Simply
Exact
99-Word Story
My friend Sarah likes to be precise. Send her a simple
email, she’ll reply with an essay. She wants to be clear,
meticulous, understood. But, by giving so many details,
you begin to wonder about things that hadn’t occurred to
you.
Read this story aloud or make copies
for your group or team members.
You write to Sarah for clarification. She replies with more
specifics, leaving you curious about a few instances she
hasn’t outlined. After another round of messages, you find
yourself looking for hidden implications and questioning
life’s meaning. Sarah’s “clarity” becomes a fog of
confusion. Her main point has been obscured.
Sometimes, fewer words can mean more.
Discussion Questions
 How do you determine the best balance between too
much and too little information?
 Share an example of a time you had to respond to
this type of imbalance.
 How much of the problem in this story is a result of
the mode of communication (email)?
 What modes of communication are sometimes
problematic in your organization?
Interpretation
Is this 99-Word Story a result of a type of communication, a
clash of personalities, extremes of preference for what to
emphasize in a conversation, or some other factor?
Whatever the explanation, the story makes clear that a lot of
time spent sending emails could have been spend doing
work!
You can build upon the theme of this
99-Word Story by using some of the
following questions for your own
reflection or to spark a discussion
within your team or organization.
There are many ways to understand
this story as the discussion questions
suggest. If you or your group would
like to compare or contrast your
interpretation with an outside
viewpoint, consider this analysis.
For as much as North Americans talk about saving and
managing time (it is money, after all!), we don’t seem to
apply that same thinking to our writing or speech. People
seem perfectly content to prattle on, extending their
sentences with meaningless verbiage that doesn’t really
exemplify, elaborate, or expand upon their main (stop me
here, will you please?) point…
© 2017 Brian Remer, The Firefly Group, [email protected], 802.257.7247
In fact, many big ideas have been delivered with few
words. Both the Tora and the Old Testament of the Bible
managed to condense all the laws for living into just 10
Commandments. “Yes,” you may say, “But that was God!”
Yet ordinary humans can say much with little too.
President Lincoln made his point in the Gettysburg Address
with only 272 words (fewer words than have been written
on this page up to this point). And Einstein’s theory of
Special Relativity in all its complexity can be summarized
in the simple, elegant equation of E = mc2.
Many organizations know the power of brevity and use it to
promote their brand, products, and services. Most people in
the U.S. know that NAACP stands for a civil rights
organization and AARP is an organization for senior
citizens. Around the world, some organizations are known
only by their acronyms. Kentucky Fried Chicken is now
simply KFC and UNICEF is an organization that helps
children around the globe, though you may not know what
all those letters stand for (United Nations International
Children’s Emergency Fund, if you are curious).
When is it best to be brief? Here are a (very) few
suggestions:
 When making your point – Talking too much can
become a lecture. Being brief gives others a chance to
ask questions and engage in dialogue.
 When giving instructions or directions – Ask people
what they need to know. Ask how much detail they
want. Allow time for questions that clarify.
 When sharing information – Find out what people
already know. Connect their knowledge to the
information you want them to learn.
 When describing a situation or event – Give the most
important result first. Fill in the back story later if
needed.
Of course, there are caveats when being brief.



Consider the context. A long-winded story at the
dinner table with friends is welcome entertainment.
But it will probably be distracting at a staff meeting.
Be sensitive. Some cultures value deep relationships
and a slower orientation to time. They care less about
having the facts in hand first.
Include people. Though acronyms save time and ink,
they can make others feel like outsiders if they don’t
know your “language.”
© 2017 Brian Remer, The Firefly Group, [email protected], 802.257.7247
At its basic, being brief comes down to trust. With a short
message, we must trust that people will understand our
intent and follow through. When trust is absent, we need
more words, more rules, and more lawyerly language to
cover the gaps created by distrust.
Reprinted from 99’s on the 9th
A newsletter of 99-Word Stories
available on the 9th of every month.
See more at www.99-Words.com.
To subscribe, contact Brian Remer
([email protected]).
© 2017 Brian Remer
© 2017 Brian Remer, The Firefly Group, [email protected], 802.257.7247