Conciseness

Conciseness is the quality of expressing ideas with the fewest words necessary to convey meaning clearly and completely. It emphasizes essential information, precise terminology, and efficient communication, without omitting important details or sacrificing accuracy. Conciseness applies across writing and speech, from journalism to technical reports.

Key principles include word economy, avoiding redundancy, and choosing precise terms. Prefer active voice and strong verbs, minimize qualifiers and filler words, and use direct sentence structure. Clear organization, parallel construction, and consistent terminology also support concise expression.

Techniques involve editing for brevity: remove superfluous phrases, combine related sentences, substitute long phrases with single words, and replace vague terms with specific nouns. Read aloud to identify awkward spots. Use outlines to plan content and prioritize essential points.

Examples: “In my opinion, I think that” → “I think that”; “due to the fact that” → “because”; “at this point in time” → “now.” Avoid dithering or restating the same idea. Ensure the result remains clear and complete.

Context matters: in journalism or technical writing, conciseness aids readability and retention; in legal or scientific writing, precision and explicit definitions are essential. Conciseness is a skill developed by practice, editing, and awareness of audience needs.