It takes practice to communicate well. Being a great
writer or
communicator is a kind of
superpower that makes nearly every aspect of your life easier. But with great
power comes great responsibility; the clarifying power of language can also be
used to confound.

I am worried about the escalation of document length I have observed recently.
Simple questions receive lengthy responses.
People blow past guidelines on document lengths. Paragraphs have five
sentences when they could have one. Sentences have fifty words when they could
have five. I appreciate rigor but this is something else entirely.

I have tackled this phenomenon before as it relates to the use of corporate
speak when breaking bad news. But there
are more common techniques that make it costly for the audience to engage;
they are too long, contain too much jargon, and are formulaic or repetitive.

Writing of this form usually comes from a place of good intention. Our desire
to maintain harmony can cause us to be indirect about uncomfortable truths.
Our desire to influence can cause us to pre-emptively address every arcane
objection. Our desire to impress can cause us to use more language than
necessary. And the expectations we have internalized about corporate
communication often cause us to write in a way we never would to our friends.

When I was working on ads one of the values we developed for our leadership
team was to Be
Plainspoken.
That means communicating in an unadorned manner. It means having the
conviction to be honest with one another so we can all improve. It means being
direct not out of cruelty but out of an abundance of
kindness.

I think we should all aspire to be plainspoken.