Concise Writing and Speaking

Read this paragraph:

"A stamp is, to many people, just a slip of paper that takes a letter from one town or county to another. They are unable to understand why we stamp collectors find so much pleasure in collecting them and how we find time in which to indulge in our hobby. To them, it seems a waste of time, a waste of effort, and a waste of money."

Let's analyze this paragraph now:

• The above para is a stamp collector’s view on people who don’t understand the pleasure of collecting stamps.
• It has 3 sentences and
• 67 words.

In the para:

• The first sentence mentions what a stamp means to people who are not stamp collectors.
• The second sentence tells us what they think about stamp collecting.
• The third sentence repeats the idea in the second sentence and uses the phrase “waste of...” three times.

This para is considered wordy and thus, inconcise.

A sentence is wordy when it uses words that can be taken away without losing any of the meaning or grammar. And a para can be made concise by making the sentences concise and writing only as many sentences as are needed to convey an idea or build upon an idea.

Now, let's see if we can make this para shorter or more concise, without it losing its idea or essence.

"To many people, a stamp is merely something necessary for sending a letter. They fail to understand a stamp collector’s pleasure in collecting them and regard it a waste of time, effort, and money."

• The above para is a stamp collector’s view on people who don’t understand the pleasure of collecting stamps.
• It has 2 sentences and
• 34 words.

In the para:

• The first sentence mentions what a stamp means to people who who are not stamp collectors.
• The second sentence conveys what these people think about stamp collecting.
• The para does not repeat any phrases.

The new para is concise as it conveys the same idea as the earlier para, without using too many words.??

WHAT DOES “BEING CONCISE” REALLY MEAN?

Being “concise” means being able to convey everything that you want to say in as few words as possible. It thus involves stating only the important and relevant information and avoiding irrelevant ones. Thus, in writing, it is the strength of ideas that is more important than the number of words used to convey them.

It helps grab and hold your reader’s attention. It’s also likely to be more memorable and make a lasting impact on your reader.

WHY BE “CONCISE”?

Being concise can ensure that-

• Ideas/phrases/words are not repeated
• There is clarity, when it is read and
• It is easily understandable or comprehensible, by the reader.

How to write concisely:

1. The first step to writing concisely is to recognize that sentences are wordy.
2. The second step then moves on to making sentences concise by:??

• Trimming the number of words;
• Giving only substantive information and
• Getting to the point promptly.