Concise Writing:
The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth
When writing, it is important
to keep your messages concise. What does concise mean? To the point. As a
reader, I don’t need to have to wade through a four line sentence in order to
figure out what you mean.
Concise writing is respectful
of the reader’s time. If you want me to meet you for lunch, send me an e-mail
that says, “Mary, would you like to meet me for lunch today at noon?”
Do not send me an e-mail that
says, “Mary, I am getting hungry. I was wondering if you were hungry too.
When people are hungry, that is a sign that they need to eat. Since we might
both be hungry, I was perhaps wondering if you might care to join me for a meal
in the near future?”
The first example tells me
exactly what the writer wants, and I don’t have to request further
clarification to answer the request.
The second example is long
and hard to follow. I refer to this as a blah, blah, blah message. The writer
doesn’t just come out and ask the question. Additionally, the writer doesn’t
make his or her inquiry clearly. Assuming that I bother to read this entire
message, I will have to seek further clarification in order to answer.
When you write an e-mail
request, stop and read it before you press send. Ask yourself the following
questions:
Is my request direct and to
the point?
Are there extra words in the
request?
Is there a more direct way to
phrase the request?
Is the reader likely to be
annoyed before getting to the heart of the request?
Can the reader answer the
question without having to request clarification?
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