Write shorter, make your point clear, and ditch words that aren't serving a point, says the crew behind Axios. I found Smart Brevity a valuable, if frustrating book, that -- somewhat amusingly, given the title -- is about 50% longer than it needs to be.
Perhaps paradoxically, I think both that A) most people could improve their communications tremendously if they followed the recommendations of this book, thought about audience, and cut out the fluff to write clearly and B) "Smart Brevity" (gag, of course this style needs a Capital-Lettered Brand Name(TM) ) contributes mightily to the immiseration of language, the death of nuance, and seemingly national allergy to complexity.
Smart Brevity is great at encouraging us to get to the point and recognizing the unceasing competition for attention and focus, but half of the examples the authors give of how to deploy it simply drop nuance, context, and depth in favor of speed. Workman-like writing more than has its place, but this book fails to grapple with what this tradeoff costs. The authors assert facts and figures with little support. I'm sure it's true, but I just have to trust the authors rather than have the opportunity to verify for myself.
Worth your time, especially since I polished this off in about 90 minutes, but give some thought to what you're losing, too, when Smart Brevity comes to dominate communication. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.