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CertainlyWorse  No one is coming. It's just you.  3d ago (text post)   877 thread views

Speechcraft and Pithiness: Give your tips here

This isn't a large question. Because of the users we have here, I think we could all benefit from short sharp tips to edit our own words.

In this topic, can you provide advice on how to curate yourself when you throw words in speech and on 'paper'.

Links to 'speechcraft' sources are appreciated.

I'll start:

  • Take a second to think about how someone else would hear your words if they were you. (rule 0)
  • Curate and cut your words before you throw them.
  • "Brevity is the soul of wit" - Hamlet - Shakespeare.
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Let me rephrase:

I see three valid approaches:

  1. Structure things with the conclusion at the start, and have the convention be to skip over the conclusion if reading the full thing, then read the rest, then read the conclusion.
  2. Structure things with the conclusion at the start, and have the convention be to read the conclusion then read the rest.
  3. Structure things with the conclusion at the end, and have people who may wish to skip read the last paragraph first to decide if they should read the rest.

Also, putting the tldr at the bottom of a post is bad netiquette

Putting the tldr at the bottom matches perfectly with a convention that people who are unsure should read the end first to check.

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