Skipping the preamble
You can do better. / Issue 1,521
Oh, hi friends!
What if you skipped the preamble?
What would it look like to chop off the first sentence of your newsletter, or cut the first three pages from that chapter?
What if you streamlined that email, and asked your question upfront instead of burying it at the end in murky language?
What if you asked the hiring manager when they plan to make an offer, or texted your landlord about that leak you’ve been waiting for him to fix?
What if you vaulted past the indecision in your mind — the hemming and hawing over “maybe this” or “should I do that” — and got to the good stuff now, even if you’re not quite ready?
What if the throat-clearing was over and you just ask for what you need? And do what you want to do next?
No prologue.
Straight to the meat of the story.
Your story.
A dream, maybe?
Or maybe a decent next step for today.
As an improviser, this is such an important skill. Skip the niceties and start the scene. People don't want fluff. They want to laugh/be entertained. It has really helped me in other areas as well.
Love the efficiency. Wham bam — if only we all got the memo— with an even nuanced tone— we’d have so much more energy and time .