Brevity

Brevity

The Oxford Online English Dictionary defines brevity in two ways:

1. Concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.
2. Shortness of time.

Brevity is a concept that can create energy and enthusiasm, or when taken to extreme can extract too much depth of meaning from a situation and leave us wondering if we have just been overlooked, discounted, or disregarded.

There are many times when my wife, Angie, in talking to me says, “too many words.”  I can have a way of taking the long way around in getting to my point, or can toss in too much irrelevant information.  Not good.  Using myself as an example I, more often than not, can be in need of a little more brevity in my conversations.  There are times though in which hanging a little more meat on the conversational bone is important.  For each of us we must strike a balance in our speech.

In most cases it behooves us to be brief and get to the point.  Far too often we sputter and stutter trying to get every last bit of information into an exchange rather than providing just the essentials.  Shakespeare wrote of brevity in Hamlet where Polonius says:

“My liege, and madam, to expostulate

What majesty should be, what duty is,

What day is day, night night, and time is time,

Were nothing but to waste night, day and time;

Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,

And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,

I will be brief, Your noble son is mad. . .”

The great writer points out that when we ramble on and on, as this article is beginning to do, then we lose our audience and waste time.  On that note I urge you to conserve your words, and only when necessary, flourish and embellish what you have to say.  The world around you will appreciate the extra efforts it takes to choose your words wisely.  As another blogger I follow, Chalene Johnson, says “be brief, be brilliant, and be gone.”  With that I will leave you with encouragement to Do Well this week by working on keeping it brief.  Those around you will notice the difference.