What does "grade Ievel" really mean?
File under: Complaint: I can't read yr stuff fast enuf
Yes, Dawn, it's true still
Talking "down" is talking FAST
Dear reader, here's some free rock-solid advice:
¶ Since we know for pity's sake that "skimming ease" directly leads to better comprehension (hence thereafter sometimes the act of making a donation), always keep an eye on your final, published grade level.
¶ So ... at this presentation more than a decade ago, Dawn heard me talk about downsizing articles to a speedier (lower) grade level when corresponding with your true believers (those wonderful repeat donors, loyal members, persistent supporters, likers, followers, subscribers ... your TOTAL trusting extended A.F. {"artificial family," print or digital}). Today, Dawn writes AGAIN to ask: "Is Flesch-Kincaid still relevant?" / >> my reply below ...
"HELLO, Dawn!!!
Yes, the tool is still relevant ... more than ever ... I teach it all the time.
It's called the Flesch-Kincaid calculator (after its co-founders).
Here's the tool's URL: https://goodcalculators.com/flesch-kincaid-calculator/
As I probably harped on back then, grade level is NOT about getting 6th-graders to make donations.
Grade level is exclusively about how fast and easily I (an adult who might make a gift) can comprehend (absorb, act on) what you're trying to tell me:
... a 6th-grade level is faster than an 8th-grade level is WAY faster than a 10th-grade level
... and if you're trying to shove 12th-grade writing down my throat, you better be buying me a hot-fudge sundae with 3 cherries on top + a complimentary day in reader rehab.
Bottom-line for now (AND going forward into techno tomorrow; I approve this forecast) >>> 12th-grade writing as taught by strict grammarians (I spent an entire year learning to diagram sentences, plus high school Latin) ceases to be of much use after your last 12th-grade essay (unless you want to be a peer-reviewed scientist or college professor or a chatbot or an accidental boor).
Generally, 12-grade writing is an insult to our flighty attention spans.
Real life story: Decades back, user's manuals on America's atomic sub fleet stood up and demanded that Flesch-Kincaid scales be developed and applied. In the U.S. Navy, sailors boasting high-school diplomas (0 graduate degrees) routinely monitor nuclear reactors and drive/maintain these extraordinarily complex 21st-century boats. The people at the wheel are 18, 19, 20 years old (under senior supervision as needed).
As a citizen of Earth, thank you, Flesch-Kincaid scales, for showing the way. Tax dollars well spent.
Without Flesch-Kincaid, what a mess we'd be in."
###
The how-to article above contains no AI contributions. A human wrote every word.
¶ Though Ahern in full-disclosure mode: "Jane," my ChatGPT companion, will sometimes co-author one or more of Ahern's HOW-TO e-newsletters, as opportunities arise. She's a good tool in the hands of responsible, trained, and ruthlessly judgmental copywriters. ¶ I named "her" for my breathtaking mother-in-law, Jane Peckham Joyaux, Sim One's mom (raised 6 impressive responsible adults, with husband Georges). Proof of AI's handiness as a tool? On one plodding-ish task, New Jane consumed a whole book I'd published in a remarkably short time, while concisely summarizing its key points, then ranking them. Jane AI got everything right except one important word; that added word was my total co-author's contribution. AI is handy. It is not a "get out of all training free" deliverance card for the lazy.
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