“Less is More†may sound like a 70’s advertisement for a Volkswagen Beetle, but it really is the key to success for communicators who are speaking to live audiences or the news media. By “less†I don’t mean shorter or being more concise. “Less†means fewer message points.
The rule of thumb I use is this: try to communicate three message points in a media interview; five message points if it is a speech or presentation. If you try to communicate more than this (unless you are in a classroom with highly motivated students) you will fail.
