On Being Brief

Apr 30, 2008 • Paul Singh

I used to write long emails; I mean really long. I justified it by telling myself that I was being thorough. I thought that the reader (most likely my clients or someone I worked with) would appreciate my effort to be as detailed as possible. Nothing could be further than the truth.

I noticed that most of the responses failed to answer the 34039857 questions I buried deep within. I learned that I was much more likely to get the answers I needed by keeping my emails short and posing one simple question.

Here’s my point: It’s intimidating to figure out what to put on a wall size whiteboard. It’s much easier to approach a postcard. Focus on getting just one message across.

On a side note, I’m on Twitter. Follow me at http://twitter.com/paulsingh.