1) People have short attention spans, and
2) "Misinterpretation is a phenomenon of communication."
- Jane Lorand
To overcome these barriers and communicate your message effectively,
1) Get to the point, and
2) Eliminate ambiguity in your message
Be clear and concise.
Here are what I think are the top ten benefits of being clear in concise in business communication (not listed in any particular order):
1. Reduce the chance of misinterpretation of your message. Clarity eliminates ambiguity and confusion. Ensure alignment of everyone involved.
2. Set the precedent for organizational structure with the people you are working with. From the beginning, establish clear and concise communication and encourage others to follow suit. When everyone on your team communicates effectively, the work is more organized and efficient.
3. Your coworkers, business partners, and employees will have more trust and confidence in your leadership skills. Being clear and concise displays your clarity of thought. People have more confidence in what you say because it shows that you know exactly what you are doing and what needs to be done. Build trust, strengthen team cohesion, and create a more productive working environment.
4. Your coworkers, business partners, and employees will have more confidence in themselves. People are more self-assured when they understand exactly what they are supposed to be doing and why they are doing it. Confidence leads to higher quality work.
5. Maintain your audience’s interest and attention. Don’t bore people with lengthy explanations. Cater to people's short attention spans.
6. Clarify your ideas to yourself. By communicating a clear message to others, you first have to make it clear to yourself. Ensure that your message is coherent before you share it with others.
7. Create a more knowledgeable workplace. Spread knowledge and increase understanding among everyone. Create a smarter, well-informed, more productive workplace.
8. Save time and maximize efficiency. Valuable time is wasted when it is spent trying to decipher a complicated message.
9. Maintain focus. When you don’t convolute your ideas with extra words, you can get straight to the point and eliminate tangents. Everyone understands exactly what needs to be done.
10. Easier to point out flaws or weaknesses and identify where improvements need to be made. It is difficult to make improvements and get feedback for a complicated business plan. A coherent message is easily broken into components to analyze and improve upon.
