Smart Brevity

When was the last time you actually finished reading an email before your mind jumped to your next notification? In Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less, Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz argue that our words are drowning in a sea of noise. Every day, we scroll, skim, and scan through an avalanche of information—while retaining almost none of it. The authors claim that our modern communication habits are broken, yet most of us still write like it’s 1980: overstuffed prose, pointless jargon, and wordy habits that waste precious attention. The antidote, they say, is Smart Brevity—a simple but powerful system for saying more while using fewer words.

The core argument of the book is that brevity signals confidence, while length betrays insecurity. It’s not about writing short for short’s sake; it’s about editing ruthlessly to deliver the most value in the least time. In a world where the average person spends only 26 seconds reading a piece of content, brevity isn’t a luxury—it’s survival. By mastering Smart Brevity, you can clarify your thinking, communicate effectively, save time, and actually be heard again.

Why Smart Brevity Matters Now

We live in what the authors call the “fog of words”: a nonstop swell of messages, meetings, memos, and emails that eclipse genuine understanding. Eye-tracking studies reveal that most readers spend less than fifteen seconds on a webpage and decide whether they like content in a mere 17 milliseconds. Leaders, teachers, and students face the same problem—people no longer read or listen deeply. Instead, they skim for the new and the useful. The web and our smartphones have hijacked our attention with infinite stimuli battling for our dopamine-driven clicks.

Against this backdrop, VandeHei and his coauthors propose a radically audience-first mindset. They remind us that the old equation—longer equals smarter—no longer holds. As Mark Twain famously quipped, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one.” Smart Brevity flips that: by investing thought upfront, you respect your audience’s time and earn their trust. It’s not that our brains have been rewired; it’s that we’re exposed to unprecedented volumes of distraction. The value of clarity, then, has never been higher.

The Anatomy of Smart Brevity

At the core of Smart Brevity lies what the authors call the Core Four—a communication formula that can be applied to emails, newsletters, reports, or speeches:

• 1. The Tease: A short, muscular headline—six words or fewer—that grabs attention.
• 2. The First Sentence (“the Lede”): Begin with something your reader doesn’t know but should, stated directly and sharply.
• 3. The “Why It Matters”: Context that clarifies the significance of what you just said, told in one or two sentences.
• 4. The “Go Deeper”: Optional depth—bullets, links, or extra details—for those who want to explore further.

This architecture, perfected at Axios (the authors’ media startup), transformed dull information into fast, addictive reading for busy professionals. The point isn’t to dumb things down but to distill wisdom. As they put it: “Short, not shallow.” The result is communication that’s structured like a great conversation—tease, engage, explain, invite.

From Newsrooms to the CIA

One of the book’s most vivid examples comes from the CIA. Analysts were drowning in verbose reports that hid crucial intelligence behind walls of text. When the agency applied Smart Brevity principles, its warnings turned from bureaucratic mush into sharp, actionable insights—transforming their President’s Daily Briefs into attention-grabbing one-pagers. The same shift has occurred at companies like BP, the NFL, and Roku, which have used Axios software to transform how they communicate internally.

Smart Brevity’s flexibility is a key strength. It’s music theory, not a rigid rulebook: once you learn the structure, you can improvise like jazz. The key is always clarity, simplicity, and service to the audience. Whether in a corporate memo or classroom update, the format forces you to think clearly before you type—and forces readers to actually absorb what matters.

The Movement Beyond Words

Smart Brevity isn’t just about writing—it’s about rethinking how you work and live. When you get to the point faster, meetings shrink, strategies clarify, and culture strengthens. The book illustrates how internal newsletters, feedback, and speeches can all be retooled to deliver information more effectively. The result: more productive teams, sharper leadership, and reduced burnout from “word clutter.”

In that sense, Smart Brevity stands in conversation with other clarity-focused thinkers like Strunk and White (The Elements of Style) or Cal Newport (Deep Work). But it’s updated for the age of screens and Slack—where attention is scarce and trust is earned sentence by sentence.

The Big Promise

By embracing Smart Brevity, you reclaim power in a distracted world. You become the person whose emails people actually read, whose meetings end early, whose arguments stick. The method isn’t about writing less—it’s about thinking more clearly so you can make every word count.

Over the next sections, you’ll learn how to think audience-first, craft killer teases, pick the right words, and use everything from emojis to visuals without annoying your reader. You’ll see how Smart Brevity works in newsletters, speeches, and company culture—and why mastering it is a superpower for the modern workplace.

