Better Communication is Shorter – Smart Brevity

A book all about saying it quick

Communication can make or break a company. That is the concept behind Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz's new book Smart Brevity. 

The book walks through a variety of helpful tips for shorter communication. These tips range from high-level ideas to specific ideas. For example, 6 words are the optimal email subject line length.

The authors share these ideas from hard-earned personal experience as they started Politico and then Axios – 2 news sites known for their conciseness. Pick any of their articles, particularly from Axios, and it is clear that they are going for short.

Short and sweet

One of the overarching themes in the book is that shorter communication is more effective. Based on their experience in publishing news and running news organizations, they have found that people want short. Studies show that most individuals are skimming online. 

People wanting short inherently makes sense. The authors tie their willingness to write short as a way of showing that they value their audience. In their opinion, anyone can write long. It takes more energy to convey the correct information quickly  – showing that you value your audience's time.

But I'm not writing news…

Effective communication is vital to success, even if your primary communication isn't a news site. As the authors note, "The Project Management Institute found that 30 percent of project failures stemmed from crappy communications” (p. 185).

As LaunchX focuses on startups and consulting in current companies, 30% is too high to bet a company's success on. Communication is vital to building something successfully – both internally and externally.

If you are starting a business, your product matters. But so does the communication of your product with your team and the world. You may have the best new product or service in the world, but it won't matter if you can't work with your team to finish it. And it will only go somewhere if you can get your audience to care.

A few Ideas of communicating effectively

Smart Brevity has many tips and tricks; because the authors value conciseness, it is a fast read. Here are a few quick ideas for communicating effectively in your business –

• Simplify your idea – try to find one big point when communicating.
• Use bullet points when possible – don't let them pick what ideas they should glean; pick for them.
• When communicating, tell the idea – don't tell about the idea
• When presenting, "Harvard Business Review recommends 15 words max for your big point. We would advise the shorter, the better.” (p. 159)
• Also, when presenting, be “...short enough to hold people’s attention, long enough to say something that matters” (p. 162).
• “If you’re not communicating inclusively, you’re not communicating effectively.” (p. 194)

A valuable read and skill

The authors offer valuable advice throughout the book, and it's worth reading to become a more effective communicator. Imagine if you were able to reduce the failure rate of a project from 30% to even 20% – what kind of value would that bring your company? 

Communication will always be foundational to all aspects of business. There will always be value in finding new ways of sharing information, insights, and vision. The business world needs more individuals looking to hone the craft of effective communication.