The power of language

As a participant in today's CS 404 Judgment Day activity, I was struck by the power of a well-spoken phrase. I recently read Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, so I've been paying greater attention to the use of language around me, trying to identify the common element in powerful communication. The attorneys and witnesses on each side had meaningful material to discuss and shared his ideas, but only those statements carefully constructed and powerfully spoken had an effect on my thoughts. The same principle applies to writing. Some writing is boring, taking too long to say what it wants to say. Some speech is wordy, obscuring the gem of meaning behind a cloud of dust. But again and again, I find that powerful communication is direct and concise, saying precisely what needs to be said and leaving behind that which does not.