How Clear & Concise Writing Will Set You Apart
- Scriptorium Team
- May 20
- 4 min read
Did you know that concision is one of the most underrated elements of good writing? In a world full of content, constant stimulation, and shorter attention spans, concise writing sets itself apart from the rest.
The ability to express ideas clearly, no matter how complex the topic, is a skill that takes time to master. Unfortunately, many people mistakenly equate length with depth when, in reality, brevity often requires greater thought and precision, especially when it comes to business and technical writing.
Concise Writing
Jargon, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is an obscure and often inaccessible language marked by circumlocutions and long words. Circumlocutions involve using an excessive number of words to convey a single idea. Jargon often uses specialized or overly technical language that can cause confusion and alienate readers unfamiliar with the language, making communication less effective. Writers who work with concision in mind ensure that the message is accessible to the broader audience.
Take this sentence, for example:
“To enhance overall system operational efficiency, it is recommended to implement query optimization strategies within the relational database management system to minimize processing time and resource consumption.”
This sentence is jargon-heavy and uses unnecessary words and complicated phrasing that can confuse or overwhelm the reader. Technical language surrounded by jargon will feel heavy and is difficult to comb through, which is why clarity is essential to explain these complicated technical concepts. In the sentence above, the same idea can be conveyed in a concise way that includes some of the technical terms mentioned: “To improve system performance, optimize database queries. Query optimization is used to access the database efficiently.”
In half the amount of words, we’ve conveyed the crux of the message and defined key terms as succinctly as possible. This demonstrates the power of concision and highlights the vital role of the technical writer as the bridge between information and the user. The technical writer takes jargon-heavy material, dissects the central message, and communicates the message through clear and accessible language.
Concise business and technical writing accomplishes the following:
Clear and effective messaging, leaving less room for confusion.
Visually digestible material that uses fewer words leads to better readability.
Professional and to-the-point voicing that explains messages clearly.
Concise Visuals
Similarly, concision also applies to visual elements of written documentation. Visuals play a significant role in business writing and often complement written content like reports or proposals in the form of presentations, infographics, and statistical diagrams.
Concise visuals have:
Clear focus with a simple and clean design and limited text.
Clear organizational structure and layout using:
Headlines
Brand colours
Visuals of different sizes (to direct the reader’s gaze)
Consistent layout and structure according to established themes.
Relevant data using charts or graphs with clear labels.
White space to help the reader process the information being presented.
A concise report paired with concise visuals provides the reader with focused information that is easy to understand.
Most clients prefer written content that gets straight to the point without unnecessary embellishments. In fact, concision can be just as beneficial of a tool for clients as it is for writers. When clients communicate their needs clearly and concisely, writers can better understand the vision from the start, removing one layer of the back-and-forth that often accompanies writing projects. By prioritizing concision, both clients and writers can communicate more effectively.
Scriptorium’s Process
At Scriptorium, we keep the following key points in mind to incorporate concision into our writing process:
Use the most effective words to communicate meaning.
For example, “make a decision about” in the phrase “We need to make a decision about whether we should move forward with the project” can be replaced with “decide” to make the sentence more concise and effectively communicate the same meaning: “We need to decide whether to move forward with the project.”
Be direct and avoid wordy phrases by using the least amount of words to communicate meaning.
For example, instead of saying “free gift,” say “gift” as it’s implied to be free. Instead of saying “due to the fact that,” use “because,” and instead of “as well as,” use “and.”
Use strong verbs to replace weak or overused verbs.
For example, instead of “make a decision,” use “decide.”
Ensure the succinct final delivery of the main message to the reader. The reader should be able to identify the core message easily.
Use active voice since passive voice tends to be wordier.
For example, instead of “The report was written by the manager,” use “The manager wrote the report.”
Avoid filler words such as “just,” “really,” “actually,” “basically,” etc.
Use lists or bullet points to present information more efficiently, avoiding long chunks of text.
Read aloud to spot unnecessary and/or cluttered phrases.
By prioritizing concision, writers can craft clear and impactful documents, while clients can communicate with writers more effectively. Concise communication, using language and visuals, helps convey powerful ideas that ensure clients’ needs are understood from the start. By embracing strategies to implement this style of communication, writers and clients foster smoother collaborations, leading to more polished results.
Surrounded by wordy documents that need a refresh to concise communications? Let’s work together to make your team’s documentation more readable!
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