Abstract

Differences exist between oral and written communication. For example, as a spoken message passes from one person to another, the accuracy of the message declines. Furthermore, we soon lose 50 percent of what we hear and within two days we'll lose another 25 percent. This article argues that written communication, thoughtfully and thoroughly revised, is a better way. The author asserts that the average length of a letter or memo can be cut in half with no change in meaning by purging it of three forms of clutter: redundancy, deadwood, and roundabout phrases.