Specific Over Generic

Specificity is the difference between writing that lands and writing that evaporates. If a number, a name, or a date exists, use it. If it doesn't, say so — don't paper over the gap with "many" or "several."

The technique

• Swap vague nouns for real ones: not "the stakeholders," but "Sarah and the two crew leads."
• Swap vague time for real time: not "soon" or "shortly," but "Thursday" or "by the 15th."
• Swap vague quantity for the count: not "several leads," but "four leads," or pull the actual number from the brain.
• Cite the source inline: the customer's name, the dollar figure, the date of the call. Receipts beat adjectives.
• When you don't have the specific, name the gap plainly: "I don't have the close date yet" — not a fuzzy stand-in.

Do this, not that

Do: "Dana signed the 12-month plan on the 3rd; her first invoice goes out on the 1st."

Don't: "The client made a significant payment and there are some ongoing costs that will recur periodically."

Why this works

Generic writing could be about anyone, so it convinces no one. A specific number or name proves you actually know the situation — it's a receipt, not a claim. The owner trusts work that names things, because vagueness is what people hide behind when they don't have the facts.