November 19, 2013 marks the 150^th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s historic Gettysburg Address. In one of the greatest speeches in American history, Lincoln used only 2 minutes to summarize the Declaration of Independence and explain how the Civil War was to preserve the Union for “a new birth of freedom.”

Most U.S. students know at least part of his first sentence:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

The two-hour, 13,607-word featured oration that preceded Lincoln that day is all but forgotten. But his 10 sentences are memorialized. Why?

Lincoln knew the secret of simplicity and conciseness.

A full 70% of the words he used in his iconic speech had only one syllable. You don’t have to be a history buff to get that message.

Most people will take a pass rather than spend much time or energy trying to sort out your words. In fact, the more you can use meaningful sound bites the more effective you will be.

One of my favorite phrases about writing is rather Orwellian: Less is more.

But it is not doublespeak. It’s true. Concise statements are powerful. Accessible words and phrases get read. Your readers are on the go, grabbing a few nuggets of data or insight along the way.

You, the writer, are responsible for mining, filtering, and delivering that gold in an eye-catching package. Your challenge is to keep your piece as brief as possible, without compromising your meaning. See how tight you can write.

Lincoln knew that every word should work.

Stray words or phrases clutter up your meaning. I call them “freeloaders.”

 Ask yourself: Does every word, phrase, sentence, and paragraph advance your argument, contribute important information or insight, or help paint a picture in your reader’s mind?

If the answer is “no,” start deleting. This goes beyond cleaning up for its own sake. Extraneous words or concepts can distract or bog down your readers, and that can spell disaster.

I came across some wise advice a while ago: Pretend you have to pay for each word in your piece—as if it were a classified ad. Are you getting your money’s worth?

Lincoln knew that short, simple words are almost always better than longer, more complicated ones.

Traffic signs are great examples of conciseness used well. A red octagonal sign carries one word to enforce its meaning: “STOP.” It’s a good thing, too. No one would react quickly enough—or perhaps at all—to a sign that reads, “Bring your vehicle to a full and complete cessation of motion.”

(Ok. In most cases, you probably do not want to strip down your piece quite that far. But you know what I mean.)

Ask yourself: Are you using words and phrases that are short and accessible enough for your intended readers?

Put your vocabulary on a diet. Do as Lincoln did, and slim down most of your words to only one or two (at most three or four) syllables. This is not “dumbing down” your language, but simplifying it to reach the widest possible readership. While you may be required to use certain formal words, I suggest livening them up as much as possible to sound less bureaucratic and more user-friendly. Eliminate words and phrases that may confuse or annoy. Opt instead for the words that your readers would use themselves and thus prefer to read.

So thanks for the reminder, Lincoln.

In these days of tweets and text messages, your writing lesson is more relevant than ever.