concreteness

Concreteness is an aspect of communication that means being specific, definite, and vivid rather than vague and general. A concrete communication uses specific facts and figures.{{Cite web|url=http://www.explorehr.org/articles/Personal_Development/Seven_Communication_Principles.html|title=Best website on HRM - Excellent HR Tools and HR Presentation Slides - HR PPT - Human Resource Management}} Concreteness is often taught in college communication courses as one of the aspects of effective communication.{{cite book|title=Effective Business Communications|publisher=McGraw-Hill/Irwin|date=January 1, 1997|isbn=0-07-044398-X}} Counselors, attorneys, job interviewers, etc. often prod their interviewees to speak with greater concreteness. For instance, if a witness says he gave his wife "a bit of a slap," the cross-examining lawyer might ask how hard he hit her. A job interviewer will often ask probing questions to elicit more concrete information; e.g., "Could you give me an example of when you did XXX?"{{Cite web | url=http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/probing_questions.htm | title=Probing questions}}