Being wordy is only good if you’re a dictionary.
If there’s one thing we know about text, it’s that messages get weaker as the word count grows. But, flick our writer switch, and what happens? The more concerned we are with getting our point across, the more words we use!
Doh!
We’re worried people won’t get it. We’re worried they might miss something. So we say the same thing over and over again, in slightly different ways, trying to cover all our bases. All the “just in case”s. Every eventuality.
You know what that gets us? Really badly written legalese.
Brief = strong
The best business writing is stripped back to just what’s needed to make your points and achieve your outcomes.
So how do we strip our writing back, but still be comprehensive enough to get the job done? Here are a few quick approaches.
Strip out fluffy, wordy phrases
It’s easy, when we’re trying to put our most professional foot forward, to take on an unnaturally wordy voice. Because we want to be taken seriously, we try to sound a bit more formal. Resist!
| Use | Instead of |
| to | in order to |
| can | be able to |
| because | as a consequence of |
| consider | give consideration to |
Write less formally and more conversationally
We think a conversational voice is waffly, and that’s true in one respect – we speak in very long, run-on sentences with lots of “and”s.
But if we use conversational to mean the active voice and everyday words, that will be less wordy than a traditional formal voice.
- active, not passive sentences
- speakable, everyday vocabulary
- break down concepts into digestible chunks
Use headings and bullets
A well-written heading speaks directly to your reader. It engages them. The following approach forces you to think first, write second, and do that in a very focused way.
- Separate your thinking into key points
- Turn those into statement headings
- Then list supporting info as bullet lists beneath them
And no, before you ask, I’m not suggesting that you then flesh out each of those bullets into a paragraph. The bullets are enough! Use them as often as you can (but keep each list short – no more than 7 bullets).
Stay concise and outcomes focused and your business readers will love you for it!
hi Shelly, I’m just back from Spain, Devon and Cornwall. I learned lots and wrote little. Worry not about our relationship! I have had good value for money. Jacq may have told you that she and I and Bernard Brown are an NZSA team to get poetry into bus shelters and other places. It takes a lot of time, but we are down to make a presentation to Auckland Council Planning committee on 5 September. Your comments on communication are shared, so I hope to apply them then.
In the meanztime, stay cool till after school and get in touch next time you want a gossipy lunch!
Arohanui
Ian