This semester we’re going to think about efficiency in communication: using the . fewest, best words possible to say exactly what we mean to say. Often, the shortest word is the best word, so select words that you are most comfortable saying and reading because they are easiest to digest.

It’s not because your audience is stupid. Your audience is busy, and your job is to inform them quickly. Writing efficiently is not difficult; it just requires rethinking all of those years of English essay classes that encouraged the liberal use of adjectives and adverbs. Instead of Honey Boo-Boo writing, we are going to write like the most jacked, ripped players in the NFL, NBA, Olympics and FIFA World Cup combined.