Recently, Wired magazine wrote an article about Snack Culture, basically showing that we’ve gone from albums to single songs, movies to trailers, TV shows to Internet TV shows. How should YOU interact in this culture, where the obvious truth is: TIME is more important than money?
Brevity
Above all else, brevity. There’s no time for a build-up. In person, in email, on reports, during presentations, the new cool is brief. You think it’s hard? Learn it now, because it’s a skill that will get you far.
Lead with the Lead
I learned that from MADE TO STICK. Start EVERYTHING with the payoff, or at least the promise of what will be discovered at the end. You can still surprise people, or leave small memory gaps for them to fill, but let them know what they’re building up front. There’s no longer much palate for “you’ll see.” Give us strength of purpose right up front.
Make it Snackable
One defining point of a snack: it stands alone. It’s not a bed of rice waiting for stir fry. It’s an avocado on a wheat cracker with fresh cracked pepper. You can take it out. You can put it somewhere else. You can remix it (don’t like avocado? throw a piece of cheese on instead). Give your friends/participants/colleagues snacks.
Serving Suggestions
If there’s smaller value in these new “snacks” of your contributions, deliver even more value in your audience coming back to you. Give them a great reason to keep the interactions flowing. Even by adding a simple “call to action” to the end of every snack that suggests to your audience what should come next, you’ll win. Serving suggestions. Ideas on what to do next.
You’re the New Appetizer
Stop cramming everything into your delivery. Give it room to breathe. Offer a return visit or a second session or a follow-on email with the main course. Snacks are tricky. People often eat more calories in appetizers than they think, and they never even notice how much of your snacks they’ve taken in and appreciated.
So, What’s Your New And Improved Snack?
Taking the above in mind, how would you apply it to your emails? How do you see this changing your presentation style? What about your contribution to meetings? What does your life broken into snacks look like?
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