JS Tip 268: The Conciseness Series: Get Rid of the Big Words and the Extra Words

Tips from Jefferson Smith Training and Consulting

** From the Writing Workshops: The Conciseness Series: Get Rid of the Big Words and the Extra Words

Get Rid of the Big Words

Big words do not make you sound smart; they make you sound pompous.

The greatest communicators—from Julius Caesar to Abraham Lincoln to Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama—use short words.

Instead of utilize, write use.

Instead of component, write part.

Instead of adjacent, write nearby. Or next.

Get Rid of the Extra Words

All too often, we flash back to the eighth grade and the 500-word essay. We pad our writing.

But when was the last time you had a 500-word minimum in business or technical writing? Exactly. Never. Nope. Not ever.

Instead of at this point in time, write now.

Instead of due to the fact that, write because.

Instead of few in number (duh), write few.

You’ll be more readable. You’ll be more understandable. You’ll be more concise.

What are your questions? Let us know. This is fun. It really is.

 

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