More words don’t always translate into more meaning. That’s why it’s important to avoid wordiness in your writing, especially in a business setting. Your colleagues’ and customers’ time is precious. They need to know what you offer, need, or suggest quickly and concisely. If you find yourself rambling, it might be due to a lack…

Now more than ever, clarity in communication is important. We’re all adapting to more virtual meetings and a great deal more email communication. Documents that were discussed around a meeting table and then edited by a single person now make their way to multiple colleagues via email. We’ve become accustomed to common abbreviations in text…

In The Elements of Style, iconic authors William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White called word clutter “the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood out of words.” Yes, the same E.B. White who gave us beloved children’s stories like Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan and Charlotte’s Web also gave us…

When polishing your sentences, pay attention to the nuances of word order. To my eye (and ear), placing “short” before “long” works best. This applies to both sentences and lists. Here’s a simple example: “He was well respected and loved in the academic community.” I changed it to: “He was loved and well respected in…