There's a hidden art to writing.
Your style should seem natural - that is, appropriate to your purpose, audience and topic. For most kinds of on-the-job writing, you want to capture the rhythm and flow of conversational language. But you also want to convey your thoughts with authority and conviction.
How can you do both?
That's where the hidden art comes in. Behind the scenes you work to eliminate unnecessary words. What remains still sounds natural, but the compressed language has new power.
Sometimes the difference from first draft to revised copy is dramatic. Compare "Until such time as they stop referring back to the past history of agreements, it will be impossible for us to find a solution to this problem" with "Until they stop referring to past agreements, we won't solve this problem."
Other times the difference is subtle. Compare "In order to write with authority, you need to make every word count" with "To write with authority, make every word count."
It's fine to be wordy in your first draft. When you begin to write - whether you are writing a brief message or a lengthy report - let the words flow, just as you would if you were speaking. But remember, when you speak, you often use more words than necessary to make your point. So after you've written that first draft, take another look and delete the extraneous words. What remains will have much more power.
For example, consider the preceding sentence. Do you see the unnecessary word? Doesn't "What remains will have more power" have more power?