1. Recommend also reading up on "The Feynman Technique" (https://fs.blog/feynman-technique). This method helps to ensure that you are simplifying complexity, and also learning how to communicate in a concise way.
2. This is more of a +1 to the article, but the more concise the message, the easier it is to rally teams/groups around that and build consensus.
Wes, this is truly great! As a linguist, I've always been bothered by the drive to seemingly be concise at all costs. As you point out, it's a Pyrrhic victory if your message gets lost in the concision 😉
Clarity precedes conciseness. That's what I'll remember. Explain where you're getting at first then add context. I will remember it as I build my cover letter templates this week or the next.
Really enjoyed this. I'm definitely thinking more about the way I write on substack - it's a different medium again to work writing, academic writing and social media writing.
One of my hobbies is summarising things and giving them headings. When I wrote my doctoral thesis, I gave each single paragraph a one or two word heading as a way of checking out and moving about the layout. I also do this on job descriptions!! Job descriptions often jump around, thematically, so I give every responsibility/function a heading, and then group them to at least create a bit of semblance of sense!
Gaaaaah I LOVE this!!!! As a science communicator, there really are topics which require a lot more effort to discuss and understand. It peeves me when some readers prefer ultrashort clickbait skincare "advice" vs actual logical explainers. Huhu but then it could be my fault. Am soaking up all of your tips and will put them to practice in my next posts!
The point about not having to go in chronological order makes so much sense, I make that mistake a lot.
I also find concision in writing easier than talking, because you can make mutliple edits. That said, if you say something you've figured out in writing you can talk more concisely too because you have cleared up your thinking.
Great article - giving me hope that it's not just the inside of my head that is having so many of these similar struggles. I learned only a few years ago of my neurodivergence. This article gives me hope to that I may learn some cognitive strategies to identify The Point out of the 75 in my head, for the particular audience, and communicate it effectively.
I've been pondering about this topic for a while but your article provided much better clarity than anything I have read before. Especially, the point on bottleneck to being concise. Solid suggestions on way to be more concise. Insightful. Thank you!
Powerful and concise. When you lose content you lose context. You nailed that problem very well. I'd like to build on your idea of writing where I think of it as the ability to form, unform, and reform ideas. This allows me to understand how to break complex ideas down into managable chunks even if the writing is still long.
I like it. Reminds me of the famous line from a letter by Blaise Pascal "I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter."
Couple additional points on this:
1. Recommend also reading up on "The Feynman Technique" (https://fs.blog/feynman-technique). This method helps to ensure that you are simplifying complexity, and also learning how to communicate in a concise way.
2. This is more of a +1 to the article, but the more concise the message, the easier it is to rally teams/groups around that and build consensus.
Wes, this is truly great! As a linguist, I've always been bothered by the drive to seemingly be concise at all costs. As you point out, it's a Pyrrhic victory if your message gets lost in the concision 😉
Reading ‘concision’ made my day. ☺️👏🏽
Sameeeeee!!!
Hehehehe
Clarity precedes conciseness. That's what I'll remember. Explain where you're getting at first then add context. I will remember it as I build my cover letter templates this week or the next.
Really enjoyed this. I'm definitely thinking more about the way I write on substack - it's a different medium again to work writing, academic writing and social media writing.
One of my hobbies is summarising things and giving them headings. When I wrote my doctoral thesis, I gave each single paragraph a one or two word heading as a way of checking out and moving about the layout. I also do this on job descriptions!! Job descriptions often jump around, thematically, so I give every responsibility/function a heading, and then group them to at least create a bit of semblance of sense!
Love a bit of concision!
Gaaaaah I LOVE this!!!! As a science communicator, there really are topics which require a lot more effort to discuss and understand. It peeves me when some readers prefer ultrashort clickbait skincare "advice" vs actual logical explainers. Huhu but then it could be my fault. Am soaking up all of your tips and will put them to practice in my next posts!
Hello, fellow science communicator!
The point about not having to go in chronological order makes so much sense, I make that mistake a lot.
I also find concision in writing easier than talking, because you can make mutliple edits. That said, if you say something you've figured out in writing you can talk more concisely too because you have cleared up your thinking.
Great article, thanks for sharing these ideas.
Great article - giving me hope that it's not just the inside of my head that is having so many of these similar struggles. I learned only a few years ago of my neurodivergence. This article gives me hope to that I may learn some cognitive strategies to identify The Point out of the 75 in my head, for the particular audience, and communicate it effectively.
I've been pondering about this topic for a while but your article provided much better clarity than anything I have read before. Especially, the point on bottleneck to being concise. Solid suggestions on way to be more concise. Insightful. Thank you!
Thanks Wes!
This is much needed and very useful!
Powerful and concise. When you lose content you lose context. You nailed that problem very well. I'd like to build on your idea of writing where I think of it as the ability to form, unform, and reform ideas. This allows me to understand how to break complex ideas down into managable chunks even if the writing is still long.
You copied and pasted the same response complete with the capitalized error. Congrats. Are you a bot?
“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” - Mark Twain
Well written, Wes!
I like it. Reminds me of the famous line from a letter by Blaise Pascal "I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter."
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/28/shorter-letter/
It's more up-front work to be concise! Hopefully it pays off through reduced work later.
Great insight on an issue I often struggle with. Thanks for sharing!