Completeness

Give your audience everything they need, and no more.

The goal of completeness is writing is to ask yourself, "Is this all the content my reader or speaker needs to get their job done?"

Let's use the resume example again. The resume reader needs to know the following:

contact information
GitHub repository
project examples with accomplishment statements
tech stack used for projects
education
dates for all sections
clickable links to projects, GitHub repos, and portfolio sites

By making the resume complete, the reader can then do their job, which is to scan the resume to see if it matches the job description well, check your projects to see quality, check your GitHub to see clean, well-commented, quality code, and readmes that allow them to get a clear understanding of your projects.

Complete communication means focusing on the audience and what they will do with your communication.

Incomplete communication means the audience is missing something. In emails, this might mean they have to reply asking for additional info. This takes time and effort - and people are usually very busy - so make sure your initial communication gives them what they need first time.

This process takes time and practice, so make sure to consider it as you write or speak to someone.

Example: Job Interview

The interviewer asks "Tell me about a time you worked on a project that had some issues."

They are expecting an answer that explains the situation, what you had to do, what the issue was, how you tried to resolve it, the outcome, and what you learned from the situation.

If you only give part of the answer, you are missing the chance to tell the whole story that they want. Their reaction might be to write "incomplete, needs prompting, doesn't share fully" and they may grade you lower on your ability to answer questions fully.

Giving the complete answer satisfies their need, allows them to get the whole picture, and shows you to be a clear communicator who understands what they want.

How to know if your message is complete

Here are some thoughts as you consider completeness in your writing.

What is the reader to do with your info?

If they need to do something have you given them everything they need so they can perform the action you want?

What is the reader's knowledge of the information?

If the reader doesn't know much, add more info. If you are sure the reader has lots of background knowledge, get to the point quicker. But only if you're sure.

What is the purpose of the communication?

Always focus on purpose. If yours is to inform, make sure it informs. If you want to persuade, what data/information/tone/wording will help? If you want to entertain, are your words, sentences, and structure entertaining?

Check your communication with a peer

Tell your peer what your purpose is, who your audience is, the tone you were going for, and ask them if there is anything that seems to be missing. Another pair of eyes can help.

Take your time

In the best case you will do the following:

leave your message and come back to it to reread it before sending
get other people to read your message before sending
see the message through the eyes of the receiver

These things take time. If you can add them to your habits, you can become a clearer communicator.