The Art of Conciseness: Writing Clearly and Directly

Why conciseness is key in the professional environment

In today's fast-paced professional environment, time and attention are limited resources.

Our written messages, whether emails or reports, compete with countless other tasks that our recipients must manage throughout the day.

If a message is too long, dense or difficult to read, it runs the risk of being postponed ("I'll read it later"), misinterpreted through a superficial reading or, in the worst case, completely ignored.

In addition, lack of conciseness can project an unprofessional image, as the ability to synthesize is a highly valued skill in most roles.

Therefore, being concise is not just a matter of style, but a strategic necessity to ensure that our communication is received, understood and attended to with the urgency it requires.

Techniques: Avoiding unnecessary words and using bulleted lists

There are simple techniques to make our texts more concise and digestible.

The first is to avoid unnecessary words.

Although a conversational tone is recommended, writing gives us the opportunity to review and eliminate redundancies that do not add value, such as using synonyms together ("collaboration and cooperation") or lengthening sentences unnecessarily.

The second technique is the use of bulleted lists.

When a message contains multiple points or a series of steps, organizing them into a list rather than a dense paragraph dramatically improves readability.

Lists add "air" to the text, make it easier to read quickly and often allow the same information to be expressed in fewer words, making the message clearer and more direct.

Eliminate useless introductory phrases to get straight to the point.

A common source of verbiage in written communication is introductory and polite phrases that, although well-intentioned, do not add any value to the message.

Phrases such as "I have received your mail" (which is obvious if you are responding) or "I am writing to inform you" are redundant and should be eliminated to get straight to the point.

Even closing sentences like "Feel free to contact me" are often unnecessary; if you want to invite contact, it is more direct and positive to write "I invite you to contact me".

The goal is to eliminate all the filler that delays getting to the heart of the m