1       In a world awash in information, it’s more important than ever to get straight to the point.

2       When selling, the fastest way to turn off a potential customer is to talk for too long. I once asked New York real estate queen Barbara Corcoran for public speaking advice. Her response: “Nobody is as interested in you as you think they are.” Harsh, perhaps, but she has a point. As information continues to overload us, it’s more important than ever to be succinct. I often recommend that business owners practice describing their product or service in 140 characters [about 20 words] or less, the length of a message on Twitter. Try it yourself, then check out attempts by fellow readers.

3       Remember, sales prospects don’t normally have the time to listen to your life story. You need to state your case and move on. If they’re interested in learning more, they’ll let you know. Here are several areas where it pays to keep it short.

4       In blogs. People read a page on a Web site more slowly than a printed page. So you might want to reconsider your 7,000 word treatise and replace it with a 700-word essay that includes just the key points. Bettear yet, offer an even shorter post with a few findings and a link to the full piece.

5       In email. As a journalist, I received a ton of unsolicited pitches from public relations professionals. Many emails would contain great ideas but were so long and convoluted that I had to work too hard to figure out the story. Every journalist I know shares the same frustration. The most effective emails get right to the point.

6       In presentations. Some of the most noteworthy speeches in contemporary history [JFK’s inaugural address, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and Barack Obama’s 2004 keynote at the Democratic National Convention] were under 20 minutes. Ask whether or not you really need 70 minutes for your next big event. A well-crafted presentation should last no more than 20 minutes.

7       The next time you’re trying to sell someone your product or service, try to do so in 30 seconds or less. Then judge your listeners’ reaction to see if they want to learn more. Be specific. Don’t waste those 30 seconds with meaningless buzzwords like “best of breed” and “solutions.” Earlier this month, 30 startups presented to a group of investors at an event called Launch Silicon Valley. Lumiette was voted one of the companies “most likely to succeed.” Its elevator pitch was specific — it manufactures and distributes energy-efficient fat-panel lamps. In one sentence you learn that it makes a physical product [not a service] and you learn specifically about the type of product it makes.

8       There’s power in brevity. As a rule, keep it short.

(475 words)



1.a world awash in information: 

在一个信息充沛的世界上

作为形容词，awash修饰名词时，一般用于名词之后。又如：

a road awash with water

被水淹了的道路

She was awash in invitations as soon as she arrived in Paris. 

她一到巴黎就接到无数邀请。

2.Twitter：

推特

Twitter is a website, owned and operated by Twitter Inc., which offers a social networking and microblogging service.

推特是由推特公司拥有并运行的网站，它提供社交和微博服务。

3.fellow readers: 

(共同阅读某文字作品的)其他读者  

The adjective “fellow” is used to refer to people that you work with, study with, or who are in the same situation as you. 

形容词 fellow指跟自己处于同一环境或做相同事情的人。

课文中fellow  readers指其他跟作者一起阅读相关文字的人。又如：

fellow workers/students/countrymen

同事/同学/同胞

4.blogs：

博客 

The word blog is a blend of the term web log. It is a personal record that people put on their website giving an account of their activities and opinions.

Blog(博客)一词由web blog(网络日志)混合而成，是人们在网上记录自己的活动和发表言论的地方。

5.Launch Silicon Valley: 

硅谷新品发布会

Silicon Valley is in Northern California in the U.S. It is home to many of the world’s largest technology corporations. Launch Silicon Valley is now the premier product launch platform for startups in Silicon Valley and from countries around the world.

硅谷位于美国加州北部。它是许多国际最大科技公司的所在地。硅谷新品发布会是硅谷和各国创业公司产品首发的推介平台。

6.elevator pitch:

电梯推介

An elevator pitch is a short summary(总结) used to quickly and simply defne(定义) a product, service, or organization. The name “elevator pitch” comes from the idea that it should be possible to give the summary in the time span(跨度) of an elevator ride, or approximately thirty seconds to two minutes.