“Brevity is confidence. Length is fear.”
<aside> 👌🏻   Good book
</aside>
“Short, not shallow,”
Writing concisely doesn't mean sacrificing substance. You can add more meaning to your writing by being clear, useful, and saving readers' time. Avoid leaving out key details or oversimplifying your points.
Accept, most people will scan or skip most of what you communicate.
Make every word and sentence count. We would tell readers what’s new and “Why it matters” and give them the power to “Go deeper.” But if they didn’t and read only 200 words, we made them the most powerful and useful 200 words they ever read.
Put readers first
People are busy and want to know what's new and "why it matters." To serve your audience and improve communication, focus on what they need or want to hear, not just what you want to say.
Assets, tricks and actionable items I get from the book.
Smart Brevity, in written form, has four main parts:
A muscular “tease”:
Whether in a tweet, headline or email subject line, you need six or fewer strong words to yank someone’s attention away from Tinder or TikTok.
One strong first sentence, or “lede”:
Your opening sentence should be the most memorable—tell me something I don’t know, would want to know, should know. Make this sentence as direct, short and sharp as possible.
Context, or “Why it matters”: We’re all faking it. Mike and I learned this speaking to Fortune 500 CEOs. We all know a lot about a little. We’re too ashamed or afraid to ask, but we almost always need you to explain why your new fact, idea or thought matters.
The choice to learn more, or “Go deeper”: Don’t force someone to read or hear more than they want. Make it their decision. If they decide “yes,” what follows should be truly worth their time.
Most people think about what they want to say and then pollute and dilute it with mushy words, long caveats and pointless asides. Brevity is the casualty.