Complex sentences consist of at least one dependent clause followed by at least one independent clause: While Amanita looked for the ball, Fido chased a grasshopper. This could be a good way to focus on ways to improve company strategy, rather than focusing on a single person’s performance (and avoid calling out a single employee in a potentially public setting). Imagine an entire report full of this: Even though you are reading excellent news, you’re about to keel over from the monotony, aren’t you? To speak faster than we read is a very true statement. For online articles, a paragraph should not exceed four or five lines. Did I use proper grammar and punctuation? “Due to a truck driver’s strike, we could not ship the goods on time.”. There’s a whole different response when the sentence tells the important news first. Your email address will not be published. This research suggests that between 20 and 25 words is the maximum for solid comprehension. Do you start sentences with “What it is, is . Why is the passive voice so hated? Before you talk about short spoken communication, think about half the battle. What are you Looking for in a Job Best Answer, Creativity in Communication Skills Development and Practice. Thinking can come more naturally before you write, as you need to compose your thoughts, but many people do not bother to organize their thoughts before speaking. Remember, your goal is not to make your sentences short, your goal is to convey your ideas clearly and to avoid ambiguity. Conciseness is a necessity for effective communication. Conciseness 49. Despite this sentences being completely grammatically sound, we don’t know who lost the sale if we only read the passive sentence. Reserve passive verbs for the moment you need to say “no” in a message. Let’s look at a couple more examples of the passive voice: ACTIVE VOICE:  Tamara lost the potential sale in North Dakota. Conciseness is communicating complete information about a topic or idea in a few words. This makes it almost impossible to talk briefly. You do not have the time or space to deli-dally. Keeping contacts is an example of conciseness of communication. Narrow this idea as much as possible. Those two items are identical, except for the price tag we added. “Fido chased a grasshopper” can stand alone, so it is an independent clause.]. A concise message is complete without being wordy. Software for creating and editing videos has evolved to be almost as common as word processing. Clarity is an example of consciousness of communication. Have I identified myself clearly? ACTIVE VOICE: You cannot have a raise at this time. Finally, watch your wordiness. Stick with it. Quiz & Worksheet - Conciseness in Technical Communication Quiz; Course; Start today. Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a569ec1ddf622ce6b3e8eaeee2036519" );document.getElementById("d39888702e").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Notify me of follow-up comments by email. However, taking a moment to think about how they work and what they do will help you become  more concise and clear. The passive is created using the verb to be (e.g., the song is sung; it was struck from behind). Practice makes permanent. We have to clear these lines of customers quickly. PASSIVE VOICE: A raise can not be given at this time. . o Accuracy, Clarity, Conciseness, and Coherence o Audience o Verb Tense Conventions in Technical Writing o Organizing Information o Avoiding Common Style Problems … Effective Technical Communication . After all, it’s been used in this paragraph already (twice now!). Of creating a 1-page resume and a customer types for more engaging reading more and... 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