Weeknotes 4 - Having something to say and saying it
- Some of you emailed or tweeted me your suggestions for using the phrase “data onion” in a sentence. That felt nice.
- What’s up with all those newsletters people are making? Why is it such an attractive medium for one’s writing? Is it because you can’t trust centralised platforms, and email feels intimate? Maybe.
- A weekly newsletter about Amazon? Why not.
- According to Jeff Bezos “Powerpoint-style presentations somehow give permission to gloss over ideas, flatten out any sense of relative importance, and ignore the interconnectedness of ideas”, so short, written memos are the preferred medium for persuasion at Amazon. In the meetings where memos are discussed there is time set aside for everyone to actually read the memo. Smart.
- Scot Blanksteen who wrote dozens of those memos shared some (obvious in hindsight) advice on what makes a good one.
- Tom Stuart’s advice on giving talks applies to writing, or indeed speaking. It’s concise and easy to remember: “1. Have something to say. 2. Say it.” Use it in your next meeting.