Q #219: How can brevity be “the “soul of wit”

Judge for yourself.

As I heard the story, an “eager beaver” young entrepreneur unexpectedly encountered a billionaire venture capitalist at a tradeshow and boorishly insisted that his start-up company “couldn’t miss.” The VC realized he was trapped. “Do you have a card?” “Of course. Got one right here!” He tried to hand it to the VC. “No, please. Here’s what I want you to do. On the back of that card, explain why I should invest a dollar in your project.” The young man was astonished. “That’s impossible! I can’t do that.” Pause. “Well then, I don’t think we have anything to discuss.”

How many times in a business situation, when asked what time it is, have you earnestly and thoroughly explained how a clock works?

When among strangers, Ben Hogan refused to engage in chit chat, small talk, etc. Once at a Christmas party that he had dreaded attending, a woman came up to him and gushed, “Oh Mr. Hogan, I just bet someone $50 I could get you to say three words!” Long pause. “You lose.”

When Ernest Hemingway was challenged to tell a story with only six words, he responded, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

Can you express your company’s strategy, core business, competitive advantage or disadvantage, mission, etc. with only six words? Or with ten?

If brevity is not the soul of wit, it is certainly preferable to the swamp gas, flimflam, flapdoodle, and other forms of nonsense that many people view as “communicating.”

Ladies: The next time someone compliments you on how attractive you look, a simple “Thank you” will do. No need to explain that you have been wearing the dress since junior high school and it was a hand-me-down from a male cousin no one in the family ever discusses.

Gentlemen: The next time someone compliments you on how fit you look, a simple “Thank you” will do. No need to tell them about the multi-family touch football game in your neighborhood on Thanksgiving Day last year when you knocked a seven-year old girl unconscious with your “best ever cross-body block.”

Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob