“It is slothful not to compress your thoughts” – Winston Churchill

//

I recently finished the book, The Splendid & The Vile by Erik Larson. A remarkable expose of Winston Churchill during WWII. The book left me with numerous takeaways, but maybe none bigger than; Churchill’s focus on communication.

Let me explain.

Germany was on England’s doorstep. Churchill faced countless decisions with little time to make them. Each moment had to count.

How did he make it all work? Churchill demanded brevity. His staff were to deliver all memos in a page or less. And, he never hesitated to call them out if they did not.

This paid dividends in two ways. First, his mandate coached the staff to focus on the facts and summarize the options in plain English. And, second, Churchill could efficiently consume the information and make the necessary decisions.

As William Zinser said, “clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without the other.” Churchill challenged, more so required, all of his government to think and communicate in this way.

… as you know, the result worked out for him.

NH.

///

P.S. I highly recommend William Zinser’s book On Writing Well. It was a gift that continues to give.