Notes from “Smart Brevity” from Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz

Notes from “Smart Brevity” from Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz

Finding the balance of appropriate brevity is a tricky thing. Many things (particularly meetings and presentations) can drone on far too long, while other items (such as social media) are lacking any real content. The book “Smart Brevity” helps find that beautiful middle ground.

Check out my video overview of the book here, or read on to see some of my notes.

People are overwhelmed with information, yet most communication is unnecessarily long, unclear, and ineffective.

Introduction: The Fog of Words

This exploits two human flaws at once: Most of us are terrible multitaskers, and we struggle to refocus once our attention is yanked away. It takes most people more than 20 minutes to snap back into focus after a distraction.

“How do you get anyone to pay attention to anything that matters in this mess? Our answer: Adapt to how people consume content—not how you wish they did or they did once upon a time.”

Part 1: What is Smart Brevity?

1. Short, Not Shallow

Summary from GPT: 1. Explores the ethos that shorter writing isn’t simple—it’s purposeful. Emphasizes that “brevity is confidence. Length is fear.”

A lunch-spattered piece of paper hangs on the wall of the Arlington, Virginia, newsroom of our start-up, Axios. It reads: “Brevity is confidence. Length is fear.”

2. Smart Brevity, Explained

Summary from GPT: 2. Breaks down the method into the “Core 4”: tease, lead, why it matters, and a link for depth

1 – A muscular “tease”:

Whether in a tweet, headline or email subject line, you need six or fewer strong words to yank someone’s attention away from Tinder or TikTok.

2 – One strong first sentence, or “lede”:

Your opening sentence should be the most memorable—tell me something I don’t know, would want to know, should know. Make this sentence as direct, short and sharp as possible.

3 – Context, or “Why it matters”:

We’re all faking it. Mike and I learned this speaking to Fortune 500 CEOs. We all know a lot about a little. We’re too ashamed or afraid to ask, but we almost always need you to explain why your new fact, idea or thought matters.

4 – The choice to learn more, or “Go deeper”:

Don’t force someone to read or hear more than they want. Make it their decision. If they decide “yes,” what follows should be truly worth their time.

3. The Road to Smart Brevity

Summary from GPT: Traces the origin of the style through Axios’s founders’ journalistic work and evolution toward clarity

“Listen to the customer and data, not the voice inside your head.”

4. Audience First

Summary from GPT: Highlights that effective communication starts by understanding the needs and habits of your audience

Jim sat stewing in the pew of Christ the King Church in Alexandria, Virginia, while David Glade, the pastor, talked about the difficulties of being good. He told a story about how his kids wondered, with all the chaos and challenge of life, how a person can choose to do the right thing, always.

Pastor Glade wanted to shrink this big existential question into something more digestible. He offered to his kids nine words of wisdom that guided us through our departure—and shaped how we live our lives today: “All you can do is the next right thing.”

Tips & Tricks
➊ Focus on ONE person you are targeting.
➋ Plot out ONE thing you want them to remember.
➌ Write like a human, for humans.
➍ Then write it down.
➎ Then stop.

Part 2: How to do it

5. Be Worthy

Summary from GPT: Argues that content must deserve readers’ limited attention—it must be useful and relevant

Mike thought he knew all the secrets of public speaking, but as he waited to go onstage after the executive from BJ’s, he heard him start and end his speech with these words: “If there’s only one thing you remember from this talk . . .” That’s a great way to signal unmistakably what matters most and what you want people to take away.

“Delete, delete, delete. What words, sentences or paragraphs can you eliminate before sending? Every word or sentence you can shave saves the other person time. Less is more—and a gift.”

Tips & Tricks
➊ List the points you must make.
➋ Whittle down your list of important points to one or two, if possible.
➌ Do a real gut check. Is this point or detail or concept essential? If so, is there a simpler way to convey it?
➍ Delete, delete, delete. What words, sentences or paragraphs can you eliminate before sending? Every word or sentence you can shave saves the other person time. Less is more—and a gift.

