Get to the Point: Write Clearly, Concisely, and Professionally!
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2024
- When we email someone for work, or write professionally, we need to get right to the point. This saves our reader time and helps them know what to do (what action to take) in response.
Make your writing clear and actionable by avoiding fluff words and get right to the point. To do this, avoid slow introductory statements in your sentences. Avoid "fluff" words that only add wordiness-not meaning.
Fluff words exist but don’t contribute to meaning, making your writing unclear and unprofessional. So why are they there? In this video Erin Lebacqz shows us how to avoid slow lead-ins, a bad habit often learned in school to satisfy word count. In business writing and professional writing, readers prefer that writers cut the fluff.
Fluff words and slow lead-ins frustrate readers by delaying meaning and make your writing tedious and imprecise. So using Erin's easy tips will help you express your thoughts and provide your readers information in concise, professional and powerful sentences.
VIDEO CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:22 - Avoid slow lead-ins
01:09 - What the Fluff?
02:04 - Example of slow lead-in
02:40 - Examples of Fluff
03:17 - Common slow lead-ins
04:35 - Put the meaning in front
05:16 - Frontload meaning with Who & What
06:29 - Start on a concise tone
If you enjoyed this video, please share and leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you and understand your writing challenges.
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She’s stunning and informative. Great advice, thanks. Will implement this.
Glad to hear the advice resonated, @VKjkd! Let me know how it goes when you try out the strategy! 🤗
I feel this is the sort of thing that, once you see it you can never unsee. All my future readers thank you (as do I)
Ha ha yeah, that’s a great point. Once we know the slow intro isn’t helpful, we’re pretty much done with that habit. 😅
Once "What the Fluff?!?!" rings in our minds... it's hard to forget. :)
Great comment, thanks!
Thank you so much for preparing useful videos. Could you please share your prespective about word choice in professional writing? How do email writers consider word choice? How do your clients develop word choice for writing?
Thanks for your question. Sometimes, email writers can choose their words by thinking about their reader. This video shows quickly how thinking of our reader can help us make writing choices: czcams.com/users/shortsDM3dUTLAycE
Also, for professional writing, we usually find less theory and more practical information. So, writers would use more practical words vs more theoretical words.
For example:
- More academic: As past societies have often found, implementing changes in an economic system can require decades of analysis and application.
- More professional: Just like in the past, today's societies face obstacles when adapting their economic systems.
Great videos! So how do we rewrite the example given "This is to inform..to complete tour file"? Thanks
Thank you! And thanks for your question. Here are a couple good options for that revision, each bringing the reader's focus to something/someone specific:
- We need [Document B] to complete your file. (focuses on our needs)
- Please submit [Document B] to complete your file. (focuses on their action)
- Your file needs X and Y to be up-to-date. (focuses on the task at hand-the file)
It's basically a combo of leading with Who+What, to make the writing concise, and then choosing who/what to spotlight.
Here's a recent video on that idea of spotlighting btw! :) czcams.com/video/FO6aMWmtv9Q/video.html
Funny beginning 🤣. I can't wait to go write and implement your teachings. 🙏🏽
🤪🤪 Sounds great! New video (on using bullets) posting within the hour!
Just watched the vid. Sooo good! 🙏🏽
Just rewatched this vid. Does this method apply outside business writing...say, creative writing?
@@bathos22 This is one of my favorite videos too. 😊
Thank you! I am learning to write articles, and this was super helpful. I love how you demonstrated this.
I'm glad to hear it, Doreen. I agree that looking at the beginning of our sentences will be super helpful for writing articles!
Thank you so much.
You're welcome, best wishes!
I like this: Get to the point, cut the crap. Nice video.
Thanks so much, Dave; glad to meet you here at the channel! We have LOTS of videos on keeping things brief; here's a new one from last Friday: czcams.com/video/drCOOQqmwt4/video.html
Thanks for your comment!