COMM 100: Clear, Concise, and Audience-Centered Professional Communication

Vocabulary flashcards covering clear and concise sentence mechanics, sources of wordiness, vigorous word choice, comprehension metrics, audience-centered framing, and non-biased inclusive language from COMM 100.

Redundancy

A source of wordiness where words with overlapping or identical meanings are unnecessarily combined within a phrase (e.g., "frank and honest" or "basic essential ideas").

Repetition

A source of wordiness where the exact same word or phrase is unnecessarily repeated instead of replacing it with a pronoun or revising the sentence (e.g., repeating "the football" rather than substituting "it").

Stock Phrases

Cliché, wordy formulas that can be replaced with simpler, more direct single words (e.g., replacing "due to the fact that" or "because of the fact" with "because," and "in order to" with "to").

Camouflaged Verbs

Action words converted into nouns (nominalizations), typically derived from verbs or adjectives, that sap energy from a sentence (e.g., changing "analyze" to "analysis" or "accumulate" to "accumulation").

Weak Verbs

Generic, low-impact verbs—specifically "to be," "to do," "to make," "to have," and "to use"—that should be replaced with strong, precise action verbs to improve sentence vigor.

Dummy Subjects

Filler phrases occurring as "It + [to be]" or "There + [to be]" that fill the subject position without adding meaning, delaying the true subject and action of the sentence.

Passive Voice

A sentence construction in which the grammatical subject receives the action rather than performing it (e.g., "It is advised by the board that we go forward").

Concrete Words

Vigorous words that refer to tangible, observable, or physical objects and specific details, creating immediate, clear mental pictures for the reader.

Abstract Words

Words that describe intangible concepts, qualities, or generalized ideas (such as "empowering innovation" or "driving business forward") rather than specific, physical realities.

Specific Words

Precise terms that identify distinct, detailed entities or actions (e.g., "nuclear physicist" or "automating accounting tasks") rather than broad, umbrella classifications.

General Words

Broad, all-encompassing terms that refer to large categories or groups (e.g., "scientist" or "software solutions") without supplying distinct detail.

Sentence Length Comprehension Benchmark

The standard measuring reader comprehension against sentence length: sentences of $8$ words achieve $100\%$ comprehension; $15$ words achieve $90\%$; $19$ words achieve $80\%$; and $28$ words drop comprehension to $50\%$.

"You" View

An audience-focused communication approach that frames messages around the recipient's perspective, emphasizing reader benefits and needs rather than the sender's point of view.

Plain Language

Clear, direct expression that replaces obscure, inflated, or overly formal jargon with familiar words so the reader can understand the message the first time they read or hear it.

Conversational Tone

A professional writing style that sounds natural, warm, and personal rather than stuffy, bureaucratic, or overly academic.

Blameless Language

A technique for communicating problems, delays, or errors by focusing on neutral facts or employing passive voice to avoid accusing the reader directly (e.g., avoiding an accusatory "you").

Inclusive Language

Non-biased professional language that avoids stereotypes, assumptions, and unnecessary identifiers related to gender, race, age, and disability.

Gender-Neutral Professional Terms

Inclusive job titles and nouns that remove unnecessary gender specifications (e.g., using "doctor" instead of "female doctor," "server" instead of "waitress," "humanity" instead of "mankind," and "lead worker" instead of "foreman").

Disability-Inclusive Phrasing

Objective language that describes a person's condition or assistive tool without negative framing (e.g., using "has arthritis" instead of "crippled by arthritis," and "uses a wheelchair" instead of "confined to a wheelchair").