Brevity and clarity: The key to effective texts

Conciseness is the secret to powerful communication. When you learn to express thoughts precisely, you manage to captivate readers and convey your message clearly. This guide shows you how to write texts that score in conciseness while being clear and understandable.

Key insights

• The short-term memory stores thoughts for only about 3 seconds.
• Sentences with 11 to 14 words are optimally understandable.
• Main clauses are clearer and catchier than complex subordinate clauses.
• Passive sentences can disrupt the flow of your text.

Step-by-step guide

1. Understanding the power of syllables

Your short-term memory can store thoughts for about 3 seconds, which corresponds to roughly 12 syllables. If you write longer sentences, you risk the reader losing the thread. To prevent this, make sure to structure your content so that it stays within this limit.

2. Shaping the reading flow

Long and complex sentences prevent the reader from grasping the meaning of your text. Ensure that your sentences are concise and that you fully elaborate on only one thought in each sentence. You shouldn't go longer than 3 seconds to maintain the reader's interest.

3. The structure of your sentence

Focus on main clauses with subject, predicate, and object. This structure is best understood and sticks in memory. Use subordinate clauses only for additional explanations and avoid inserted subordinate clauses. They disrupt the flow of reading and can seem confusing.

4. Avoid passive sentences

Passive sentences often lead to your language becoming unnecessarily complicated. They can disrupt the dynamic flow of a text by moving the predicate to the end. When forces of subject and action are clearly presented, your text appears livelier and more direct.

5. Examples of famous sentences

Conciseness not only makes texts clearer but also more memorable. Famous sentences like “Ich bin ein Berliner” or “Yes, we can” illustrate how effective short sentences can be in conveying strong messages. Keep your statements equally concise.

6. Shortening content

Take a look at the texts in your course materials and shorten them. Stick to the basic rules of text shortening that you have read through before. Consider which information is essential and which can be omitted to convey the message clearly.

7. Avoiding nominalizations

In the next chapter, you will learn more about nominalizations and why they have no place in your texts. Keep your language active and dynamic to continue captivating your readers.

Summary - Effective Writing: The Art of Conciseness

By applying the principles of effective writing presented, you can produce concise and clearly understandable texts. By conveying essential information in short sentences, you significantly improve the reading experience.