let’s practice Here are some exercises we will work on together. As you draft, set goals—for instance, try to revise each draft to cut the length by 10% Focus on the parts readers look at most carefully—the intro and the conclusion
6	Is this the only way to cut lard? No—meet Deloitte Consulting’s “Bullfighter” program