1
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- Excess words—fat that doesn’t help communication
- Evidence that your pen or fingers got going before your brain did
- Evidence that you haven’t edited for your user’s convenience and
comprehension
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2
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- Divide the number of words cut by the number of words in the original
- Express the result as a percentage
- In most business communication, the LF is between 30-60%
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3
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- Find the weak verbs--e.g. ‘is’, ‘has’, ‘do’
- Find diluted noun strings by looking for prepositions
- Find passive voice
- Find fillers and wheel-spinners like ‘there is’ and ‘this memo is to
remind you that’
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4
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- Make the do-er of the action the grammatical subject of the sentence.
- Unsmother verbs--make them active.
- Use active voice whenever possible.
- Don’t use jargon for jargon’s sake.
- Read your writing aloud.
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5
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- Here are some exercises we will work on together.
- As you draft, set goals—for instance, try to revise each draft to cut
the length by 10%
- Focus on the parts readers look at most carefully—the intro and the
conclusion
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6
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- No—meet Deloitte Consulting’s “Bullfighter” program
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