6. Grab Me!

Summary from GPT: Teaches how to craft compelling “tease” headlines that hook readers immediately

Tips & Tricks
➊ Start by stopping.
➋ Once you kick the bad habits, start new, healthy ones.
➌ Read it aloud.

7. ONE Big Thing

Summary from GPT: Encourages focusing each message on a single clear, memorable idea

“The first sentence is your one—and likely only—chance to tell someone what they need to know and convince them not to move on.”

Tips & Tricks
➊ Boil down your most important point.
➋ Skip the anecdotes.
➌ Stick to the one-sentence limit.
➍ Don’t repeat the tease verbatim.
➎ Hack off the adverbs, weak words, extraneous words.
➏ Now ask yourself: If this is the ONLY thing the person sees or hears, is it exactly what you want to stick?

8. Why It Matters

Summary from GPT: Emphasizes the necessity of explaining why the reader should care—context over fluff

Tips & Tricks
➊ “Why it matters” is the most common and effective Axiom.
➋ After “Why it matters,” explain in one sentence—or at most two—why the information in your first sentence is important.
➌ The sentence—or sentences—should be direct and declarative.
➍ Now read all three parts together: your headline, your first-sentence lede and your Axiom.

9. Go Deeper

Summary from GPT: Provides guidelines for offering additional context or detail via concise bullet points or links

Tips & Tricks
➊ Axioms rock.
➋ Use bullets, often.
➌ Be bold.
➍ Mix it up.

10. The Right Words

Summary from GPT: Advises choosing clear, strong, action-oriented language and avoiding jargon or filler

Tips & Tricks
➊ Shorter is always better.
➋ Deploy STRONG words.
➌ Purge WEAK words.
➍ Avoid foggy words.
➎ Use active verbs.
➏ Embrace strong phrases.
➐ Check yourself.

11. Emojis

Summary from GPT: Discusses using emojis purposefully to convey tone or signal content quickly in digital formats

Part 3: Smart Brevity in Action

12. Mike’s Playbook

Summary from GPT: Shares the story of Mike Allen’s influential newsletters and how the brevity approach enabled broader adoption—and power of “brevity is confidence”

Mike’s Tips & Tricks
➊ You are the chef.
➋ Brevity is confidence.
➌ Being selfless is selfishly beneficial.
➍ Gamify it.

13. The Art of the Newsletter

Summary from GPT: Explains how newsletters are ideal venues for smart brevity, using structure to deliver useful updates quickly

Tips & Tricks
➊ Come up with a one- or two-word name for the newsletter.
➋ Don’t waste time.
➌ Go big.
➍ Don’t be messy.
➎ Then, write a few more items in Smart Brevity, in order of importance.
➏ Number your items and gut-check the total length.
➐ Grab me. Excite me.
➑ Brevity, always.
➒ Make me smile.
➓ Simple graphs or pictures that make your point ALONE are pure gold.

14. Be Heard at Work

Summary from GPT: Applies smart brevity to workplace communications to boost clarity and alignment

If you manage people, send weekly updates in smart, concise newsletters (see chapter 13). Encourage your direct reports to do the same.

• A Sunday or early Monday mailing works best to align people for the coming week.

• The data show you should send updates in the morning to maximize open rates.

Tips & Tricks
➊ Your messages, memos or email: Write essential updates in Smart Brevity.
➋ Your management: If you manage people, send weekly updates in smart, concise newsletters. Encourage your direct reports to do the same.
➌ Your presentations: PowerPoints are a hotbed for graffiti and eye torture. People smother their ideas or proposals with crappy art and word diarrhea, then hit repeat for a dozen or more slides.

