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 eople
write to communicate thoughts and ideas. If no one reads what
we write or can't understand our message, then we are wasting
our time and theirs. In a business context, our writing needs
to be clear, simple and concise. People are busy. They don't have
time to wade through jargon, excess verbiage and obscure words.
Communicate your thoughts clearly!
For
example, here are two memos. Which would you rather read?
"This
is a memo for the purpose of informing you of an upcoming meeting.
The meeting will be held on Friday, January 17, 2003. The time
for the meeting is 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Our intention for this
meeting is to discuss various issues surrounding ... and to brainstorm
ideas and solutions to this conundrum. It would be greatly appreciated
if you could please inform me either today or tomorrow, preferably
today, if you will or will not be attending this meeting. Thank
you for your consideration of this request. I look forward to
hearing from you."
...OR...
"There
will be a meeting on January 17 from 9 - 10 AM. We will discuss...
Be prepared to share ideas on overcoming this problem. Please
let me know TODAY whether or not you will be attending. Thank
you."
Okay,
so maybe the examples are a bit extreme, but I'm sure you get
the point. We are all guilty, at some time, of getting a little
wordy. This bogs down the communication process. Eliminate words
and phrases that add nothing to the content. Get to the point
quickly and clearly and you will have better success in achieving
your aims.
Of
course, getting quickly to the point doesn't cancel out being
pleasant and courteous. Remember, though, that business writing
is for business. It isn't usually appropriate to be too chatty
or overly friendly.
Also,
using long, obscure words is not a good idea. Sometimes that long,
obscure word will be the perfect word to get your idea across
and, in that case, you should use it. But don't use a unusual
word if a short, common word fits. People shouldn't have to get
out their dictionary to understand you.
Communicate
your message clearly, simply, concisely. Your readers will appreciate
it.
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UPCOMING
WORKSHOPS 
February
March
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Get
this newsletter in your inbox every month...
We
all have dreams and goals. Reaching your goals is possible, if
you keep three things in mind:
1. When making your goals, be very specific.
2. Create
a plan of action to reach these goals.
3. Stick
to your plan until you succeed.
This
seems simple enough, but, as most of us know, it's hard to do.
Let's discuss each of the three points in the next few newsletters.
Hopefully we'll all learn something to help us succeed in reaching
our goals.
To
read back issues of Knight Views, go to the archives.
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