Economical Writing
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Nicole Fronek
One journalism class resulted in an epiphany when the professor asked that we write as if each word had a monetary value. Writing with brevity seems simple in concept, but as I learned quickly, not easy in practice. From time at task, the results of an altered communication style within my professional career transformed into increased engagement in terms of speed and quality. What I asked for was provided, and in record time. From a brief scan of an email, receivers quickly determined needs offering answers instead of questions in replies. I was astonished – a complete 180.
This significant turning point of mindful consideration of technique has since shifted to habitual application.
So profound a change experienced in my daily routine, that Chapter 3 from my publication, Corporate Coach Approach: A Systematic Guide to Career Development is dedicated to this topic. As the concept of writing like a journalist transformed my professional interactions, I was confident it would do the same for others. Years later, I can confirm, it does. On podcasts, or when discussing the merits of journalism techniques with leaders coached in professional growth, reactions routinely mirror my initial impression.
Now that I have shared the ‘what’, here is a bit more about the ‘why’. Imagine if every word typed into social media profiles costs money to post?
For non-video posts alone, it is estimated that 900 million, on the low end, are posted daily worldwide; while word count varies across platforms, an average is 25 words per post (Microsoft Copilot, 2026). The equivalent of 22.5 billion words, at an average print cost of one dollar in the 1980s - 1990s (Chicago Tribune, 1985), well there you have it!
Assumably a number of hours are spent each week shifting through emails and dialing into conference calls. The question behind how much genuine value is derived from the time reserved for these daily business requirements is difficult to measure, but ‘not much’ is assessed by many. Stakeholder engagement is critical, but in growing numbers the workforce has lost its way to the intended etiquette of corporate communication. Long-winded replies often are disregarded as receivers of the information tune out. After three items, instructions, or options, people tend to feel overwhelmed by input.
The reason to schedule calls or hold standing meetings is to deliver updates and share next steps, but common practices involve acceptance of call attendees sharing too much, for too long, about unrelated topics dragging calls past their allotted time, thereby stressing the group at large.
Imagine, emails in a few sentences, and calls kept to 20-minutes or less – such a combination would be as close to corporate nirvana as I could imagine.
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