The 1 where you write better lists

We love lists – they’re an effective way to reduce cognitive load for your reader and get your message across quickly. You can even use them to break up long or complex sentences. Want our top tips for writing an effective list? Read on.

Why we love lists and when to use them

Vertical lists are a compact way to convey information. Assuming you do them right, they’ll reduce cognitive load for the reader, reduce confusion and ambiguity and speed things up for time-poor readers.

But when should you use them? If you have a particularly long sentence, you can break it up using a bulleted list.

For example:

Original: You need 3 documents to open a bank account: a passport that has not expired, a drivers licence that lists your current address and a recent utility bill in your name for that address.

Edit: You need 3 documents to open a bank account:

• a passport that has not expired
• a drivers licence that lists your current address
• a recent utility bill in your name for that address.

And if you have a complex in-sentence list, you can turn it into a vertical list.

For example:

Original: Refugees seeking employment face many barriers – they might need to develop greater English proficiency, lack experience in the Australian labour market and be constrained by their residency status, lack social and community support, and face racism and discrimination, including from employers.

Edit: Refugees seeking employment face many barriers – they might:

• need to develop greater English proficiency
• lack experience in the Australian labour market and be constrained by their residency status
• lack social and community support
• face racism and discrimination, including from employers.

How to write an effective list

And what would an article about lists be without a list of our own? Here is our advice for writing an effective list:

• choose a helpful introductory phrase
• align the list left, in line with body text
• start each item with the same type of word
• keep each item to 1 line
• avoid multi-level lists
• have no more than 8 items in each list
• save numbers for when the order is important (for example a process)
• follow your style guide’s advice about capital letters and end punctuation for each item.

Don’t have a style guide? Use ours, the Australian Style Guide™.

Want to write effective documents, not just lists? Contact us today for ISO-aligned training and editing services. We transform writing at work into writing that works. Every document, every day!