When I hear some people’s presentations or read what they’ve written I’m often reminded of Mark Twain’s comment when apologising for the length of a letter… “If I’d had more time, this would have been shorter.”
Being able to express yourself clearly and succinctly is a skill worth developing. Author, Dr. Seuss, whom you’ll remember from childhood (or parenthood), developed the skill well.
Because kids were not learning to read, Dr. Seuss’s publisher compiled a list of 400 important words suggesting that Seuss cut the list to 250 then write a book using only those words.
Nine months later, Seuss completed The Cat in the Hat using 220 of the words. This book was a tour de force — it retained the familiar Dr. Seuss style but because of its simplified vocabulary could be read by beginners. Supposedly his publisher then bet Dr. Seuss $50 that he couldn’t write a book using only fifty words. He could and he did… the result was Green Eggs and Ham.
But there’s another secret to green Eggs and Ham. What’s that? Persistence! The little guy asks Sam-I-Am many times to try the green eggs and ham and finally, after twenty-seven attempts, he makes the sale.
How brief are you, how succinct and how persistent are you?
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