Smart Brevity Audiobook By Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz cover art

Smart Brevity

The Power of Saying More with Less

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Smart Brevity

By: Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz
Narrated by: Mark Chamberlin
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About this listen

Brevity is confidence. Length is fear. This is the guiding principle of Smart Brevity, a communication formula built by Axios journalists to prioritize essential news and information, explain its impact and deliver it in a concise and visual format. Now, the co-founders of Axios have created an essential guide for communicating effectively and efficiently using Smart Brevity—think Strunk and White’s Elements of Style for the digital age.

In SMART BREVITY: The Power of Saying More with Less, Axios co-founders Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz teach listeners how to say more with less in virtually any format. They also share communications lessons learned from their decades of experience in media, business and communications.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz (P)2022 Workman Publishing Company
Career Success Personal Development Personal Success Words, Language & Grammar Writing & Publishing Career Business Inspiring
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What listeners say about Smart Brevity

Highly rated for:

Effective Communication Guide Impactful Messaging Advice Beneficial Reading
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Repetetive

It made the same point 24 times (Chapters)
Why it matters:
I’m busy and intelligent. Some repetition is good, but it was too much.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

How to get your point across!

Until about the 17th chapter, when it starts talking about oral communications, this book is a five star, must-read. After that, it starts devolving into platitudes and truisms until it finally reaches the chapter on using “inclusive” language - a low point for the book.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Must Read for ALL Professionals

Not totally new concepts, but valuable approach to changing nature of work and communication

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Where has this been???!!!

The guidance on capturing the audience to efficiently deliver messaging is top notch. The tools work

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Useful concept but...

Most of us could use more brevity (oxymoron?)
Many of the techniques mentioned are quite useful; the constant promotion of Axios was irritating and excessive. However, as another reviewer mentioned, the target audience is clearly the Type A go-getter, not so much the average person who just wants to do a better job of communicating!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I’m bought in - keep it brief.

If you follow the direction of this book you’ll be a step above 90% of others on your communications.

These authors have got it right. This is the future of communications in the news, businesses, and even emails/social.

Meet the reader where they are and give them when they want at the beginning.

It’s 100% worth the time and credit/money to listen.

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Very helpful

Useful information for work . Next step will be to use the resources and website to test it out . Thank you

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Ironically could have been more brief

While these writing tips are on point, much of this is common sense in communication.

I agree with other readers that they missed the mark on their own brevity with this book.

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Smart Brevity…in both title and their explanations

I challenge anyone after reading/listening to this book to not feel motivated to try it out. A GREAT resource.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Type A personalities love this but no one else

This read felt like it was meant to push everyone to act like a type A personality. Personal style is frowned upon. Diplomatic words are shunned. Brevity kills politeness. Simplified vocabulary pulls us into Orwells 1984 concepts for mainstream consumption instead of elevating the masses with more precise vocabulary. This book shows a. political skew not appreciated by this reader. Some concepts are good but you will need to pick and choose what works for you.

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1 person found this helpful