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The problem? The client forgot to tell me that Bennet Street was called Division Street at the Magrauder intersection. It's difficult to remember how confusing something used to be before you learned it. To put it another way: It's difficult to give instructions for something you understand intimately and have known for a long time. One omitted detail can mean the difference between success and failure. "I thought you'd surely know that . . ." is a lame excuse for such omissions. |
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Tip 879: Avoid an excess of detail. |
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Too much is too much. "You'll be on Foster Street and you'll come to a flashing light, then a stop sign. There's a Texaco station on your left, a Shell station on your right. I think there's a Burger King just past thatyou've gone too far if you see the Burger King "drive-thru." There's a driveway marked with a sign FOR DELIVERIES ONLY that angles off to the left, so don't be confused by that. Just keep going. . . ." Directions like that confuse, not clarify. |
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Tip 880: Prefer clarity to brevity. |
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Brevity is good; clarity is better. Never sacrifice a few words or sentences to be brief. Paper and air are cheap. Errors are expensive. |
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Tip 881: Remember your objective is not necessarily to simplify, but to clarify. |
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Your instructions do not need to be given in six-word sentences composed of one-syllable wordsalthough there's nothing wrong with simple words and simple sentences. When people question instructions, the problem is vagueness more often than complexity. |
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Tip 882: Limit "Use Your Own Judgment" statements for the exceptions. |
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A manager tells her employees, "Use your own judgment in responding to the customer by phone or mail." Does that mean they should use overnight mail for a 98-cent rush order? Does that mean they should place a person-to-person call to Kenya to make hotel reservations for a conference six months in the future? Such vague instructions beg for confusion. Instead, give precise guidelines for the most common situations and then use the catchall "use your own judgment" for the exceptions that no one can anticipate. |
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