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Joseph McCormack in Brief Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less has advice for us.  Consult the whole book for more ideas.

• Busy people expect you to respect their time by getting to the point of your communication quickly and ensuring that your message is delivered with maximum impact.
• A 2013 study on Internet trends found that people check their smartphones 150 times a day.
• The new brutal reality is we are drowning in information and it floods us everywhere we go.
• These days it’s no longer possible to get by on the merit of your idea, title or allotted time. You have to put it in a smaller package and make it easier to consume and digest
• To be brief doesn’t just mean being concise which may be superficial and lacking in substance
• Brevity starts with deep expertise as only with thorough knowledge can you accurately make an effective summary.
• The B. R. I. E. F. approach stands for Background/beginning, Relevance/reason, Information-key, Ending-intended and Follow up expected questions.
• Create mental muscle memory to be brief by using
  • Employ outlines such as using BRIEF or mind maps-visual outlining (software like Mindjet, Bubbl.us are so appealing because they are highly visual, logical and intuitive to use)
  • Tell stories because narratives capture and connect with people. Consider using video storytelling. YouTube’s are an average of 3-5 minutes and TEDs are limited to 18 minutes of ideas worth sharing
  • Think about your audience as a journalist would-have a strong headline, compelling lead paragraph, clear sense of conflict, personal voice, consistent narrative thread, logical sequence of events, character development and a powerful conclusion.
  • Use controlled conversations through TALC talk-let the person finish talking, actively listen-ask questions for clarification, converse by commenting-asking more questions-connecting at a personal level
  • Show it as we are transitioning from a text-based world to a visual one. Studies show that we remember on 10% of what we hear, 30% of what we read and 80% of what we see. Use images that relate to your message-Google images are easy to use-or short videos
• Gaining the decisiveness to know when and where to be brief
  • Break the bonds of wasteful meetings-trim the agenda to what is absolutely necessary and allocate time for each item before the meeting starts.
    • Find innovative ways for attendees to interact such as using a standing huddle, eliminating Power Points all together, speakers can use videos, illustrations drawn in real time, etc.
    • As the chair don’t allow anyone to dominate and be sure everyone is heard within the allotted time
    • Ask why do you need me at this meeting
• Develop Got-A-Minute updates- when ask how’s it going give people only what they are looking for-not all the other details and information they really don’t care about
• Consider the most important question in all encounters-Why am I here as your time is precious so be sure you are making the best use of it.

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