Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less – Here are my six lessons and takeaways; the short version

 (Note from Randy:  I presented my synopsis of Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz at the March First Friday Book Synopsis. I will write my “normal-length” blog post about this book later this week.  But, here’s my short version.  According to the authors, this version is plenty long enough……)Smart Brevity

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Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less – (less than two minute read)

  • The point: Your messages are too long. In order to get people to really read them, shorten them.  Make them a lot shorter!
  • The formula (in my words)
  • Short; no, shorter than that
  • shorter sentences; shorter paragraphs;
  • shorter words — Short words are strong words. A general rule: A one-syllable word is stronger than a two-syllable word is stronger than a three-syllable word.
  • the big idea/the MAIN point – the actual point!
  • then, why it matters
  • then, go deeper (for those who choose to; the very few who choose to)
  • Giving your reader the power to “Go deeper” is an exit line from a Smart Brevity item that makes the reader feel fulfilled and allows you to point to context without a glob of words that’s going to lose the audience. …Here’s a secret: Most won’t. …Ending your item with “Go deeper” is efficient and elegant—and shows your reader that Smart Brevity doesn’t come at the expense of nuance or context.
  • My six Lessons and Takeaways:

#1 – Remember – you are in the communication business.  Yes, you!

#2 – Remember that no one wants to actually read your communications; or listen to them.  They want to have read and listened; but they don’t want to read and listen.  They are too busy watching cat videos to be bothered by you

#3 – You have to think about, and constantly refine and improve, your communication with others.  All kinds of communication with others.

#4 – Do a serious examination of your communications:  your e-mails, your memos, your reports, your speeches and presentations. How can you make them better? – Note:  you can make them better!

#5 – Pay attention to the structure of all of your communications.

#6 – Read books on effective communication, like this one.  Purchase my synopses on books on communication. Just focusing on this, thinking about it, will make you better at it.

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