In my excitement to get this blog up and running, last week's posts were a tad on the verbose side - which brings up an important point.

Most people in Corporate America have a very short attention span and are way too busy for their own good.  When writing business communications, don't underestimate the importance of clarity and conciseness. Get right to it by prefacing your document or e-mail with a brief, objective-oriented introduction and bulleting out your key points for painless consumption. 

If you want people to pay attention to what you're saying instead of skimming the page(s) while in a multi-tasking stupor, offer only the essential information and be prepared to provide supplemental material. Mark Twain once said to a friend, "I'm sorry for the long letter. I didn't have time to write a short one." Though it's often easier to convey your point using more words, don't give in to the temptation.  Get into the habit of writing a first draft, and then editing it down considerably before sending it!

Finally, whether it's an official memo or a run-of-the-mill e-mail, don't forget to include a subject line that summarizes exactly what the communication is about and makes the recipient want to, or at least feel obligated to, read on.