Concision Is Important To Business Writing Because

Jamie Goodwin

Why Clear, Concise Writing Is So Important in Business

When writing for business, it's important to use clear, concise language. This means that word choice is of the utmost importance. By focusing on clear, concise writing, you'll discover the following five benefits to your writing.

Increased Strength

Circumlocution is when a writer uses many words when they could say the same thing in just a few words. By doing this, the writing becomes vague and seems to be evading the subject. As a business writer, you don't want to fall into this trap. Strengthen your writing by removing unnecessary adverbs, modifiers, and other words. Your readers will better understand what you're saying, and your words will seem stronger and more powerful.

Greater Effectiveness

If you want your reader to understand exactly what you're trying to say, you need to use the best word or words to express your ideas. As you do this, your ideas will pack a greater punch, leaving the reader with a positive lasting impression.

Short and Sweet

As you write to other members of the business community, you'll find that they have very little time to read an entire email or document. You need to quickly get your ideas across. By making your writing concise, you'll keep your writing short and to the point. That way, your readers will quickly understand the ideas without needing to skim the document.

Less Room for Interpretation

What does he mean by that? What does she want us to do exactly? Will your readers be asking these questions? When time is of the essence, you don't want to send a bunch of follow-up emails for clarification. Using clear language will ensure that your readers understand exactly what you want them to do, so you won't have several people interpreting your ideas in different ways.

Reaches a Wider Audience

Part of clear language means using words that are simple and easy to understand. You shouldn't assume that your readers know all the jargon and buzzwords of your industry. So, try to use clear words that everyone who reads your business writing can understand. For example, rather than saying that your reader should "utilize" your new product, tell them to simply "use" your new product.

Why is clear, concise writing so important in business? The answer comes down to one thing: your audience. Who are they? What do they know about the subject? Do they have a lot of time to read your writing? What impact do you want to have on your audience?

As you think about the answer to each of these questions, you'll find that clear, concise writing is the key to reaching your audience and helping them understand what you want them to know after reading your business writing.

Jamie graduated from Brigham Young University- Idaho with a degree in English Education. She spent several years teaching and tutoring students at the elementary, high school, and college level. She currently works as a contract writer and curriculum developer for online education courses. In her free time, she enjoys running and spending time with her boys!

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