Are you tired of writing long emails and reports that no one reads? Smart Brevity by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz teaches you how to be an effective communicator, so you get your point across with less effort and more impact 🎯. In this Smart Brevity summary, we’ll explain how to say more with less, stand out and be understood in seconds. Whether you’re a student, leader, or professional, these strategies will help you to improve your communication skills, get noticed and remembered.
What is Smart Brevity and Why It Matters
Why Smart Brevity Matters
In a digital age, people are suffering from information overload and constant distractions. This has fundamentally changed the way we consume content, and reduced our attention span.
On average, we:
- Check our phones >344 times a day (at least every 4 minutes);
- Scan content on our screens instead of reading them;
- Spend only 26 seconds on a piece of content;
- Spend less than 15 seconds on most web pages we visit;
- Decide in 17 milliseconds whether we like something we clicked (and if not, we move on); and
- Share most stories without even reading them
Most people have no time or patience for lengthy texts. Yet we still use traditiona, long-form writing, rambling ineffectively in our daily communication. We write an entire book when the ideas can fit in a 1000-word article, or write a long article when the ideas can fit in 1 paragraph.
To be influential, you must communicate with crystal clarity. After all, you can’t unite people behind an idea or strategy if they can’t understand your message, or if they tune out altogether.
What is the Smart Brevity Style of Writing and Communicating?
Smart Brevity is communication formula–a more effective way to think and communicate in a noisy digital world. It helps you to say more with less, convey your message powerfully, and save everyone time.
The authors initially developed Smart Brevity during their time at Politico and refined it further at their media company, Axios. They’ve since created Axios HQ—an AI-powered platform designed to help people communicate effectively using Smart Brevity.
In our full 16-page book summary in infographic, audio and text formats, you’ll get a step-by-step guide on exactly how Smart Brevity works, along with specific ways to apply Smart Brevity in real life. In this free summary, we’ll outline the key points of Smart Brevity and how it can help you be a better communicator.
How Smart Brevity Works
Research data shows that most people just read the headlines and the first few paragraphs of any article/story they see. They will read the rest of the article only if you hook their interest upfront.
Smart Brevity is built on (i) several principles for effective communication, with (ii) 4 core elements to be applied in any communication.
Addressing Criticisms of Smart Brevity
Some readers criticized Smart Brevity as a one-trick pony, claiming that the concept is oversimplified. However, these critics seem to have missed the nuances emphasized by the authors, including:
- The principles and 4 cores are meant to serve as guidelines to help you think and write more effectively; they’re not strict rules to be followed rigidly.
- The authors also stress the importance of being short, not shallow. They caution us not to lose the nuances, oversimplify concepts, or omit vital facts.
- They also highlight exceptions where brevity isn’t the ideal, such as in poetry, nonfiction books, or casual conversations.
With this context in mind, let’s take a peek at the core ideas and principles of smart brevity.
The 4 Cores of Smart Brevity
These are the 4 core components that form the backbone for effective communication:
1. “Muscular tease” or an attention-grabbing headline/subject
Your audience will make a split-second decision on whether to read your content. Make sure your subject line or headline can grab their attention, and yank them away from other distractions.
2. “Lede” or an effective opening sentence
In the first sentence after the headline, state the ONE thing you want people to take away. Remember: this is probably the only thing your audience will recall.
3. The context or “Why It Matters.”
Most people are too busy to read and digest a piece of content in detail; they will only skim through it. Offer some context on why your idea, fact, or message matters to them personally or professionally.
• Use the words “Why It Matters” or other axioms to convey your main message clearly and directly.
4. Option to “go deeper”
Give people the choice to learn more if they want to, with a link to additional details (e.g. video, podcast, bio, book excerpts).
Detailed Tips and Examples
In our full 16-page Smart Brevity summary, we zoom in on specific tips and examples for each of the 4 cores above. For now, here’s a short example of how the 4 cores could come together in a message:
How to Be an Effective Communicator
Smart Brevity Principles for Effective Communication
Smart Brevity is built on several powerful principles, which help to reinforce the 4 cores above. In our full book summary, we have distilled them down to this list, with explanations, examples, and application tips for each.
