Conciseness

Conciseness, is saying what you have to say in the fewest possible words without
sacrificing the other C qualities. A concise message is complete without being
wordy.
Conciseness is a prerequisite (Requirement) to effective business
communication; a concise message saves time and expense for both sender and
receiver. Conciseness contributes to emphasis; by eliminating unnecessary
words, you let important ideas stand out. When combined with a "you-view,"
concise messages are inherently more interesting to recipients. Finally, concise
messages show respect for recipients by not cluttering their professional lives
with unnecessary information.

To achieve conciseness, observe the following suggestions:

 Eliminate wordy expressions.

 Include only relevant material.
 Avoid unnecessary repetition.

Eliminate Wordy Expressions:

The following are some concrete suggestions you can use to reduce wordiness in
your communication.
I. Use single-word substitutes instead of phrases whenever possible without
changing meanings.
Wordy: At t h i s t i m e
Concise: Now

Wordy: Due to the fa ct that

Concise: Because

Wordy: Have need for

Concise: Need
Wordy: In due course
Concise: Soon

2. Omit trite, unnecessary expressions.

Wordy: P l e ase be a d v i s e d th at your a d m i s s i o n
Statement was r e c e i v e d -

Concise: Y our a d m i s s i o n s ta t em ent has been received -

Wordy: A l l o w me to say h ow h e l p f u l y ou r response w a s -
Concise: Your last re sp on se was help ful '
3. Replace wordy conventional statements with concise versions .
Wordy: Please find a t t a c h ed the list you requested -
Concise: The list you requested is att ached-
Wordy: Such refreshing comm ents are few and far between -
Concise: Such refreshi ng co mm ent s are scarce.

4. Avoid overusing empty phrases.

Wordy; it was k n o w n by Mr. S m i t h t h at we m u s t reduce i n v e n t o r y -

Concise: Mr. S m i t h k n e w we mu s t r e d u c e i n v e n t o r y

Wordy: There are four r u l e s that s h o u l d be o b served •

Concise: Four rules s h o u l d be o b s e r v e d -

5. Omit "which" and "that" clauses whenever possible.

Wordy: She b ou ght desks t h a t are of the e x e c u tive type

Concise: She bought executive-type desks-

Wordy: The receipt that is enclosed docu ments

Your purchase.
Concise: The enclosed receipt documents your purchase-