According to William Strunk Jr.’s Elements of Style, “Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”
Too many details cause the minds of your audience to wander. Know when to stop. If you’re not picking up on social cues, you may miss the moment your audience is “sold.” Talking past that point may reverse the sale.
Spoken language that has very many multiple superfluous and unnecessary words that may sometimes make it hard and difficult for some listeners to whom you are speaking to get to the point or even not lose interest, at all at the things you are saying or talking about in your conversation, so you need to keep it simple for them, this is crucially important.
Tendencies that make being succinct a struggle include overconfidence, fear, and time insensitivity. Lack of direction and failure to create an outline for the conversation can also lead to wordiness.
Overconfidence leads to wordiness because natural extroverts and professional speakers think they can “wing it.” They don’t have an outline and often end up on an extended tangent. Fear may cause us to over-explain so we don’t worry that we forgot something. Time insensitivity puts retirees and supportive personalities in vacation mode. They forget that their audience has places to go and things to do.
6 Steps to a Concise Message
- Make an outline. Whether mental or written. Even a moment of planning will improve you communication. The shorter your speech, the more you should prepare. Blaise Pascal said, “I would have written you a shorter letter if I had more time.” Brevity requires prep-work.
- Answer the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, and why).
- Tell a story.
- Observe your audience.
- Use images to shorten your presentation. This aids memory and holds attention longer.
- Good communicators listen more and talk less. Part of brevity is giving someone else a chance to speak.
Don’t be TOO Blunt
Overly direct people are viewed as unfriendly. When speaking with someone who is relationship-oriented, effective leaders flex their communication style. The best leaders combine likeability and concise communication skills. They are respected, build meaningful relationships, and bring more value to their employers.
Cultural Considerations
Where I live (Wisconsin,) people generally expect you to get to the point, whether face to face, over the phone, or in a meeting. Some cultures may expect extended small talk. Know your audience.
Take a Knife to your Writing
Editing in writing and design is critical. In this age of instant information, instant access, and instant gratification, it’s important to be concise.
Set aside your feelings. When writing for business, flowery prose does you no favors.
Keep your writing short, simple, and easy on the eyes. Cut out unnecessary adjectives. Split long sentences into two. Divide visually daunting paragraphs and make your writing easy to scan with enticing subheadings.
Your audience’s needs are more important than your own. Answer, “What’s in it for me?” and cut the jargon.
When you’re finished ensure you’ve answered the initial question or addressed the theme.
