Readers and audiences treasure concise writing. Concise sentences and paragraphs grip your reader’s attention and help them focus on your main point. More concise writing will also help you, the writer, organise your ideas and streamline your overall writing process.
1. Adopt the reader's perspective. Put yourself in the reader's shoes to assess your clarity. Better yet, ask a colleague to summarize the main points of your draft from a quick read-through.
2. Keep your language simple. Strive to use short words and sentences. Aim for an average of 20 words or less in each sentence. With every one, ask yourself whether you can say it more briefly.
3. Show, don't tell. Be specific enough that readers draw their own conclusions (that match yours, of course), as opposed to expressing your opinions without support and hoping people will agree.
The above leadership tip...
was sent in response to a question from a participant on our acclaimed 10/10 leadership development and mentoring programme. Whether you're a first time manager or an experienced leader, straightforward, practical advice on best practice is hard to find. Until now. To find out how you, your team or your organisation can benefit, please contact us.