Communication in the workplace is crucial, and effective business writing is one integral key to successful communication. But it can also be intimidating to shift from academic writing to writing in the workplace.

One easy place to start is with the three Cs: clear, concise, consistent.

Clear

Get to the heart of your idea—quickly. Avoid too much preamble, especially if it’s not directly related to the main message; you can fill in more information later if it’s necessary, but your audience needs to know what they need to know from the beginning.

Speaking of your audience, spend some time thinking about who you are writing for. What do they already know and where do you need to fill in the gaps? Avoid using too much jargon if your audience won’t be familiar with it; on the other hand, don’t over-explain concepts if your audience is already in the know.

Concise

Say the most with the least to avoid being bogged down in unnecessary details. Be stingy with your words, keep your sentences short and simple, and focus on your main message. Inexperienced writers often think using more, longer, or overly elaborate words will make them look smarter or more formal, but it usually just bloats your writing and desaturates its real meaning.

A few simple ways to be more concise

Default to simpler words or phrases when possible. Examples:

• Use instead of utilize;
• To instead of in order to; and
• Quickly instead of in a timely manner.

Remove filler words and phrases. Examples: that, really, and all things considered.

Use formatting to your advantage. Examples:

• Bullet points to break ideas down into easy-to-digest words, phrases, or sentences;
• Headings to help orient the reader; and
• Bolding to highlight vital information, such as deadlines.

Consistent

Consistency can be tricky when it comes to writing, and it can mean a number of things. Two are: communicate often and, more technically, be consistent in how you write.

To communicate often doesn’t necessarily mean to communicate as much as possible. It means to communicate when necessary, or ideally, just before it’s necessary. Plan your communications from the beginning. Answer questions before you get them. Follow up when things change or when something needs to be reiterated.

To be consistent in how you write means to have a consistent style. When there is more than one option for how you spell, punctuate, or format something, pick one and stick to it. This might mean choosing a style that is consistent across your organization (i.e., house style), follows a particular style guide you like (e.g., Canadian Press), or is just what you prefer.

Some examples of varying style include:

• How dates are written (e.,g., July 10 vs. July 10th);
• How times are written (e.g., 9am vs. 9 A.M.); and
• How lists are punctuated.

Picking a style for these never-ending quandaries not only makes things easier on yourself the next time you’re faced with a style dilemma, but it also makes your writing look more polished and professional.