Both of the lists below are acceptably phrased, but the Version 1 lead-in to the list has 3 words, and the Version 2 lead-in has 13 words.
Version 1
We expect to:
- increase sales by 10 percent
- decrease operating expenses by 5 percent
Version 2
Consistent with the President's vision statement, we expect to achieve the following objectives:
- increase sales by 10 percent
- decrease operating expenses by 5 percent
Which do you prefer? Of course, the correct answer is it depends on the situation and the audience. Knowing that every word we write should matter, why would we want to push out 10 more words. Version 1 seems to be intended for a colleague who gets the context. Perhaps she missed the meeting where the numbers were determined, so she simply asked her teammate for the data. She understands why these numbers are binding, as well as what they mean to her department's operational plan. Version 2 seems more political. The writer might be citing the President because the email will land before the executive team, or maybe he is trying to give the sentence more authority.
Getting to the point does not solely mean writing in the fewest words, but making the purpose appropriate to the audience.