15. Smart Brevity your Email

Summary from GPT: Covers email tactics: strong subject lines, highlighted takeaways, and formatting for skimmers

Tips & Tricks
➊ Bad emails start with lame subject lines. You want it short, direct, urgent.
➋ You want the news or ask in the first sentence, always.
➌ Give the recipients the “Why it matters” context.
➍ Bullets make it easy for skimmers and close readers to catch the most important data points or supporting ideas.
➎ Bold any words or figures or names you want to stand out—here, again, it’s the perfect eye-trap for those skimmers.
➏ Clean, intuitive visuals help amplify or bring to life an important point.

16. Smart Brevity your Meetings

Summary from GPT: Recommends concise agendas, pre-reads, and tight facilitation to respect attendees’ time

While you meet:

1. Set a time limit

2. To open the meeting, start with your headline

3. As your second sentence, explain “Why it matters”

4. Next, state unambiguously what specific decisions need to be made

5. Guide the discussion, setting the tone for focus and efficiency

6. Be inclusive

7. When 2 minutes are left, bring the discussion to an end

17. Smart Brevity your Speeches

1. Win before you begin

2. Remember the audience

3. Distill and sharpen your most important ONE point or lesson

4. Hit them over the head with your point

5. Follow with your verbal “Why it matters”— short context for your Big Thought

6. Then unfurl a couple of stats or stories to back up the Big Thought and bring it to life

7. Reinforce your Big Thought at the end by saying: “Remember, if there is one thing you take away . . ”

   • And say thank you. Always end everything on a gracious, grateful note. It makes people want to cheer for you.

18. Smart Brevity your Presentations

Summary from GPT: Advises starting strong, staying focused, and ending with a takeaway instead of over-long presentations

1. Write down the precise outcome you want

2. Simplify every slide

3. Pictures tell a vivid story

4. Keep it short, stupid

   1. “Educational theory shows we can process a presentation best if it has one big idea, backed by three to five points.”

   2. The Harvard Business Review says a partner at McKinsey tells new hires to use this rule of thumb: For every 20 slides you want to put in your deck, use 2.

5. Always be closing

19. Smart Brevity your Social Media

Summary from GPT: Encourages platform-specific brevity and leading with news or surprises to stop the scroll

Tips & Tricks
➊ Know your audience
➋ Be image conscious
➌ Bust out your Smart Brevity writing and emoji moves

20. Smart Brevity your Visuals

Summary from GPT: Details pairing minimal text with compelling visuals so design amplifies—not buries—the message

Sarah’s Tips & Tricks
➊ Grab people with the visuals and words you choose.
➋ Be direct—in art, design and language.
➌ Create a hierarchy to guide your intended audience.
➍ Offer context.
➎ Be respectful of your audience—abstraction, clutter, confusion are the enemy.

21. How to Run a Company on Smart Brevity

Summary from GPT: Shows how using the style across internal comms builds a culture of transparency and efficiency

Jim’s Tips & Tricks for CEOs & Leaders
➊ Mission matters
➋ Tell a story
➌ Don’t be a fraud
➍ Don’t quit
➎ Be humble
➏ Encourage copycats

22. Communicate Inclusively

Summary from GPT: Frames smart brevity as a way to make communication accessible to diverse audiences

“Complexity confuses. Abstraction alienates. Length loses. You can unite people around a common understanding of an important idea or update by writing in short, direct sentences and by losing the clever insider-isms or fancy clauses.”

Roy’s Tips & Tricks
➊ Write in plain, clear language
➋ Use bullet points
➌ Keep it simple—and short

23. The Cheat Sheet

Summary from GPT: Provides a handy summary of core guidelines and the template for writing using smart brevity

Guiding Principles

• Authority: Be the expert, or find one.

• Brevity: Stay short, not shallow

• Humanity: Write like you speak

• Clarity: Style text for impact

24. Take Smart Brevity for a Spin

Summary from GPT: Offers practical steps to start applying the method immediately in your writing and communication.

OUR FINAL THOUGHT: We hope all these tools and tricks in this book allow you to break through the noise, communicate with renewed confidence and be heard again.