The first principle of Smart Brevity is summarized in a line pinned to the Axios newsroom: “Brevity is confidence. Length is fear.” In Chapter 1, the authors argue that long-winded writing often hides confusion or insecurity. When you trim the fat, you’re forced to understand your own ideas better—and your audience feels that clarity. The goal is to communicate more value in less time, not to strip away meaning. As the founders insist, Smart Brevity is about being short, not shallow.

Respecting How People Consume Information

The explosion of digital content and mobile screens transformed how people read, but not how most of us write. Eye-tracking studies show that readers today skim aggressively—they look for bold signals and simple structure to decide what’s worth their time. Yet we still write long essays and emails, pretending our readers have endless focus. Smart Brevity insists you meet your audience where they are. The authors’ mantra is simple: Share more value in less time.

In their newsroom and corporate workshops, they found that shifting to this mindset increased engagement immediately. Readers thanked them for saving time. Leaders found meetings and updates moving faster. The result isn’t just efficiency—it’s empathy. You put your audience first, not your ego, and they reward you with attention.

It’s Not About Dumbing Down

Skeptics often confuse brevity with simplicity. But as the authors remind even their own spouses and friends, Smart Brevity doesn’t mean cutting depth. You’re still expected to provide nuance and evidence—but after hooking attention and delivering the essence. A powerful first sentence supported by concise bullets can carry more richness than a paragraph of verbal sludge.

They cite examples from journalism, business, and education: from students writing cleaner essays to salespeople crafting stronger pitches. A Smart Brevity message clarifies purpose, highlights one main idea, and stops before it overstays its welcome. This approach mirrors cognitive science findings that humans recall information better when it’s chunked and hierarchized (Dan Ariely’s behavioral studies echo similar ideas).

Becoming a Better Thinker

Perhaps the biggest transformation isn’t in your writing—it’s in your thinking. Smart Brevity pushes you to distill a messy idea into a clear essence. That exercise forces sharper reasoning. As the authors note, “You can’t rally people around an idea they don’t understand—or zone out halfway through.” Each word becomes a test of clarity and necessity: does this sentence actually earn its place?

Whether you’re a student, executive, or teacher, practicing Smart Brevity helps you communicate confidently, respectfully, and effectively. Instead of hiding behind walls of words, you’re seen as someone who gets to the heart of what matters. Over time, that reputation compounds—people start listening again.

At the center of Smart Brevity is a simple but transformative mantra: Audience first. If you focus on serving your reader—rather than showcasing your own intelligence—clarity follows naturally. The authors urge you to picture one specific person you’re speaking to, not a faceless mass. This tactic mirrors Pope Francis’s advice to priests: keep sermons to ten minutes, or risk losing everyone’s attention (as the nuns who applauded him can attest!).

Serving, Not Performing

We often write to impress or cover ourselves, not to help others. Smart Brevity flips this mindset. Every message should answer two questions for your reader: “What’s new?” and “Why does it matter?” Instead of unloading background or self-justification, focus on the single thing your audience needs to remember. The authors show how even apologies, updates, and management feedback become more effective when delivered directly. Compare “I’m sorry, but I was upset because…” to “I’m sincerely sorry I said that.” Directness restores sincerity.

Practical Tools for Audience Focus

Lisa Ross, the CEO of Edelman, tells her teams to “just say what you mean.” She argues that excessive wording signals insecurity, not thoughtfulness. The authors include her philosophy as a model: brevity equals credibility. Ross teaches leaders to rewrite corporate jargon into plain speech so that employees trust the message, not question it. This audience-first authenticity is contagious—it establishes cultural clarity across organizations.

The chapter provides hands-on exercises. Focus on one reader. Write down one thing you want them to remember. Draft your thought out loud—then shorten it. When you find yourself overexplaining, just stop. It’s an act of respect: you’re saving your audience’s most precious resource—time.

Why It Works

Cognitive science backs this up. People remember concise, vivid statements far better than hedged or abstract ones. A single memorable phrase like “Do the next right thing,” coined by a Virginia pastor who inspired the authors, lodges in memory precisely because it’s clean and emotional. Long clauses bury meaning; short ones clarify it. As one of the authors’ mentors said: “Think, then type.”

Bottom Line

You achieve Smart Brevity when your reader can repeat your key point word for word after one reading. Speak like a trusted human, not a memo machine—and you’ll be heard, remembered, and respected.

