Qualifiers
I am excessively verbose. I know that because my original introduction was “I have a tendency to be overly verbose in my writing.”
There are good reasons to use qualifiers. I respect hearing a qualified statement, as it shows me the speaker is being considerate and thoughtful. Hearing “Electric cars are cheaper to own” raises red flags. But, “Electric cars generally have a lower operating cost, however it can depend on the model and mileage.” acknowledges the gray area of that statement, and leaves room for disagreement.
But, when used in excess, it can be frustrating to read, and undermines confidence from the author. Below is an excerpt from one of my blog posts in 2023. I have the original and a tweaked version with all the qualifiers removed.
Original (124 words):
For smaller scale projects, I often spend a great deal of time getting feedback from friends or stakeholders as we iterate. Often times, if assets are still in development, I find myself using some filler image I have locally. During feedback, I find that most people get a bit distracted by these filler images and it can take away from the review process. LoremFlickr is a nice, convenient workaround for this. It is a simple API that lets you quickly embed an appropriately sized image into the site. Plus, you can even give it a set of keywords to source your image. You still get the benefit of a convenient filler image while not creating a distraction with an off-brand asset during development.
Revised, qualifiers removed (66 words):
When working on projects, I collect feedback from friends or stakeholders as we iterate. If assets aren’t ready, I use local placeholder images, but these can distract from the review. LoremFlickr solves that problem. It’s an API that embeds images at any size and accepts keyword inputs to source them. It keeps development smooth by providing clean, relevant filler images without pulling focus from the design.
First, on efficiency, I shared the same information in 47% fewer words. Second, when sharing my personal recommendations, it undermines confidence when I say “I often” and “Often times” and “a bit.”
When weighing pros and cons in a meeting, qualified statements have value. When writing opinions on my own site, qualifiers just get in the way.