In a world of distractions, how do you stand out? Here's some advice for getting in front of your intended audience.
We live in a world where screens dominate our time. Lots of us sleep with our phones by the bed. (Some will admit to keeping them right under the pillow.) We check e-mail while we're still yawning. Our web browser usually has more than four tabs open. Notifications and distractions ding us all day long.
We have hundreds of TV channels, content backed up on our DVRs, a subscription to Netflix and a few multiplex theaters nearby. We also have YouTube, where every minute another 24 hours of content is uploaded. In other words, we are facing an all-out war on our attention.
Here are some ways you can win it. They all involve brevity.
In writing
Keep your sentences compact. People don't have time to dissect your flowery prose, especially in business. Need help? Read E. Annie Proulx's novel The Shipping News and absorb that style. Short, punchy sentences help people stay on target with you.
On Twitter
Make your stuff easier to retweet. Twitter has a 140-character limit. If you use only 110 or so, you'll give people room to retweet you and, thus, spread your message even further.
Via e-mail
With the Gen Y crowd living on Facebook, e-mail messages need to fit into a smaller package. Two hundred words should be the max. If you need more, then it's a document, not an e-mail--or it's a phone call or even a face-to-face visit. Oh, and put the actionable part at the top once, and at the bottom a second time. We're all scanning.
On YouTube
No matter which video platform you use, make your videos two minutes or less, on average. Yes, if it's a speech--say, a TED talk--it should be longer. But if it's something you want people to consume, stay under two minutes.
By phone
Should you still use a telephone, keep the call brief. Start with an agenda, even if you don't state it out loud. Write it down beforehand so you don't ramble. Be polite, but don't waste five minutes on small talk. And if you get voice mail? Leave your full name, phone number and the subject of the call, then say your number once more before hanging up.
I'm not saying we have to abandon civility. On the contrary, be as polite as possible. But realize the importance of brevity. It's the best way to stand out, get answered and improve your visibility in a crowded world.
This article was originally published in the March 2011 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Brevity Rules.
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Comments:
Less flower, less character's and video's 2 mins or less, go it!
I saw http://three.sentenc.es in a @msuster blog... an interesting "policy" for email . Keep it to three sentences. Don't make it hard for the reader. Email should be "actionable".
Thanks Chris for the reminder on the power of brevity and expressing thoughts clearly and concisely, a sometimes forgotten but always important element of our communications on all channels. Jennifer Rodriguez, Visible Technologies
You're doing what you're saying, and what you're saying is good. Here's my take: http://wordisseur.com/blog/b2b-best-practice-tips-how-to-make-a-good-first-impression/
Too many people become concise and brief and never communicate.They have become a 140 character or less thought. Is not the goal to create a communication which is understood? Far too many people are producing brevity without substance. And in turn never learn to create a meaningful dialog! The goal should be to create substance over volume. We all have experienced that thread and volley of an email that could have best been served with a single simple phone call. Or, the text message that leaves us guessing what happened to the rest of it. Good article Chris.
Also, use puns whenever possible to express more meaning in fewer words.
Hi Chris: I love this piece. Brevity truly does make a difference in both efficiency and effectiveness. Here's a piece I wrote last year on the topic: http://www.n2growth.com/blog/the-resurgence-of-brevity
So true. When I worked at Oracle I learned quickly to give the bottom line first, if they wanted more info I would say it like "bullet points". Lunch time or after work worked real well for socializing and connecting. Thank you for offering succinct tips!
So true. When I worked at Oracle I learned quickly to give the bottom line first, if they wanted more info I would say it like "bullet points". Lunch time or after work worked real well for socializing and connecting. Thank you for offering succinct tips!