On Making A Point

There was a time when people used long sentences and big words to sound important (if you have read Pride and Prejudice or Sherlock Holmes, you will know what I mean). But, today in a world where food is fast and coffee is instant, you really don’t have time for long lectures and endless discourses.

In the world of media and internet too, our attention span is too short and our patience is too little to hold on to lengthy, extensive write ups/ videos/ blogs. I personally don’t read the first paragraphs of any article that I read on the internet. It’s just an introduction, slowly trying to sweep in to the main point, and some of them just beat about the bush. I just skip to the main points and skim through the text looking for words that sum up the whole point.

So the key mantra in today’s high-speed internet era is: Come, make your point and leave.

You don’t have to be long and boring; you need to be quick and easy, and precisely to the point. Get their attention through smart, catchy, quick-witted small phrases that leave a lasting impression. Get on to business. And then, just when you have awed the audience with your charm, it’s time to say good-bye. That way, when you leave, they remember you well, and still want more of you.

Quit when you are boring and unwanted, and the world remembers you as someone who had to quit because they had lost their charm. Quit at the height of your success, and they remember you as awesome, wonderful, exemplary. Remember, when the Friends series ended, we just couldn’t have enough of it. They left us craving for more.

Small is the new big, short is the new long folks!

PS: I am very proud of the word ‘mantra’. It’s a word of Indian origin that made its way into the Oxford Dictionary.