Communicating

“When researching strategies, emphasize patterns over stories. One person succeeding means nothing. 100 people succeeding is a signal.

When explaining strategies, emphasize stories over patterns. People forget numbers and charts. Everyone remembers a great story.”

First identified by Randy Steve Waldman [Wal12], the term refers to something people treat as though it works, generally for social or institutional reasons, even when there’s little evidence that it works—­and sometimes despite substantial evidence that it does not.

“The truth shrinks as the crowd grows.

In a large meeting at work, people hold back their honest opinions. The resulting conversation offends the fewest people but is often not the truth.​

Smaller groups are more likely to find truth than larger ones.”

“The simplest way to clarify your thinking is to write a full page about whatever you are dealing with and then delete everything except the 1-2 sentences that explain it best.”

“Communication is about what is received, not what is intended. If there is a gap between what you are saying and what they are hearing, you have to find a new way to say it.”

“My friend, who sometimes shares his writing with me, once said my feedback always falls into three categories:

1. Make it shorter.

2. Make it more appealing.

3. How could it apply to more people?”