Have you noticed that all YouTube Videos are 10 minutes or more now? I do a lot of reading on business and mindset. Sometimes I like going to YouTube to see if there is a video on the 10 best things <blank>, you fill in the blank there. It could be on-line business ideas, or ways to calm the mind, or quotes. 10 things, a short list, right? So why did it take 10 minutes to tell me?
“Nature abhors a vacuum”
“A gas will expand to fill the available space”
Those two quotes, one by Aristotle, are what come to mind when thinking about the bloat of YouTube videos, Marketing materials and e-mail newsletters just to name a few. Since the “bits” are free, why not use more of them up?
A sales pitch is a fine-tuned instrument. It must be just enough to keep the viewer/listener/reader interested, but not so much that they get bored waiting for the punch line.
Books on business is another area that has grown out of control. Yes, the author has a lot of experience and knowledge to share, but 600 pages, really? There is an entire industry now dedicated to summarizing books for busy executives. That seem ironic that an author who used to be or may still be an executive in a company, who is very busy and too busy to read a full-length book decides to write a very long book.
Podcasts! Yes, podcasts are also going the way of bloat. The sponsored ones take so long to get to the actual material that 5 minutes into the list of who “made this possible” I get fed up and stop listening. Yes, your sponsor deserves to be heard, but not to the detriment of the nuggets of wisdom your podcast will impart!
Why? Why do we have to substitute quantity for quality?
OK, so this has been a bit of a rant so far and I appreciate your reading to this point.
Lengthy explanations do not benefit the listener/viewer/reader. Abraham Lincoln is credited with saying that with more time, his speeches would have been shorter and more to the point. I remember hearing that when in school as we discussed the Gettysburg Address, but I could not find a reference to it after doing some quick digging on-line so maybe someone else said it. It is still a good idea to spend more time preparing and less time talking about the topic.
Our goal with communicating is to say just enough to share information, impart wisdom or convince someone to take action. Our goal should not be to overwhelm the receiver of the information. In business, keeping it simple and to the point is usually the best policy.
It is also important to say enough to get the information across. The person listening to you may not know much about the subject so it is best to provide a point of reference or common ground so you can express your ideas and have them land properly. Just don’t take up all that time telling us about 5 people who did not believe it was possible, but now they are true believers.
This blog for example is intentionally short. I keep the postings to 1 and a half pages with that last half usually being a quarter. Why? Because I want to pass on information for those who want to “listen” and if they get curious to learn more, they can just reach out at rick@gramatges.com.
I have been accused more than once of talking too much, so I try to write just enough. If you think it takes a 10-minute video to convince me that these are the 10 best quotes ever, then I would rather you type the quotes in the comments and have me read them. If I can’t understand them, or don’t get it then I will listen to the explanation.
There, less than 1 and a half pages.
Gramatges Consulting 