Clarity

Readers, like writers, are busy people, and they are unlikely to spend time trying to decipher the
meaning of wordy, vague, or confusing text. Therefore, writers should themselves spend the time to
ensure that their writing is as clear as possible.

Writing clearly should be one of the most important objectives, if not the most important objective, of
good writers. The ability to write clearly is of course a skill that is learned over time, primarily through
reading good writing and through the actual act of writing. Like any skill, the more you write, the clearer
and more effective your writing will become.

Avoid Jargon

Jargon is specialized language used by the members of a particular field or industry, organization, or
other group. Though it may be acceptable and even useful among the members of the specific group,
jargon should be avoided when writing to a general audience. Even when used among members of a
specific group, jargon sometimes causes sentences to be needlessly wordy. In such cases, the sentence
should be revised.

Avoid Obsolete or Invented Words

In most contexts, it is best to avoid using words that are obsolete and no longer used or that are
invented. Invented words (or neologisms) include those that are too new to the lexicon to be standard;
many such words are never accepted into the language. In formal writing, a neologism should be used
solely if it is the only word that will convey your meaning.

Avoid Slang

Slang is nonstandard language made up of usually short-lived, expressive words and phrases. Though
some slang words are eventually accepted as standard language, many are not. Because slang words
often do come and go very quickly, they lend an informal tone and should therefore be avoided in most
types of writing.

Avoid Regional and Colloquial Expressions

Regional expressions are sayings used in a particular part of a country, and a colloquial expression is an
expression not used in formal speech or writing. (A colloquial style is an informal or conversational, or
even folksy, style.) Like slang, regional and colloquial expressions are also best avoided in most writing
contexts because such expressions may not be understood by those outside of a particular group and
because they lend an informal tone to one’s writing

Don’t Misuse Words

Though it is admirable to use new words and to work to expand your vocabulary, it is important to make
sure that you are using a word correctly before including it in your writing, particularly if the writing will
be read by large number of people or by influential people in your field.
A thesaurus, for example, is a very handy tool for finding new words, but make sure when you use it that
you do so with care so that you don’t choose words that might cause embarrassment to you or
misunderstanding or confusion for your readers.

Use That When Needed

For sentences that contain a that clause following the main clause, including the that often helps the
meaning to be more clear by better showing how the sentence parts work together. In some cases, if
that is left out, readers may misunderstand the meaning of the sentence.

Use Words with Appropriate Connotations

Many words have both denotations (literal or dictionary meanings) as well as connotations (emotional
meanings). For example, the word sweat denotes a salty fluid secreted by sweat glands, but it connotes
hard work and dedication. Because of this distinction, it is important to pay attention to both the
denotation and the connotation of words. If the connotations of a word do not seem appropriate for the
context of your writing, choose a different word. A good thesaurus can help you come up with a suitable
synonym if one does not readily come to mind.

Avoid Euphemisms

Euphemisms are milder or less negative words that are used in place of a harsh, blunt, or offensive word.
Like jargon, they are often needlessly wordy, indirect, and sometimes even misleading. For this reason,
most euphemisms should be replaced.

Use Figures of Speech with Care

A figure of speech is an expression that uses language in a nonliteral way. Figures of speech are most
frequently used to compare two dissimilar things in order to reveal unexpected similarities between
them. Two common devices for doing so are similes and metaphors. A simile compares two things using
the word like or as, as in the expression cool as a cucumber. A metaphor makes a similar comparison, but
without the use of like or asAvoid Being Too Formal or Too Informal

Part of analyzing the purpose of your writing and the needs of your anticipated audience is determining
the tone you want to use. For most types of academic and business writing, a somewhat formal tone is
best. An informal style, on the other hand, is best reserved for personal correspondence with friends and
family or communication with other close associates. Once you have determined which style is
appropriate for a particular document, be consistent; readers can be easily distracted or even confused
by writing that switches between a formal and informal style.