First impressions decide everything. In Chapter 6, the authors reveal that your headline, subject line, or opening sentence is your single most valuable real estate. You have seconds—or even milliseconds—to make someone care. Axios’s own data shows that six words is the sweet spot for a subject line. These words are your handshake and your hook.

How to Capture Attention

Your opening must be clear, newsy, and emotionally resonant. “Stop being fancy, funny, or cryptic,” the authors insist. Clarity beats cleverness every time. Their rule: write your subject line or tease in ten words or less, using short, strong words—ideally one syllable each. A blunt but specific headline like “Start-ups mining cash from trash” beats “Low-waste economy hits its groove.”

Realtor Eddie Berenbaum applies this rule to his sales emails. When he added training guru Tom Ferry’s name to his subject lines—knowing it resonated with his audience—his open rates soared. It wasn’t magic; it was relevance. His lesson: the most clickable message speaks directly to what your audience already values or recognizes. In other words, start where their curiosity lives.

The Psychology of Engagement

The human brain craves novelty and reward. A good tease awakens both by promising insight or surprise. Like a journalist crafting a New York Times headline, you must provoke without deceiving. Every word should serve your reader’s next decision: do I click, or do I move on? The dopamine jolt of a well-phrased teaser buys you precious seconds of attention—a lifetime in digital terms.

The book’s before-and-after examples drive the point home: a 20-word email subject like “plans to discuss later” shrinks to “Two important updates” and instantly compels a click. Power lies not in adornment, but in precision.

Smart Brevity Rule

Would you read it if you hadn’t written it? If the answer is no, keep cutting until it crackles.

If you remember one thing from Smart Brevity, it should be this: every message needs one big thing. The authors call it the lede—a single sentence that captures the essence of your message. Think of it as the elevator pitch for your idea: if your audience remembers only one takeaway, what should it be?

Keep It Singular

Trying to say everything guarantees that nothing sticks. The authors illustrate this through countless real-world rewrites, from political news to workplace updates. Reporter John Bresnahan famously said, “Just tell me something I don’t f***ing know.” That’s your North Star. Skip the apologies, the backstory, the buildup. Lead with the knockout punch.

Finding Your Lede

If you’re unsure of your core point, explain your story aloud to a friend. The first sentence out of your mouth is often your real lead. Politicians, journalists, and executives use this trick constantly—it forces you to speak from instinct, not ego. Once you know your core message, distill it to one crisp line. Ask: “If this is the only thing they remember, does it capture what matters?”

Good writing feels human because it’s rooted in clarity. Bad writing hides behind throat-clearing. The book’s email examples demonstrate this vividly—“I was hoping to let you know that…” becomes “I’m throwing an epic bash with a live band.” Simple, concrete, memorable.

Your message succeeds when it’s shareable in a single sentence. Like Strunk’s golden rule—“Omit needless words”—Smart Brevity’s version is: say one thing well, then stop.

In later chapters, the authors demonstrate how Smart Brevity can reshape not just emails and speeches, but entire organizations. When companies like BP, GRAIL, and Axios itself began applying these principles company-wide, productivity improved and confusion plummeted. Every leader began writing weekly “Five Big Things” updates—succinct newsletters aligning teams on what mattered most. Suddenly, everyone was on the same page, literally and figuratively.

Smart Brevity as Culture

At Axios, every department—from revenue to design—communicates through brief internal bulletins. Co-founder Jim VandeHei’s Sunday “5 Big Things” newsletter syncs the entire organization. Each note begins with a one-sentence “Why it matters,” uses bullets for decisions and metrics, and ends with a fun personal item. This human touch maintains connection even in remote teams. The result is what the authors call “elegant efficiency”—a transparent, energized culture that rewards clarity over verbosity.

Lessons for Leaders

Leaders who write clearly think clearly. Weekly Smart Brevity updates create accountability, focus, and inclusion. They remove gossip and confusion caused by ambiguity. Jim’s guidance to CEOs: “Mission matters—say why everything connects to your purpose.” When you repeat your vision so often that you annoy yourself, it’s finally starting to stick. This discipline transforms communication from noise into culture.

Organizations that adopt Smart Brevity gain speed and trust. As BP’s communications head Geoff Morrell discovered, once employees learn to brief with active verbs and clear bullet points, the entire company communicates as one mind. Smart Brevity makes transparency contagious.

Clarity isn’t just a style—it’s an organizational advantage. In every company, school, or team, the best communicators win attention, alignment, and trust.