Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Conciseness: The second 7 c's of effective communication’s

Conciseness refers to saying whatever we want in fewest in possible words without sacrificing the other C qualities. A concise message saves time and expense for both sender and receiver. Conciseness refers to elimination of unnecessary words and inclusion of interesting topics for the
recipients.

Conciseness comprises of following points to be kept in mind

a. Eliminating wordy expressions
It refers to replacing of long wordy expressions by shorter terms of same meaning and avoiding overusing empty phrases and limiting the use of passive voice

Example:
Situation 1
  • Wordy: At this time
  • Concise: Now
Situation 2
  • Wordy: She bought desk that are of executive type
  • Concise: She bought executive-type desks
b. Include only relevant material

The effective message should not only omit unnecessary word expression but also irrelevant material. It can be done in the following manner:
  1. Stick to the purpose of the message.
  2. Delete irrelevant words and rambling sentences
  3. Avoid long introductions, unnecessary explanation, excessive adjective
  4. Omit obvious information to the receiver
Example:
  • Wordy: We hereby wish to let you know that our company is pleased with the confidence you have reposed in us.
  • Concise: We appreciate your confidence.
c. Avoid unnecessary repetition

Sometimes repetition is necessary for emphasis but when same thing is repeated two or three times without any reason the message becomes wordy and boring. These can be done by sticking to the following points.
  • Use of shorter name i.e. for example if once you have mentioned Tomas College of Commerce and Economics once, you can write Tom.com instead of such a long name in later.
  • Use pronouns or acronyms or initials rather then repeating long names i.e. for example you should write ICC instead of writing International Cricket Council again and again.
  • Cut out all needless expressions and repetition of phrases of sentences

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