The most famous speech in American history, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, lasted two minutes.
Amazingly, President Lincoln wasn’t even the event’s featured speaker. That was Congressman Edward Everett of Massachusetts. Everett spoke for over two hours. Remember learning about his speech? Neither do I.
Shorter is better.
You’ve probably heard these sayings:
Shakespeare: “Brevity is the soul of wit.”
T.S. Eliot: “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”
You: “Goodness! Is this email ever going to end?”
Never be afraid to write a short document. Even extremely short. Some of the most powerful, memorable and persuasive letters and emails are just a few lines. Make your point and get out. A brief document, one with no fat, packs a lot more punch than one that’s bloated with unnecessary words.
And that’s all I have to say about this.
