{"id":682,"date":"2025-01-30T14:25:07","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T14:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/?p=682"},"modified":"2025-03-28T14:16:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T14:16:25","slug":"smart-brevity-why-less-really-is-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/uncategorized\/smart-brevity-why-less-really-is-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart Brevity \u2014 Why Less Really Is More"},"content":{"rendered":"<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#F6F6F9\" style=\"width:100%;margin:0 auto;background-color:#F6F6F9\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div class=\"ck-section\" style=\"margin:30px auto 0px auto\">\n<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:100%;margin:0 auto;max-width:800px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"800\" style=\"background-color:#ffffff;background-size:cover;background-position:center;border-radius:0px\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\">\n<div class=\"ck-inner-section ck-padding-left-mobile-friendly ck-padding-right-mobile-friendly\" style=\"padding:40px 36px 24px 36px\">\n<div style=\"margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\">\n<table class=\"ck-layout-block ck-layout-stack\" width=\"100%\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" bgcolor=\"transparent\" style=\"background-color:transparent;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 0px;border-radius:0px;overflow:hidden;background-size:cover;background-position:center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"ck-column ck-column-stack ck-column-1\" width=\"50%\" style=\"background-size:cover;background-position:center;border-radius:0px;vertical-align:top\">\n<div style=\"padding:0px 0px 0px 0px\">\n<table width=\"100%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" style=\"text-align:center;float:none\" class=\"email-image\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"center\">\n<figure style=\"margin-top:12px;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:800px;width:100%\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.filekitcdn.com\/e\/oh4UyimtaVpDdq4v3xpjNZ\/EYj7oHsTocEWDETZgrRxx\" width=\"800\" height=\"auto\" style=\"border-radius:4px 4px 4px 4px;width:800px;height:auto;object-fit:contain\"><\/div><figcaption style=\"text-align:center\">\u200b<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none;margin-top:8px;margin-bottom:8px\" class=\"\">\u200b<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding-left:20px\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"ck-column ck-column-2\" width=\"50%\" style=\"background-size:cover;background-position:center;border-radius:0px;vertical-align:top\">\n<div style=\"padding:0px 0px 0px 0px\">\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:#4F4F4F;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-align:right;text-transform:none;margin-top:8px;margin-bottom:8px\" class=\"\">\u200b<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ck-section\" style=\"margin:0px auto 0px auto\">\n<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:100%;margin:0 auto;max-width:800px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"800\" style=\"background-color:#fff;background-size:cover;background-position:center;border-radius:0px\" bgcolor=\"#fff\">\n<div class=\"ck-inner-section ck-padding-left-mobile-friendly ck-padding-right-mobile-friendly\" style=\"padding:30px 36px 40px 36px\">\n<div style=\"margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\">\n<h2 style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:32px;color:#222222;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.25;text-transform:none;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:36px\" class=\"\"><strong>The Secret to Making Every Word Count<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\">Hi Reader,<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\"><strong>\ud83d\udca1 Today&#8217;s Niblit:<\/strong> In &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4fravqf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#FF630B\">Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less<\/a>,&#8221;  Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz explain that the most powerful writing starts before you write a single word \u2014 by thinking deeply about your specific audience.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\"><strong>\ud83d\udd11 Key Insight:<\/strong> &#8220;Audience first&#8221; means flipping your mindset from what you want to say to what your reader needs to hear. This isn&#8217;t just good manners \u2014 it&#8217;s the difference between being ignored and being influential.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\">Think about gift-giving. When someone gives you the perfect gift, you know they really thought about you, your tastes, and what would make you happy. When they give you something generic, you know they were just checking a box. The same principle applies to communication \u2014 generic messages feel like spam, while tailored messages feel like gold.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\">Why does this matter? Most messages fail because they&#8217;re written for the sender, not the receiver. Data shows that roughly one-third of work emails requiring attention go unread. By putting your audience first, you immediately separate yourself from the noise and capture attention.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\"><strong>\ud83e\udd89 Nibble of Wisdom:<\/strong> If you try to speak to everyone, you&#8217;ll connect with no one.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\"><strong>\ud83d\udee0\ufe0f Practical Tip:<\/strong> Before writing anything, picture one specific person who represents your target audience. Write as if you&#8217;re speaking directly to them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\"><strong>\ud83d\ude80 Quick Action:<\/strong> Take something you need to write today. Before starting, write down three specific things you know about your audience: their role, their main challenge, and what they need from you. Then craft your message with these insights in mind.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\"><strong>\ud83d\udd0d Further Exploration:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"unordered_list\" style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-align:left;text-transform:none\">\n<li class=\"list_item\"><span>Learn about the &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2006\/12\/the-curse-of-knowledge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#FF630B\">curse of knowledge<\/a>&#8221; and how it might be making your communications less effective.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"list_item\"><span>Consider how<a href=\"https:\/\/positivepsychology.com\/psychological-distancing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#FF630B\"> psychological distance<\/a> affects how people process your message.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"list_item\"><span>Ask three colleagues what they look for first when opening an email. Their answers might surprise you \u2014 and improve your writing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\"><strong>\ud83c\udfac Wrapup:<\/strong> Remember, your audience&#8217;s time and attention are precious gifts. Honor them by making every word serve their needs, not yours.