Collaboration & Process › Communication

Writing Clearly

Lead with the point, be specific, keep it short.

Also known as: clear writing, bottom line up front

Clear writing lets the reader act on your message without rereading it. For messages at work, such as status updates, pull requests and chat threads, three habits help most: lead with the point, be specific, and keep it short.

Lead with what the reader needs to do or know. Put the request or the result in the first line, and the context after it.

Vague:    "So I've been looking at the checkout code and there were some things."
Clear:    "Checkout fails for saved cards over $500. I have a fix; can you review it by Thursday?"

Be specific. Replace “soon” with a date, “slow” with a number, and “a few issues” with the actual list. Define any term your readers might not know.

The classic mistake is writing a message that makes the reader search for the point. Long messages also get skipped, so cut anything that doesn’t help the reader act. Reread your message once before sending, and ask whether someone could reply to it without asking a follow-up question.