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One of my biggest pet peeves in communicationespecially business communicationis unnecessary complexity.

To be fair, Im not speaking of technical writing or white papers; Im referring to emails, presentations, and other content that aims to connect with peers, partners, and potential clients.

Consider the words you use on business materialsare they needlessly complicated to try to impress? Do you agonize that your messaging will be ill-received if it doesnt contain buzzwords?

Instead, I suggest maximizing thepower of your wordsby simplifying them.

Years ago, it was my father who first introduced me to the K.I.S.S. method. At the time, I was struggling with a homework assignment, searching for the perfect way to phrase something in a persuasive essay.

For those unfamiliar, K.I.S.S. is an acronym for Keep it simple, stupid. It originated as a design principle by the U.S. Navy in 1960 and stated that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated. Simplicity should be a goal, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.

My dads advice to me then (which remains true today) was to skip the flowery language and just cut to the heart of the issue using plain language to make my point.

Communication doesnt have to be hard; here are four ways to keep it simple:

Yes, its tempting to be witty in your latest marketing campaign, but if it leaves your audience scratching their heads, youre in trouble. To avoid confusing people, always aim forclarity.

When youre clear, everything becomes easier. People understand you, what you offer, your value, what differentiates you, how you can help them, and how they can assist you. Clarity helps othersknow, like, and trust you.

Every industry has its acronyms and buzzwords, but when youre trying to communicate with those outside your expert circle (consumers you hope to woo as new customers, for example), and use that type of language, youll risk alienating the very people with whom youre hoping to connect.

Remember this golden rule of communication:its not about you. Far too often, we assume that everyone communicates the same way we do, forgetting that our intended audiences may not live and breathe in our business world. Swap jargon for plain language to increase your odds of your message being receivedand understood.

Have you ever received a multi-page email and decided it was too long to read? Or maybe youve been victim to a presentation that droned on and on and never quite understood was the speaker wanted to say?

Mark Twain famously said, If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter a reference to how much harder brevity is than length.

Heres the thing: Meandering signals that youre unorganized and unsure. Worse, youll lose your audiences attentionand the opportunity to connect. When you want to deliver a message, think concise and compelling. Beintentionalabout your communication, eliminate extraneous material, and get to the point.

When you try to cover too much ground in your communication, it becomes unnecessarily complex. A good rule of thumb is that each piece of content should revolve around one central theme. This forces you to get specific about and home in on your message. And that focus promotes better understanding, making it easier for your audience to understand your perspective.

Business and life are complicated enough; keep your communication simple.

Follow this link:

The One K.I.S.S. That Will Instantly Improve Your Communication - Forbes