In this article, I would like to introduce you to the Gunning Fog Index, which you may find helpful in writing your speech.

What do William Shakespeare and Mark Twain have in common with simple speech writing?
The answer is that they wrote in a language that people on the street understand.

Too often, people write speeches that extol their knowledge of the English language or their chosen topic instead of thinking about their audience. And the simple truth is that most audiences are not filled with English literature postgraduates or people who know their chosen field as deeply as you do.

The purpose of public speaking (and report writing) is to impart information and (although this is not always the case) to persuade your audience to take some kind of action. Whether it’s a conference, a church sermon, a sales pitch, an inspirational or motivational speech, or a political manifesto.

If that’s your purpose, then you need to communicate with your audience in a language they understand. That means no jargon, no abbreviations, and no plain language.

• The Gunning Fog Index It was developed by Robert Gunning in 1952.

• Give the number of years of education your reader hypothetically needs to understand the paragraph or text.
The Gunning Fog index formula implies that short sentences written in simple language score better than long sentences written in complicated language.

Calculation of your fog index

Example

“EVER SINCE John Snow, a railroad company chief, was chosen this week to replace Paul O’Neill as US Treasury Secretary, the conversation in economic and financial circles has been about the effect his appointment could At the Federal Reserve, however, much of the gossip remains about when, and if, they themselves will have a new boss… So, along with many observers of the Fed, pundits want to know if Greenspan will, if he seeks, get re-elected.”

Calculation

• Number of words = 102
• Number of phrases = 4
• Average sentence length = 102/4 = 25 words
• Number of “big words” = 9/102 = 9%
• Fog index = (25 + 9) * 0.4 = 13.6

• The ideal score for readability with the fog index is 7 or 8.
• Any value above 12 is too difficult for most people to read.
• For example, The Bible, Shakespeare, and Mark Twain all have fog ratings around 6.
• Leading magazines like Time, Newsweek, and the Wall Street Journal average around 11.

The underlying message of the Gunning Fog Index formula is that short sentences written in simple language score better than long sentences written in complicated language.

Remember that speech writing, business communication, and report writing are all about imparting information and getting action. If you use plain language, your audience will understand what you are about and your message is more likely to get the results you want.