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Brevity...tips?

P

Poppy98

Active Member
What are your tips when you're trying to be succinct, but also very clear in communication?






My best tip is to write things the way that I normally would then go back through and eliminate anything redundant.

Ex.
If I understood the reading correctly, I think the author is probably trying to say that one should always begin with the end in mind.

To
I belive he is saying that one should always begin with the end in mind.




Summaries also help when I am concerned that someone will take something the wrong way if I don't explain, but also want them to be able to look at the email and know within two seconds all of the major points and what to add to their to-do list.



Also bolding the points/formatting, clearly.


How about you?
 
Pretty much the same. It's rare that what I first write is what others actually see.

I was required to take an effective writing class in the Air Force. It pretty much covered these ideas.
 
Poppy98 said:
My best tip is to write things the way that I normally would then go back through and eliminate anything redundant.

Ex.
If I understood the reading correctly, I think the author is probably trying to say that one should always begin with the end in mind.

To
I belive he is saying that one should always begin with the end in mind.
Click to expand...

Reduce to:

One should always begin with the end in mind, he says.

Put the important part of the sentence first.

Autists tend to want to over explain. Eliminating the excess words and explanations has been a challenge for me, too.
 
Points taken. ;)

I mean, for so many of us we are apt to use 50 words where exasperated NTs would use less than 10. When you become somewhat calloused for sounding "pedantic" or posting "diatribes".

Though it became "crunch time" for me when I entered the private sector to work in. Where the business culture had a very stern and somewhat old-fashioned regimen of written communication:

"With reference to the captioned, please be advised:" - Not friendly or cordial. :rolleyes:

Luckily in the middle of one career this was abruptly brought to a halt, and we were formally told to write the way we would speak to one in person. To be just that- succinct, but at the same time brief as you're always on "the corporation's dime".

And one other thing an underwriting manager once emphasized to our department was his simple concept of "kiss-kick-kiss". Be cordial at the opening, then use the body of your message to convey seriousness and necessary compliance. Then end it with cordiality again. Sounded funny at first, but he was quite serious in being consistent about it.
 
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Same. It's a wonder that my only job hasn't been as an editor, but I guess that I get tired of it just doing it naturally otherwise all of the time.
 
Poppy98 said:
Many of my social skills atm are wordy methods.
Click to expand...

I suspect most of us default to those "wordy methods". And yes, it does take some getting used to in adapting to being both brief and succinct. Just try not to beat yourself up in the process...;)
 
People keep telling me that they don't want an essay, they want something less than a page and laid out with bullet points. But I write pretty much the same as I speak and I don't know how to speak in bullet points.

(reminds me of those kids in school that thought reading was hard work and hated it)

Socially I can be quite a story teller and keep people interested and entertained but I don't need to use as many words because facial features and body language speak volumes all by themselves. When writing I try to paint a scene in a similar manner to when I'm telling a story. Those same people that want me to write in bullet points will hang off my every word in real life and keep asking for more.
 
The rule of 3s:

1. Take whatever you want to say, and divide it into 3 main points.

2. Explain each of the 3 main points in NO MORE than 3 sentences.

3. Respond to questions, using no more than 3 sentences.
 
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