Clarity of expression is an art form and one that is put to the test in the modern business world by emails and instant messages where accuracy is often sacrificed to brevity.
I receive lots of IM's that simply say "Hi". Does the sender mean "Hello how are you today"? Or are they simply finding out if I am working that day? Or do they want to know if I can help them right away? Probably the latter.
Legal documents used to be drafted without punctuation so that there could be fewer disputes over their meaning. I am reminded of this in some of the texts I receive.
I recall seeing a software licence drafted by a computer programmer - it definitely resembled source code! I also once saw a legal agreement that used the expression "hereinafterbefore" which at any level does not work.
Lack of clarity in communication can be a catastrophe in the military and is often the sign of poor leadership. in any field.
Simplicity, structure and brevity of expression are for me the signs of good communication.
“A man who uses a great many words to express his meaning is like a bad marksman who instead of aiming a single stone at an object takes up a handful and throws at it in hopes he may hit.” Samuel Johnson.
I receive lots of IM's that simply say "Hi". Does the sender mean "Hello how are you today"? Or are they simply finding out if I am working that day? Or do they want to know if I can help them right away? Probably the latter.
Legal documents used to be drafted without punctuation so that there could be fewer disputes over their meaning. I am reminded of this in some of the texts I receive.
I recall seeing a software licence drafted by a computer programmer - it definitely resembled source code! I also once saw a legal agreement that used the expression "hereinafterbefore" which at any level does not work.
Lack of clarity in communication can be a catastrophe in the military and is often the sign of poor leadership. in any field.
Simplicity, structure and brevity of expression are for me the signs of good communication.
“A man who uses a great many words to express his meaning is like a bad marksman who instead of aiming a single stone at an object takes up a handful and throws at it in hopes he may hit.” Samuel Johnson.
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