Conciseness :

Author Elie Wiesel describes the process this way:

"Writing is not like painting where you add. It is not what you put on the canvas that the reader sees.
Writing is more like a sculpture where you remove, you eliminate in order to make the work visible. Even
those pages you remove somehow remain. There is a difference between a book of two hundred pages
from the very beginning, and a book of two hundred pages, which is the result of an original eight
hundred pages. The six hundred pages are there. Only you don’t see them."

Choose short, common and concrete words for your writing. As far as possible, try to avoid jargon,
slang, and/or technical words. Every word you are using should help you in conveying the meaning you
have in mind. If there are two words conveying more or less than same meaning, select that word which
is more common and easily understandable.

(iii) Arrange your words well. Most often you will see that, if you choose the right words, they are being
arranged easily and meaningfully.

(iv) Do not tire your readers with long and/or unnecessary sentences. Do not throw a challenge to them.
If you find you have slipped into writing long and extremely complex sentences (running into six or seven
lines and having a number of conjunctions) revise your draft. Split them up into several short sentences.

(v) Generally, a business letter contains only one main idea or one piece of information. If you find that
your letter is dealing with a number of points, express each and every point in a small and distinct
paragraph. Remember that long paragraphs usually bore the reader into skimming through your letter.

Avoid Verbosity

A study of business communication reveals that there is a lot of deadwood and verbosity in it. Often
phrases and clauses are used without thought. Some such expressions and their suitable substitutes are
given below.
Big-Picture Revision

How much revision you'll need to do will depend on the length of your work and how closely you were
able to follow your outline. Before making changes, take a step back and compare your outline to the
draft, always keeping in mind the old adage, when it comes to concise writing, "less is more."

Reducing Redundancy and Repetition

Once you've honed your message, you reach sentence-level editing. This is where the scissors and
scalpel come in—and the hatchet goes back in the closet. Review each paragraph for instances in which
you've said the same thing in multiple ways. This occurs fairly often when something has a difficult or
explanation.

The solution is either to combine the best parts of redundant sentences or to start over and clarify the
point you're trying to make. Don't be afraid to restructure sentences or to condense ideas. The more
clearly and cleanly you write, the better your readers will comprehend your message. Look at the
following example for reference:

Fast Facts: 4 Rules for Concise Writing

Avoid jargon.

Keep it simple. The less flowery your prose, the more accessible will be.

Use shorter words instead of long ones when appropriate.

Edit out empty phrases and delete common redundancies.

More Ways to Cut Wordiness

One red flag for redundancy is sentences that are overly long. If you suspect something's overwritten, try
reading it out loud. Does it sound awkward to the ear? Do you have to pause to take a breath? Does your
meaning go off track? If the answer is yes, there are some things you can do to separate the wheat from
the chaff:
Can your sentence be understood without excess adjectives and adverbs? If so, delete them.

Changing a verb can create a stronger image.

Qualifiers and intensifiers—such as "very" and "extremely"—are usually just filler.

While sometimes it's better to spell it all out, use contractions when you can. It sounds more
conversational and less stilted. "That's just the way it is" is preferable to "That is just the way it is."

Rephrase passive "there is/are" constructions. Eliminating "to be" verbs will make your sentences
stronger.

Cut extraneous instances of "there is" and "that." For example: "There is a rule on the books to cover
appropriate fence styles for the homeowners' association" is not as clear or concise as "The
homeowners' association rulebook covers appropriate fence styles."

Review anything in parentheses or between dashes, which can sometimes send a reader off on a
winding path. When possible, let the phrases stand alone as sentences.

Break sentences of more than 25–30 words into smaller sentences.

While there are exceptions, as a general rule, avoid using the passive voice.

Completeness :

Advantages :

Complete communication develops and enhances reputation of an organization.

Moreover, they are cost saving as no crucial information is missing and no additional cost is incurred in
conveying extra message if the communication is complete.

A complete communication always gives additional information wherever required. It leaves no

questions in the mind of receiver.
Complete communication helps in better decision-making by the audience/readers/receivers of message
as they get all desired and crucial information.

It persuades the audience.