Todd Rogers, a Harvard Kennedy School professor and author of 'Writing for Busy Readers,' shares insights on crafting effective communication. He emphasizes that busy readers require clarity and brevity in everything from emails to speeches. Tips include using simple language, structure, and bullet points to enhance readability. The conversation also highlights how emojis can engage diverse audiences and the importance of adapting writing to fit communication norms for improved understanding. With Rogers’ strategies, you can write in a way that respects your readers' time.
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insights INSIGHT
Reader-centric Writing
Effective writing prioritizes the reader's skimming habits over idealized writing styles.
Recognize that readers skim and prioritize key information, so design writing accordingly.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Structure for Skimmers
Structure writing with headings and formatting to guide readers.
This design aids navigation, allowing readers to quickly grasp key information while skimming.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Less is More Experiment
A fundraising email experiment showed shorter, even incoherent, emails raised more money.
This demonstrates the "less is more" principle, where brevity trumps completeness in engagement.
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In this book, Don Norman discusses how design should be centered around the user's needs, emphasizing the importance of visibility, natural relationships between controls and functions, and the intelligent use of constraints. He argues that poor design, rather than user ineptness, is often the cause of frustration with everyday objects. The book covers various aspects of design, including affordances, signifiers, and the seven stages of action, providing a comprehensive guide to creating user-friendly products.
Writing for Busy Readers
Todd Rogers
Jessica Lasky-Fink
W książce "Writing for Busy Readers" Todd Rogers i Jessica Lasky-Fink omawiają, jak pisać treści, które są zrozumiałe i angażujące dla zabieganych czytelników. Autorzy podkreślają znaczenie jasności, zwięzłości i struktury tekstu. Książka zawiera praktyczne wskazówki i techniki, które pomagają w tworzeniu efektywnych i przystępnych treści. Autorzy omawiają również, jak dostosować styl pisania do różnych platform i mediów. Książka jest cennym źródłem wiedzy dla pisarzy, dziennikarzy, marketerów i wszystkich, którzy chcą skutecznie komunikować się z odbiorcami w dzisiejszym świecie. "Writing for Busy Readers" to praktyczny przewodnik, który pomoże w tworzeniu treści, które będą czytane i rozumiane.
Whatever you’re writing, Todd Rogers says most people are too busy to read it. That’s why, he says, “you want to make it as easy as possible for them."
Rogers is a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the author of the book Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World. From text messages to fundraising letters to political speeches, Rogers says effective writing makes it “easy for busy readers to navigate what we send them, pull out the key information, and do what they are planning to do anyway, which is move on to the next thing.” This kind of writing, Rogers says, is “more effective for us, and kinder to readers.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Rogers and host Matt Abrahams explore how to use structure, simplicity, and everyday vocabulary to write in a way that saves readers time and transmits ideas more effectively.
Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques 
