Writes Wes Kao’s Newsletter - https://newsletter.weskao.com/ Co-founder of Maven. Does executive coaching. The newsletter is about career growth, managing up, etc.
2024-08-07 - How to be more concise
- https://newsletter.weskao.com/p/how-to-be-concise
- Part I: Common misunderstandings
- Being concise doesn’t mean being short; it’s about using words efficiently. Don’t compromise clarity or necessary detail. Some ideas cannot be reduced any further
- ”Paul Graham has essays that are 500 words and some that are 3,000+ words. One of his recent essays is 10,455 words.”
- Part II: The real reason why it’s so hard to be concise
- BLUF - Bottom line upfront. This is similar to “tl;dr:“. Summarize the main takeaway at the beginning of the document itself.
- Part III: Ways to be more concise
- Nine tactics for being more concise: a. Figure out your main point b. State your main point in 2-3 sentences c. Avoid explaining events chronologically d. Constantly remind yourself to shorten your delivery e. Exercise situational awareness f. Don’t be too concise (provide necessary context) g. For written communication, use “main point above, context below” h. For verbal communication, use signposting i. Offer to elaborate on specific areas