Thursday, February 7, 2013

Getting to the Point


         
We are taught as Public Relations students to get to the point as quickly as possible. But for most of us, getting to the point appears harder than it should be. 

A common misconception in writing is that longer is better, but this is far from the case. Professionals don’t want to read an email that is 8 sentences long when it only needs to be 3. Professionals don’t want people to waste their time with useless information. Don’t drag your message out; get to the message and get to it as quickly as possible.  

The following are the most commonly used phrases professionals recommend we cut from our writing.

    1. All things considered  
            2. As a matter of fact
            3. As already stated
            4. As far as I’m concerned
            5. At the present time
            6. By means of
            7. Due to the fact that
            8. For all intents and purposes
            9. For the purpose of
           10. The fact that
           11. In a manner of speaking
           12. In the event that
           13. Needless to say

By cutting these phrases, ones writing will not only be respected but also valued by professionals. If you don’t waste professionals’ time, then they won’t waste yours. 

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