What writers & others say
“The more you say, the less people remember.”
— Fortune in a cookie opened by a professional communicator
“Business plans with too much detail, books with too much proof, politicians with too much granularity … it seems as though more data is a good thing, because data proves the case.”
— Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow
“In my experience, data crowds out faith. And without faith, it’s hard to believe in the data enough to make a leap. Big mergers, big VC investments, big political movements, large congregations … they don’t usually turn out for a spreadsheet.”
— Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow
“The problem is this: No spreadsheet, no bibliography and no list of resources is sufficient proof to someone who chooses not to believe. The skeptic will always find a reason, even if it’s one the rest of us don’t think is a good one. Relying too much on proof distracts you from the real mission — which is emotional connection.”
— Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow
“More information doesn’t always improve decision-making; in fact, it can undermine it.”
— Judith H. Hibbard and Ellen Peters, researchers
“Most presentations of comparative information are based on the assumption that consumers know what is important to them and where their self-interest lies. These assumptions are faulty.”
— Judith H. Hibbard and Ellen Peters, researchers
“The amount of information may exceed human information processing skills.”
— Judith H. Hibbard and Ellen Peters, researchers
“When people had too many choices, they just walked away.”
— Sheena Iyengar, author of The Art of Choosing
“In ten years of listening to entrepreneurs’ pitches, I’ve never heard one that was too short. If people are interested, they’ll ask for more information. If they’re not, providing more information won’t sway them, so use fewer words to express yourself.”
— Guy Kawasaki in Enchantment
“Abraham Lincoln spoke only two minutes at Gettysburg; the main orator of the day, Edward Everett, spoke nearly two hours. Yet who remembers Edward Everett or what he said?”
— Paula LaRocque, newspaper writing coach
“You’re not more informed. You’re just numbed.”
— Tom Rosenstiel, former media critic for the Los Angeles Times
Reach more readers with tight writing
Would your piece be twice as good if it were half as long? Yes, say readability experts.
So how long should your message be? Your paragraphs? Your sentences? Your words? What reading ease level should you hit?
Learn how to write clearer, more concise messages at our clear-writing course.
Reach more readers with tight writing
Would your piece be twice as good if it were half as long? Yes, say readability experts.
So how long should your message be? Your paragraphs? Your sentences? Your words? What reading ease level should you hit?
Learn how to write clearer, more concise messages at our clear-writing course.
