A brief condolence is a succinct bereavement message that is often accompanied with a sympathy gift that either supports the grieving family or further demonstrates your feeling of sympathy. A brief condolence is not a bad thing, although it seems to carry a negative connotation. Some say, it is a condolence that is distant or false. It is neither. A brief condolence is an honorable and courteous act. It is genuine support from an indirect contact that shares bereavement and sympathy for the loss of a loved one. It extends the depth of grieving for someone and shows him or her the far-reaching influence of their importance or the importance of the deceased. It brings credit to you as a considerate individual and can show the good faith of your organization. The act of providing a brief condolence differs from the traditional condolence in both content and approach. This may seem harsh, but providing a succinct condolence need only be punctual and appropriate. At best, your knowledge of the deceased is limited. Keeping your message short and traditional is entirely appropriate. You need to say something respectful. You should be concise and you can be somewhat generic. They key is not to dwell on the message content, instead focus on task completion. A condolence must be timely. Start, by identifying a traditional condolence message. Utilize the deceased name to make it unique. If you need help, you can utilize a condolence or sympathy website that offers examples of traditional condolence messages, sympathy notes or quotes. Then, select a gift. The best gifts offer an element of support. This would be something like a meal, or food such as fruits or meats and cheeses. Gifts that can be consumed are often pretty and helpful. You will find, some of the same sympathy websites you researched for sample messages will also offer ideas for condolence gifts beyond the traditional sympathy flowers. Your goal should be to complete the condolence process within the first week of receiving the news. Better sooner than later. If you can move to action within the first day you’ll increase your odds of following through with your intent and you’ll feel better about task completion. Following this plan will help convey your message and move you to your goal. Many of us believe we are capable of providing timely condolence but the truth is most of our efforts end there. The process of moving to action is only achieved by a few. If your desire is to provide a timely condolence, stay focused, utilize the methods and tools discussed in this article and bring your vision to reality. If we can help the individuals that say they want to provide a condolence and move them to follow through with their desire, grieving people would receive a tremendous amount of support and comfort.