Concise writing: how to cut the filler without sounding rude

We pad our writing to sound polite: "I just wanted to quickly check whether there might be any update on this when you get a chance." The reader has to wade through ten words of cushioning to find one small question.

Cut the cushion, keep the question

That whole sentence can become "Any update on this?" — friendly, clear, and easy to answer. The filler was never doing any work.

Phrases you can almost always drop

• "I just wanted to…"
• "I was wondering if…"
• "when you have a moment" (unless timing genuinely matters)
• "basically", "actually", "really", "just"

What to keep

Concise writing still keeps the facts that matter. If a delay has a cause or a deadline impact, that context is not filler — leave it in. The goal is to remove noise, not signal.

Set iTextwise to the Concise tone and watch the length drop while the key request stays front and centre.