Crisp, Not Crispy Communications

I once worked with an executive who wasn’t a native English speaker. She was also a fan of very succinct communications. I will never forget her asking me to make text “crisp” – slides, emails, flyers. Then, she’d challenge me again. “Make it crispy!” she’d say.

While I’d internally smirk about her superlative for crisp, the at-times verbose writer in me would cringe. Strunk and White have a valid point – “omit needless words.” The operative word there is needless.

When is a word needed? In the context of business communications, in the age of AI, in our ever-faster, risk-adverse world obsessed with minimalism, when should we lean on the side of more words?

Crisp, Not Crunchy

Be succinct, but never sacrifice substance. Whether long or short, empty communications starve your audience. Have you ever bitten into an onion ring missing its onion? That’s the risk of over editing.

Burnt bits lack flavor. Does your voice come through or does the piece sound like an algorithmic compilation of a Large Language Model (LLM) – trained on human writing but clearly inanimate? If the piece lacks humanity, so will your readers’ engagement.   

Crunchy writing is tempting because fewer words provide less to critique…or so people think. If your goal is to avoid feedback and appease everyone, then you shouldn’t be writing. Put the pen down and grab a vanilla ice cream cone. While that treat is accepted by many, scant writing melts clarity and fails to endear an audience. Don’t be too cool – or too afraid – to be clear. 

Some err on the side of crispy communications thinking they are serving a time-taxed, easily distracted audience. When someone invests their precious time to engage with your content, ensure they walk away informed, entertained, inspired or enlightened. Wasting someone’s time with empty writing is a disservice.

Fried Chicken Communications

When writing and editing, don your chef’s hat and seek to serve delicious fried chicken. Go slow; don’t overcook it. Provide readers with a well-seasoned, filling bite with a crisp breading they won’t forget.

To the Point

Crisp communications are clear, memorable and human. Avoid getting too crispy!

Image sources: Wix GIFs and Copilot, prompted by the author