4. Conciseness
Conciseness
In speech or writing, the term conciseness refers to language that's brief and to the point. To be effective, concise writing must deliver a clear message using an economy of words. Concise writing doesn't waste time with circumlocution, padding, or verbosity. Repetition, unnecessary jargon, and needless details are to be avoided. When you minimize clutter, readers are more likely to remain engaged, understand and remember your message—and even act on it, should that be your goal.
4 Rules for Concise Writing
- Avoid jargon.
- Keep it simple. The less flowery your prose, the more accessible will be.
- Use shorter words instead of long ones when appropriate.
- Edit out empty phrases and delete common redundancies.
How to Avoid Wordiness
Replace Vague Words with Specific Ones
Vague or abstract words tend to conceal your meaning. On the other hand, specific words precisely and shortly convey your meaning.
Example:
- Vague: The Acme Corporation is developing a new consumer device that allows users to communicate vocally in real time.
- Specific: The Acme Corporation is developing a new cell phone.
Avoid Overusing Expletives at the Beginning of Sentences
Expletives are phrases of the form it + be-verb or there + be-verb.
Example #1:
- Wordy: It is the governor who signs or vetoes bills.
- Concise: The governor signs or vetoes bills.
Example #2:
- Wordy: There are four rules that should be observed.
- Concise: Four rules should be observed.
Avoid Overusing Noun Forms of Verbs
Use verbs when possible rather than noun forms known as nominalizations.
Example:
- Wordy: The function of this department is the collection of accounts.
- Concise: This department collects accounts.
Eliminate Unnecessary Words
Unnecessary words can come in many forms like excessive detail, repetitive words, or redundant words.
Excessive Detail
- Before: I received and read the email you sent yesterday about the report you’re writing for the project. I agree it needs a thorough, close edit from someone familiar with your audience.
- After: I received your email about the project report and agree it needs an expert edit.
Repetitive words
- Before: The engineer considered the second monitor an unneeded luxury.
- After: The engineer considered the second monitor a luxury.
Redundant words
- Before: The test revealed conduction activity that was peculiar in nature.
- After: The test revealed peculiar conduction activity.
Replace Multiple Negatives with Affirmatives
Affirmatives, instead, convey concise meaning that needs no interpretation.
- Before: Your audience will not appreciate the details that lack relevance.
- After: Your audience will appreciate relevant details.