Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less

Chapter 4

The Big Bang of Brevity

Long story, short. Be disciplined, respectful, and well prepared, and your clients will thank you.

A Success Story

Not every executive has a bad experience when it comes to brevity. There are success stories that make an immediate impact during the course of busy people's schedules. Here's one.

I once worked with a finance executive named Edna, who told me about a positive experience she had with one of her consulting firms. She is a senior executive who operates at a fast pace and processes a ton of information every day—checking e-mails and answering phone calls and questions from her staff. She's in high demand because she has a tremendous capacity to process and make quick decisions.

But like a lot of people, Edna can be easily distracted and inattentive. She has a short fuse and is very driven to get things done. To win with her, you have to capture her imagination and get to the point. She's the face of today's executive.

“The meetings that I have typically feel the same way. We sit down, there are introductions, a PowerPoint presentation, my texts start to come and the interruptions begin, people check their phones during the meeting, I check my e-mail, people zone in and out,” she said.

“However, I was surprised one day when my consulting company came in and happy to find that they've adapted to this new reality. The first thing they did ...