Myth #3 - Readers have to be fully informed

This is the third article in the series in which we clear up some common myths about business writing. Here we talk about overly-detailed emails and reports.

Myth — readers have to be fully informed.

Reality — they only have to be reasonably informed.

It’s tempting to think that the more information we provide, the better informed the reader will be. But this is based on the mistaken assumption that we need all of the information to reach a decision.

In reality, you don’t have to say it all; you just have to say enough. All your reader needs is a reasonably informed opinion. If you try and say too much, you ultimately end up saying nothing, because people might not remember it (assuming they even accept to wade through all the detail).

This is especially true for reports and proposals, where people rarely read the entire thing from cover to cover. Instead, they’re more likely to focus on the executive summary, and then scan through the rest looking for the salient points.

In the example below, do you really need a laundry list of reference customers?

Avoiding unnecessary detail is a major step forward in making your writing more accessible. The next step is to make your writing understandable through your choice of language. And this means clearing up Myth # 4 — you must use formal language.