Clarity vs. Brevity: Finding the Right Balance in Business Writing

In business writing, we’re often told to be clear and concise. Like you, I’ve heard this advice countless times in writing courses, style guides, or comments from a manager. Despite their frequent pairing, clarity and brevity are not the same thing. In fact, they serve different purposes, and when one is prioritized at the expense of the other, communication takes a hit.

I’ve seen this far too often: brevity gets mistaken for clarity. “Make it shorter” becomes the default edit, even when what’s left behind is vague, abrupt, or incomplete. Even experienced professionals fall into this trap.

Case in point: A former boss once asked me to draft a request letter to a partner. After reviewing my draft, he told me to keep it “short and sweet” as it was just a simple ask. I trimmed it down and sent the final version. A few hours later, our partner called asking for background information and specifics about the request – details that had been in my original draft but were lost in the name of brevity.

On the flip side, well-meaning attempts at clarity sometimes lead to over-explaining, where the main point gets buried under layers of context. This can be just as frustrating, especially for busy executives who don’t have the time (or patience) to sift through it.

So let’s set the record straight.

What is Clarity?

Clarity means your message is easy to understand on the first read. It reflects well-structured ideas, reader-focused language, and plain word choice. Clarity allows your reader to grasp your intent without having to re-read, decode jargon, or guess what you mean.

Clarity is not just a style; it's a sign of respect for your reader’s time, attention, and intelligence.

What is Brevity?

Brevity is about using no more words than necessary. It doesn’t mean "short" for the sake of short. It means lean and efficient. It’s about trimming the fat like filler phrases, padded clauses, and unnecessary repetition, while still preserving the full meaning of your message.

Brevity supports clarity, but only when done thoughtfully.

How Clarity and Brevity Work Together

Clarity and brevity are partners, not competing forces. Together, they make writing that is sharp, engaging, and easy to act on.

Think of it this way: Clarity ensures the reader understands what you mean, while brevity allows them to get there quickly, without wading through clutter.

But the key is balance. When one dominates without the other, communication breaks down.

What happens when there’s brevity without clarity? You end up with vague, underdeveloped messages. The writing is technically short, but the reader is left guessing.

Take this example:

Need approval ASAP.

This is brief and efficient, but what exactly needs approval? For whom? By when?

Now, let’s revise the sentence for clarity.

Can you approve the revised vendor contract by 3pm today? Legal has cleared it, and we need to send it to the vendor before EOD.

While it’s still concise, it is far more useful.

What happens when there’s clarity without brevity? Now your message is technically understandable, but it’s buried in explanation, background, and repetition. Your reader tunes out before they get to the point.

Let’s look at another example:

As part of our broader initiative to improve internal communication practices, and in response to the recent employee engagement survey results, we are planning to implement a new weekly team meeting cadence, which we believe will help ensure alignment and foster transparency across departments.

There’s surely a lot going on in this single sentence, right?

Revising the sentence for brevity:

Starting next week, we’ll have weekly team meetings to improve alignment and transparency, in response to feedback from the engagement survey.

It still explains why, but in a tighter, clearer form. None of the important meaning was lost. In both examples, clarity was preserved, but now, it’s packaged in a form that respects the reader’s time.

Clear and concise writing doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention, practice, and a willingness to edit, even ruthlessly at times. When used together, clarity and brevity create writing that’s both efficient and effective – the kind that gets read, understood, and acted on.

In the next article, we’ll look at practical strategies you can use to apply this balance in real-world business writing – from emails to reports, and everything in between. Stay tuned.

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If this post sparked any thoughts or questions, or if you’ve run into clarity vs. brevity challenges in your own work, I’d love to hear from you. Drop a message, comment, or email. Your feedback makes the writing better.

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