Tedium wins. No matter the brilliance of the idea or the credibility of its creator, it won’t go far if it’s bogged down.
Adding data points, rephrasing key concepts, meandering into supporting evidence, and relentlessly spewing facts will kill your idea before it can really reach your audience.
They need to “get it” in simple terms so that it can be absorbed, pondered, and internalized. Then, they can own it. They can re-create it in their own minds. They can re-tell it effectively. They can act on it.
And that’s what you want – action. That’s the only reason you brought your idea forth in the first place: to change minds, to persuade, to move people to action. Therein lies the somewhat counter-intuitive but compelling case for brevity. Louder, more data, and prolonged delivery are the wrong tactics.
Instead, channel your enthusiasm into the editing process – heavily – so that what you present is concise and compelling. And let the presentation be short, simple, and unmistakably clear. Leave room for discussion, debate and the follow on that will actually make it stick.
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