Last weekend I stumbled upon a book with an intriguing title: Smart Brevity, The Power of Saying More with Less. But when I thumbed through it seemed to me that these teachings are so simple that they would be better presented as a long-form article. Fortunately for us, the publishers agree. They've made the primary ideas available as a simple pdf.
In slide form they have me at rule 1:
"1. Audience first — always. Before you sit down to write, stand up to speak, or plug in to record, consider three things:
"- What is the goal of your communication;
- Who is your ideal reader or listener;
- Who is a real person who fits that profile?
"Let that person guide the decisions you make. Keep only what’s new, interesting, or urgent to them. Cut anything that’s familiar."
PDF: Smart Brevity 101
Related Article: The Dubious Wisdom of “Smart Brevity”
|
