Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less - Paperback

by Joseph McCormack (Author)

Get heard by being clear and concise

The only way to survive in business today is to be a lean communicator. Busy executives expect you to respect and manage their time more effectively than ever. You need to do the groundwork to make your message tight and to the point. The average professional receives 304 emails per week and checks their smartphones 36 times an hour and 38 hours a week. This inattention has spread to every part of life. The average attention span has shrunk from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight in 2012.

So, throw them a lifeline and be brief.

Author Joe McCormack tackles the challenges of inattention, interruptions, and impatience that every professional faces. His proven B.R.I.E.F. approach, which stands for Background, Relevance, Information, Ending, and Follow up, helps simplify and clarify complex communication. BRIEF will help you summarize lengthy information, tell a short story, harness the power of infographics and videos, and turn monologue presentations into controlled conversations.

• Details the B.R.I.E.F. approach to distilling your message into a brief presentation
• Written by the founder and CEO of Sheffield Marketing Partners, which specializes in message and narrative development, who is also a recognized expert in Narrative Mapping, a technique that helps clients achieve a clearer and more concise message

Front Jacket

Most day-to-day communications are unfocused and unclear. That's an inexcusable waste of everyone's time and resources. Brief isn't a nicety, it's a necessity. In a world where we are inundated with information and highly inattentive, we have very small windows of time to make an impact with no margin for error. The problem is most people don't have the know-how or verbal discipline to do the upfront groundwork and get to the point. As a result, they waste precious opportunities with decision-makers, and get too "comfortable" and verbally sloppy with co-workers and long-time clients. Brief is a step-by-step approach to getting to the point quickly and ensuring that your message is delivered with maximum impact.

With real-world case studies and illustrative examples of messaging successes - and failures - author and senior marketing executive Joseph McCormack provides an easy-to-follow framework for communicating more effectively and efficiently. McCormack breaks down how to become a master of high-impact brevity with his four proven approaches:

• Map It - BRIEF Maps to condense and trim volumes of information
• Tell It - Narrative storytelling to explain in a way that's clear, concise, and compelling
• Talk It - TALC Tracks that turn monologues into controlled conversations
• Show It - Visuals that attract attention and capture imagination

Brief walks you through the more intense and complex process of distilling all of your information into the most effective message possible, regardless of length. You'll learn to trim your ideas for your intended audience and to communicate in the most appropriate timeframe for each situation. As attention spans get shorter and decision-makers have less time to absorb your ideas and presentations, it is imperative that you craft your message carefully, the first time, and tailor it specifically to your target.

Written for business executives, sales and marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, and anyone who aspires to be a lean communicator, Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less provides the tools you'll need to be tight and get it right.

Back Jacket

What people are saying about brevity.

"I get several hundred emails per day. I wish people would just ask for what they want in the first sentence. I don't need to know their whole life history to make a decision. Getting people to be brief would save everyone a lot of time."
--Guy Kawasaki, author, publisher and entrepreneur

"You could write a book about trying to get people to pay closer attention and stop getting distracted and interrupted, or you could help people be succinct. Joe has chosen the better path."
--John Challenger, CEO, Challenger, Gray and Christmas

"We are entering an age of infobesity. Brief is your new weapon to cut through the clutter and stand out."
--Sam Horn, author of POP! and Eyebrow Test

"As a military leader, telling a story that's clear and concise helped me to thrive in a sometimes hostile media environment overseas. I'm convinced that following Joe's counsel and insights has made me a more effective and efficient leader."
--Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell, IV (ret.)