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\"><strong>\ud83d\udd17 Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"unordered_list\" style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-align:left;text-transform:none\">\n<li class=\"list_item\"><span>Check out<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4fravqf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#FF630B\"> <em>Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less<\/em> by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz<\/a> on Amazon<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"list_item\"><span>\u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/48wKung\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#FF630B\"><em>Smart Brevity<\/em> on Kindle<\/a>\u200b<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"list_item\"><span>\u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4htZTst\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#FF630B\"><em>Smart Brevity<\/em> Audiobook<\/a>\u200b<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"list_item\"><span>\u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YCcJxn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#FF630B\">Read this book for FREE<\/a> with a Kindle Unlimited trial<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\"><strong>Thinking of you,<\/strong> <\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#333333;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none\" class=\"\">Tom &#8220;your audience matters&#8221; Bernthal<\/p>\n<table class=\"ck-layout-block ck-layout-stack\" width=\"100%\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#f9f9f9\" style=\"background-color:#f9f9f9;padding:18px 18px 18px 18px;margin:24px 0px 24px 0px;border-radius:0px;overflow:hidden;background-size:cover;background-position:center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"ck-column ck-column-stack ck-column-1\" width=\"35%\" style=\"background-size:cover;background-position:center;border-radius:0px;vertical-align:top\">\n<div style=\"padding:0px 0px 0px 0px\">\n<table width=\"100%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" style=\"text-align:center;float:none\" class=\"email-image\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"center\">\n<figure style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:200px;width:100%\">\n<div>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.filekitcdn.com\/e\/oh4UyimtaVpDdq4v3xpjNZ\/2FXTkbpNBwAh35ubbC2sG7\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" style=\"border-radius:9999px 9999px 9999px 9999px;width:200px;height:200px;object-fit:cover\">\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" style=\"text-align:center;float:none\" class=\"email-image\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"center\">\n<figure style=\"margin-top:12px;margin-bottom:12px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:800px;width:100%\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.filekitcdn.com\/e\/oh4UyimtaVpDdq4v3xpjNZ\/2CrcobkpKHMN2FyPFwC39G\" width=\"800\" height=\"auto\" style=\"border-radius:4px 4px 4px 4px;width:800px;height:auto;object-fit:contain\"><\/div><figcaption style=\"text-align:center\">Tom Bernthal, Chief Niblr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding-left:30px\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"ck-column ck-column-2\" width=\"65%\" style=\"background-size:cover;background-position:center;border-radius:0px;vertical-align:middle\">\n<div style=\"padding:0px 0px 0px 0px\">\n<h2 style=\"font-family:Charter, Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;font-size:32px;color:#000000;font-weight:500;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.25;text-transform:none;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\" class=\"\">Thank you!<\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-family:Verdana, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#4d4d4d;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none;margin-top:8px;margin-bottom:8px\" class=\"\">Thank you for joining the Niblits community. If you have questions, suggestions or want to chat, hit reply.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Verdana, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#4d4d4d;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-transform:none;margin-top:8px;margin-bottom:8px\" class=\"\"><strong>\u200b<\/strong><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Check%20this%20out...&amp;body=I%20just%20joined%20a%20free%20daily%20newlsetter%20called%20Niblits.%20They%20send%20you%20one%20key%20idea%20from%20popular%20books%20to%20grow%20a%20little%20smarter%20every%20day.%0A%0AIt's%20a%20quick%203-minute%20read%20and%20I%20thought%20you%20might%20like%20it%20too.%0A%0AYou%20can%20check%20it%20out%20here%3A%20%20https%3A%2F%2Fniblits.com%0A%0A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#FF630B\"><strong>Share Niblits with friends<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong> <\/p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Verdana, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:20px;color:#4d4d4d;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-align:left;text-transform:none;margin-top:8px;margin-bottom:8px\" class=\"\">If you&#8217;d like to get access to more books and ideas, <a href=\"https:\/\/join.niblits.com\/products\/tips-are-welcome\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#FF630B\">tap here to see how you can help me<strong> <\/strong>grow Niblits faster<\/a>!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ck-section\" style=\"margin:0px auto 40px auto\">\n<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:100%;margin:0 auto;max-width:800px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"800\" style=\"background-color:#fff;background-size:cover;background-position:center;border-radius:0px;border-top:solid 1px #F2F2F2\" bgcolor=\"#fff\">\n<div class=\"ck-inner-section ck-padding-left-mobile-friendly ck-padding-right-mobile-friendly\" style=\"padding:40px 40px 40px 40px\">\n<div style=\"margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\">\n<p style=\"font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;font-size:15px;color:#656565;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0;line-height:1.5;text-align:center;text-transform:none\" class=\"\"><span style=\"font-size:12\"> <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/preview.convertkit-mail2.com\/preferences\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#808080\"><span style=\"font-size:12\">Update your Niblits newsletter options<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-size:12\"> | <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/preview.convertkit-mail2.com\/unsubscribe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#808080\"><span style=\"font-size:12\">Unsubscribe<br \/>\u200b<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-size:12\">113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Secret to Making Every Word Count Hi Reader, \ud83d\udca1 Today&#8217;s Niblit: In &#8220;Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less,&#8221; Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz explain that the most powerful writing starts before you write a single word \u2014 by thinking deeply about your specific audience. \ud83d\udd11 Key Insight: &#8220;Audience first&#8221; means flipping your mindset from what you want to say to what your reader needs to hear. This isn&#8217;t just good manners \u2014 it&#8217;s the difference between being ignored and being&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_convertkit_action_broadcast_export":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"niblit":[],"class_list":["post-682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=682"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":683,"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682\/revisions\/683"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=682"},{"taxonomy":"niblit","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niblits.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/niblit?post=682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}