Here’s a visual overview:
1. It’s all about brevity: being short, but not shallow.
2. Always put your audience first. Prioritize your audience’s needs to ensure your message is relevant and engaging.
3. Respect their time and intelligence. Be brief and clear, ensuring what you’re saying is worth saying.
4. Write as a human, for humans. Speak plainly, as if you’re communicating 1-1 with someone.
5. Speak with authority: You need expertise in order to communicate effectively and credibly.
6. Convey information in the simplest and cleanest way.
7. Use the right words for maximum impact: use straightforward language, “strong” words, shorter words, and specific words.
8. Choose shorter words where possible. The fewer the syllabus, the better.
9. Use compelling visuals (e.g. images, charts and emojis) to reinforce your message and make complex ideas 💡 easier to understand. It’s also important to create a visual hierarchy for your content, and to avoid visual clutter.
Here’s a simple example of good vs bad writing style:
- An example of poor communication is to say: “Due to the elevated likelihood of precipitation this afternoon, I will engage in utilizing an umbrella for my outing.”
- A good alternative (crisp and clear) is: “It might rain. I’m taking an umbrella.”
How to Apply Smart Brevity (SB) in Real Life
You can use the 4 Cores and guiding principles of Smart Brevity in all your external or internal communications to increase your impact and save time for everyone. It’s about being clear and concise, while tailoring your communication style to the platform/context and audience.
In our detailed Smart Brevity summary, we share tips and examples for the following applications:
- Newsletters;
- Workplace communication;
- Emails;
- Meetings;
- Speeches;
- Presentations; and
- Social Media.
Getting the Most from Smart Brevity
In a hyperconnected world filled with noise and distractions, the need for efficient, precise communication has become more crucial than ever. Smart Brevity helps you to cut through the clutter, reduce overwhelm, get heard and remembered. When you adopt Smart Brevity throughout your organization, it helps to create a culture of transparency and clarity, and eliminate gossip, secrecy, and confusion.
If you’d like to zoom in on the ideas above and get more detailed insights, examples and actionable tips, do check out our full book summary bundle that includes an infographic, 16-page text summary, and a 25-minute audio summary.
The book is filled with practical case studies, showcasing before-and-after examples of various types of communication ranging from news articles, to emails and social media posts. The also authors share their real-world experiences and key insights at Politico and Axios to illustrate Smart Brevity applications. You can purchase the book here or visit SmartBrevity.com for more details and resources.
For more tips on effective communication and presentations, don’t forget to check out our summaries for Storytelling with Data (to learn how to use visuals more effectively) TED Talks (become a more effective speaker and presenter) on On Writing Well (for more tips on all types of non-fiction writing).
About the Authors of Smart Brevity
Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less was written by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz.
Jim VandeHei is a co-founder and CEO of Axios, a media company known for its concise communication and to-the-point reporting style. Prior to Axios, VandeHei co-founded Politico, where he served as executive editor. His background includes extensive experience in political reporting and media innovation.
Roy Schwartz is a co-founder and president of Axios, where he oversees business strategy and operations. Prior to Axios, he served as Politico’s chief revenue officer, and was previously a partner at The Gallup Organization and a Senior Project Specialist at MCI Worldcom.
Mike Allen is a co-founder and Executive Editor at Axios. He was previously a co-rounder and Chief White House correspondent for Politico, and a reporter for TIME magazine, The Washington Post, the Richmond-Times Dispatch, and the Free Lance-Starr.
Smart Brevity Quotes
“You will learn to punch through the noise, be heard on what matters most and win recognition for your most important ideas.”
“Never in the history of humanity have we vomited more words in more places with more velocity.”
“Brevity is confidence. Length is fear.”
“Just say what you mean, sincerely and short.”
“If there is one thing you take away from this book, it is this: Learn to identify and trumpet ONE thing you want people to know.”
“We tend to think too much about what we want to say versus what others need to hear.”
“Writing is like a stacked buffet, where it’s up to you to pick and choose what you want.”
“If you’re not communicating inclusively, you’re not communicating effectively.”
“In speeches, like life, you don’t need to say a lot to make a big difference.”
“So many presentations are stressful for the presenter, boring for the audience and a waste of time for both.”
Click here to download the Smart Brevity infographic & summary
